This guest post by Leonard Patterson is an updated version from IndieBandCoach.com

UNDERSTANDING WHY EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO YOUR PROMO ARE MORE INFLUENTIAL TO FAN ENGAGEMENT THAN THE PROMO ITSELF.

Now more than ever, it’s not just enough to show up. You have to stand out. As we all know, the pandemic has leveled the playing field to where your “stage” is literally the same size as everyone else’s. All of your fans and the ones following artists on major labels are all being viewed on mobile devices, laptops, and tv screens.

So how can you shine above the rest? One of the main points of a recent masterclass I attended focused on the difference between literal and emotional communication on social media.. and of course that got me to thinking about how it relates to music and musicians.

++ Stay Productive During Quarantine

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU

Here’s the thing, we’re all different in very unique ways, but unless we’re careful, all of our “stuff” will start to sound the same as the next artist or band. 

Just keep this in mind though: Most bands and artists you know are trying to grab the attention of fans online at this very moment. Some of them have larger fan bases and maybe even more money to spend on ads. But don’t let that stop you, because what you have (now) is a roadmap to better communicating with them.

Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman claims that 95% of our purchasing decisions are made subconsciously. This means that your decisions are mostly being made on an emotional level.

So how can we use this in our promotional messages? 

LITERAL VS. EMOTIONAL

Let’s talk about promotion literally. When artists or companies advertise, it’s typically a literal example; meaning that the calls to action and content is primarily talking about the event itself. When we focus on what our fans will get out of it, we can start painting the picture of the emotional payoff they get if they attend.

Literally speaking…

• Example 1: “Check us out at Indie Tavern where we’ll be playing all the hits! Come out this Friday, show starts at 10pm!” Or…
• Example 2: “I’m going live at 8-9pm on Facebook playing all originals! Come join me!

Those messages are informative and needed to get the details of your show out to your fans. There’s nothing wrong with them!! But what would happen if you started to talk and communicate in benefits to your fans instead of the features of your event?

++ Promote Your Livestreams On These Sites for Free

Emotionally speaking…

• Example 1A: “Leave stress at the office and enjoy a trip down memory lane this Friday at 10pm! It’s a classic rock party at Indie Tavern and you’re the guest of honor.” Or…
• Example 2A: If you’re tired of all the negative news online, join me on Facebook Live at 8pm. We’ll pour a worry-free glass of whatever you’ve got and I’ll provide the music!

Focus on how your fans will FEEL vs. just what you’re going to do. In fact, think about it as a template to use as a starting point.

As humans we do one of two things with every decision and action we take. We either move AWAY from pain or TOWARDS pleasure. Those are universal reactions, and can be what ties your message into what people relate to. You can then add in the specific feelings, emotions, and experiences that are unique to you and your music.

FILL IN THE BLANKS

If we take the first emotional example and break it down, it can easily be turned into a “mad lib” style caption that you can customize. Give this a try…

“Leave stress at the office and enjoy a trip down memory lane this Friday at 10PM! It’s a classic rock party at Indie Tavern and you’re invited.”

• Leave (1)_________________ [stress at the office, kids at home, boring nights alone] 
• Enjoy (2)_______________________ [a trip down memory lane, a fun night on the town, a 3-hour vacation from your worries] this Friday at 10PM!
• It’s a (3) ________________ [classic rock party, romantic evening of smooth jazz, a crazy 80’s night] and you’re invited.”

If we’re looking at it even more simply from the point of pain vs. pleasure, it could be summarized like this.

• Describe a common PAIN or negative situation your audience might want to leave.
• Describe a PLEASURE they might want to move towards (*keep it clean now*).
• Try to highlight the type of experience and/or genre your audience could expect. 

Again, this is just an example, and it can also pertain to your music. It doesn’t have to just be about events. But how can you focus on the feelings and describe the emotion around what you’re promoting?

When we realize that our shows and why we want people to attend them should really be ABOUT THEM, we can start to stand out from the online crowd.

Hopefully you got a few ideas on how to promote yourself using emotion. Here are some more helpful resources:

++ Grab the free Livestream Checklist from Indie Band Coach

++ Turn Your Audio Into Visuals with This Social Media Tool

++ Apply to Perform and Attend Weekly Shows at Twitch.tv/GigmorLIVE

Leonard Patterson (Indie Band Coach) is a former front-man for a 6-figure party band, a booking agent with 1000’s of shows under his belt, and a certified digital marketer. His mission is to help indie musicians and bands find their fans and share their gifts. Subscribe to his YouTube Channel to get time-saving tips on content creation and livestream strategies so you can get back to the music.

Let unforeseen circumstances become your new creative break: How to beat writer’s block  

“There is no set way to write a song, either they come or they don’t?”

Do you agree?

Everyone has had that “Where-did-that-come-from?” moment after finishing a song.  You are hit with the reality that what you just created is going to be something special, something that touches people. Where does that creativity come from? 

