Use mailing lists
Introduction
A mailing list is how you keep track of your supporters and any other people interested in your music.Â
Read on for:
General tips
Sending them out
Who to send them to
"Mailing lists are your currency in promotions. This is your way of getting your track to the key people within the industry."
Phyllisia Adjei
Project Manager
Soul2Streets
General Tips
The best place to get names for your mailing list is at your live PAs.
When you collect names at live PAs, it's better to get someone who's not performing to do it.Â
Make sure they check the details of the information they're collecting as PAs can be exciting events and people often make mistakes writing their details in semi-darkness.
Also when it comes to e-mailing people on your list, only do so when you have something important to tell them.
Avoid mailing them just because you can. Industry people may just do a 'block sender' and then you've lost them.
"The best way to compile a mailing list is by getting your staff to go around chatting to people in the club asking for their name, number, address, email address etc."
Steve Gordon
Twice as Nice
Use mailing lists
Some service providers will shut down your account if they think you are spamming so try and limit the amount of people you send out your messages to at any one time.
Otherwise you could be in danger of losing your valuable e-mail address that you've been giving out to everybody.
If you've got a list of 50 people you could break it down into 3 e-mails to be on the safe side.
Post or snail mail can be the best way to reach industry people.
They often get hundreds of e-mails a day so yours may not stand out.
Make sure you follow up your initial contact with a steady flow of flyers and information about your forthcoming releases and PAs.Â
"We store all the e-mail addresses on a database and send out the appropriate information."
Steve Gordon
Twice as Nice
Use mailing lists
Think carefully about who you are mailing to.
Limit correspondence to those people who are relevant rather than just blanket e-mailing every deejay and industry person you can think of.
It's good to maintain a professional image from the word go.
Send them an advance notice a couple of weeks before your PA or release and then a reminder a couple of days before the event.
"You can build your list by reading magazines and seeing who looks after the different sections."
Lisa Lindahl
PR Manager
The Playcentre
More... from How to...
Put together a press pack
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/promotion/packp01.shtml
Approach the media
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/promotion/mediap01.shtml
Send out white labels/demos
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/promotion/whitep01.shtml
More... from the web
Radio 1 OneMusic: Essentials for your website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/distribution/webessentialsp01.shtml
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