Being a professional musician requires a lot of work. It isn’t all about simply making music and jamming on stage. Music is a business, and just as with any other business, there’s much to learn and tons of decisions to make in order to be successful.
And a big part of that success depends on hiring the right PR firm to handle your music public relations. This is because a good public relations agency knows how to get the word out about you to help your music reach a wider audience.
And yet not all music PR firms are made equally. Let’s take look at a few things you’ll definitely want to find out before signing on the bottom line.
The Right Reps: Top Questions to Ask Before You Work With Music PR Firms
Finding the right representation is important in advancing your music career. Here are the top questions to ask before you work with a music PR firm.
What Kind of Music Do You Specialize In?
Before signing with a PR agency, it’s important to keep in mind that not every agency is going to be the right fit for every musical act. Most agencies have specific styles of music they specialize in.
Signing with an agency that isn’t a good match for your style of music could be worse than not have a PR agency at all.
Who Are Some of Your Current and Former Clients?
Don’t hesitate to be up front about asking them about current and former clients. It’s important to know who they’ve represented in the past, as well as the quality of acts that they currently attract.
Top PR firms will be very open about who they represent, and typically their website will feature testimonials from those clients.
This helps you compare the types of artists they work with on a regular basis. If you are a good match, it should become obvious very quickly.
What Makes Your Agency Special?
Most PR agencies have a tendency to tell you they are better than all other agencies in the area. After all, PR is all about promotion. So don’t be afraid to dig a little deeper and have them state specific reasons why you should choose them over any other agencies you are considering.
Ask them what specific services they provide that set them apart, as well as any guarantees they can make about big ideas they have about reaching the maximum size audience possible for your music.
How Big Is Your Current Roster of Clients?
Believe it or not, when it comes to the size of music PR companies, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. Obviously it might be tempting to sign with an agency that boasts a long list and impressive list of clients, yet you need to consider whether they will be able to effectively represent you with so many other clients to take care of.
Often times a small boutique agency that represents only a handful of carefully picked clients is the way to ensure you get the level of personal attention that will best serve you.
How Big Is Your PR Team?
Along with the question of their roster of clients, it’s also important to ask about the size of the staff available to handle those clients. You’ll also want to find out how the work is divided up among the team.
Make sure that if the firm handles a lot of clients, that you won’t end up being forgotten.
It’s also a smart idea to find out if you’ll work with an individual or a team, and how much contact you will have with them.
How Much Do You Cost?
Cost is obviously an important factor. When first starting out, every dollar matters, and you’ll need to do your best to make sure that you get the most bang for your buck.
PR can get expensive fast, so you’ll need to know what they charge for, how their fees work, and how much you can expect to spend in comparison to the amount of revenue they’ll generate through their efforts.
Keep in mind that just because a music public relations firm might be the most expensive, this doesn’t make them the best for you. You’ll want to pick one that feels like a good fit, and make sure they are clear about how their payment scheme is organized so that there are no surprises.
Do You Provide Expense Reports for Your Services?
There are so many unknowns in the music business. Thus it’s important to ask them to provide detailed reports so that you can see how effect they’ve been at promoting you. Look for a firm that offers total transparency, that way you can see exactly what your money is buying.
Receiving regular reports also shows you how well organized they are as a business, and precisely how cost-effective it is for you to be working with them. Because if they aren’t helping to get your name out there and make you money, there’s really no reason to continue paying them.
What Makes You Want to Work With Our Band?
This might be the most important question of all: Why do they want to represent you? After all, in order to effectively promote musicians, they have to be passionate about the music.
Because although you are paying them for their services, their enthusiasm about you is how they will promote your music to potential clients and venues, and it’s hard to fake authentic enthusiasm.
The Fine Art of Music Public Relations
There’s nothing more exciting for than building a loyal fanbase. After all, without a growing audience, you’re simply out there performing for yourself.
When it’s time to start looking around at music PR firms, this list of questions should help you to be able to pick the agency that best suits your needs. So hang in there, keep refining your craft, and enjoy the ride!
Click here to see 10 music marketing strategies you can implement before getting signed.