Some songs just come to you but only if you exercise those creative muscles. This blog is the ultimate guide to getting over writer’s block and getting your creative juices flowing.

1. Listen to The Instrument

If the guitar feels like it wants a sad song from the chords you randomly started messing with, then make it a sad song. Your job is to sit with your instrument and play. Whether that’s a guitar, piano, MPC or just a laptop. Focus on your input and don’t try to force the output.

Your instrument will lead you in the right direction. Don’t think, just go with the flow

2. Make Mistakes

Try a new instrument or a new technique. Technical proficiency does not matter. What we are doing here is getting your creative juices flowing. We’re not trying to be a master of the cello your first time around. Getting out of your comfort zone is the easiest way to beat writer’s block. 

3. List of Titles

One of the most difficult parts of finishing a song is getting the chorus right. The chorus is what sticks with people and what people sing along to but it’s easy to feel that it’s not quite right. 

Try keeping a long list of titles for songs that you can use as a launching pad for songwriting. Struggling to add lyrics to a nearly finished song? Use these song titles to stir some new ideas. If you are really lost, next time you are riding shotgun look around at building and business titles and right down anything that you think has a nice ring to it.

4. Write in Character

Not every song has to be about the last person that broke your heart or upset you.

You can create a character of your own or choose any existing character and describe how this character moves, talks, acts. Write something from that character’s perspective, how would that character feel, or react to your own circumstances.

 Challenge your friends to come up with a character that you will write a song about.

This technique was famously pioneered by The Beatles, David Bowie and so many others. 

5. Switch Media

Highly recommended to beat writer’s block. The likes of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer are always attesting to the power that this technique has on boosting their creativity.

Spend time writing poetry or drawing/painting and then go back to songwriting. It can be truly rejuvenating for your songwriting. Creating different kinds of art stimulates different parts of your brain and gives your songwriting brain a rest. These new works of art can also give you great ideas to bring back to your songwriting.

6. Be Transparent when Collaborating

Having an open and trusting relationship with your collaborator is a must. Making art is a very personal act. If you don’t feel comfortable with your collaborator, you’re not going to be effective as a team. 

It’s important to be able to ask for feedback and equally important  to be able to receive that feedback and act on it. For example, let your collaborator hear your song or read your lyrics and ask them “what does it sound like this song is about?”, “what should happen next in this story?” Listen to their response and ask yourself if you agree with them. Try to remove your ego from the equation and write the best possible version of your song.

Lastly!

7. Cut yourself some slack.

Perfectionism can be a very good thing but do not let it keep you from creating. Do not hold back from putting out your art to the masses because you are spending too much time on fine tuning things. Obviously, you know balance, but sometimes it might shock you what people love. You could pour your heart and soul out on one specific track, but it might be that one acoustic track or a song that took you all of 30 min to write that might be your next big break. Be bold and dare to be different, but most importantly put your art out there. 

Keep up the hard work and you’ll beat writer’s block in no time!

Make money from your live streams: 7 virtual tip jar options you should know.

How Can Artists Stay Productive During Quarantine?

This may be a question you’ve asked yourself, day after day, for the past couple of months. It’s so easy for one Netflix show in the morning to turn into five by lunch. It seems as though there isn’t much of a point to create if you can’t get out in the world and perform. 

We get it, but we refuse to believe it! There are plenty of ways you can stay productive during a time like this. Think about it, you are forced to stay inside and are given more time than ever to hone your craft. Throw unlimited internet access into the equation and the sky’s the limit. 

Here are a couple of ways you can stay productive during this madness:

Get Into a Routine

It’s very important to develop a cadence since there is no daily directive. Even if you are not recording or writing a song every day, it is important to push yourself to at least work on something music-related. A routine will not only provide comfort but it will make sure your creativity isn’t stifled. 

Learn a New Program or Instrument

There’s always one program or instrument that we never got around to learning that we know we would love. With all this free time, take a swing at playing the piano if you’re a guitarist. Take a swing at recording in Logic Pro if you aren’t used to music software. Consistently adding new skills to your repertoire is always the right move!

Engage with Fans

How lucky are we that we have the internet during these crazy times? We are stuck inside, but we are connected to each and every person out there who is also stuck in their homes. You, just sitting there, have Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok at your disposal. Take some time to live stream on one of these platforms or use your device to comment on fellow musicians’ posts. Just get out there!

Take a Course

There are plenty of online courses around music right at your fingertips. Don’t let them go to waste! Linkedin offers courses by music’s top executives. Masterclass offers courses offered by music’s biggest producers. Make use of what is available to you and enhance some of those skills!

Breathe.

Lastly….. Relax. Creativity will not come to you if you are stressed or preoccupied. Take things one day at a time. Hopefully these tips will help you to stay productive during quarantine. Be grateful that you have your health and be happy with your ability to create when and if you choose to 🙂