Music Promotion, Marketing and Distribution Newsletter

July 2018

The contacts listed are sorted into FIVE sections:

1. Publications, Review Websites and Music Blogs that will REVIEW your music
2. Radio Stations, Shows and Podcasts that will PLAY your songs
3. Labels, Vendors, Distributors and Promotional Services that will help you to SELL your CD
4. Websites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3s or videos
5. Helpful Resources for recording artists

SECTION ONE: SITES/PUBLICATIONS WHERE YOU CAN GET YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED

this is chill
Raymond Stanley thedailychillinfo@gmail.com
thisischill.blog
A blog that covers music news, features, new music releases and new videos from press releases to live events. We also upload a podcast once or twice a month called (This Is)Chill#. We feature a mix of Atmospheric and Chill related music from today and yesterday. High priority if you submit Ambient, Electronic, Chillwave, Lofi, Cloud Rap, Witch House, Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Dark Ambient, Downtempo. Experimental, Acoustic and hints of influences from the aforementioned genres will be determined on a case by case basis. facebook.com/thisischill1 mixcloud.com/thisischill @this_is_chill

All Unsigned
submissions@allunsigned.com
www.allunsigned.com
We are an urban publication that features unsigned, independent and major independent music artists. Our brand prides itself on giving emerging artists a chance to shine as well as continuing to support the major independent artists who are already established in the industry. Hosted by Flipboard, one of the leaders in the digital magazine platform, we strive to be an eco-friendly digital magazine that showcases the most noteworthy artists featured on our site. facebook.com/AllUnsigned @ALLUNSIGNED

The Black Planet
Rita Limede rita.limede@theblackplanet.org
www.theblackplanet.org
Portuguese webzine dedicated to Metal. News, reviews, reports, interviews, events/bands promotion. We receive hundreds of digital promos every month and even though we make all of them available for our reviewers, it has become impossible to review everything (as much as we would love to). We do our best, to get as much reviewed, though. We cannot guarantee you a review of your release, no matter if label released or independent. We give priority to physical promos (ask for address). Nevertheless, feel invited to contact us. facebook.com/TheBlackPlanet @theblackplanet1

Indie-Music.com
indie@indie-music.com
www.indie-music.com
You can request a certain writer or you can simply submit your package and it will be distributed among our current pool of reviewers. You must be a member of Indie-Music.com in order to get a review. facebook.com/indiemusicdotcom @Indie_Musiccom

SECTION TWO: RADIO STATIONS, SHOWS AND PROMOTERS

2.1 RADIO - STATIONS AND SHOWS

This Metal Webshow
Max CAz maxcaz@rocketmail.com
www.thismetalwebshow.com
Bringing listeners real Hard Rock and Metal talk, music, news, reviews and interviews through the eyes of real Hard Rock and Metal Heads. For the past 30 years we have featured undiscovered bands from all over the world!! For us, it's not just the bands, but the fans that we connect with that makes it all happen!! You'll hear everything from independent artists to classic Metal icons!! Hosts: Max CAz, Jeff Stixx and Mr. Que. facebook.com/max.caz

(This Is)Chill#
Raymond Stanley thedailychillinfo@gmail.com
thisischill.blog
A monthly/bi-monthly podcast that features feature a mix of Atmospheric and Chill related music from today and yesterday. High priority if you submit Ambient, Electronic, Chillwave, Lofi, Cloud Rap, Witch House, Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Dark Ambient, Downtempo. Experimental, Acoustic and hints of influences from the aforementioned genres will be determined on a case by case basis. facebook.com/thisischill1 mixcloud.com/thisischill @this_is_chill

Sonar Zone - Afterhours FM
PH: 07825214614
Tim Thomson tim@sonarzone.co.uk
www.sonarzone.co.uk
Trance DJ/Producer from Scotland playing uplifting and 138 Trance. The show airs monthly on Afterhours.fm. facebook.com/sonarzone @sonarzone

Sheena Metal Experience - LA Talk Radio
15030 Ventura Blvd. #843, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
PH: 818-785-7144
Sheena Metal sheena@sheenametalexperience.com
www.facebook.com/sheenametal
Combining today's hottest celebrity guests and tomorrow's most irreverent headline-makers, the show is raw, uncensored, and all-Sheena-all-the-time. Using her trademark cutting-edge observation, LA entertainment icon Sheena Metal rips the veil off the human sideshow, exposing Homo Sapiens at their most bizarre - making you wonder how you ever got by without her. It's talk radio the way it was meant to be, "Sheena-Style": unscripted, unpredictable, a little horrifying, and a lot hysterical. Every Monday through Friday 5-7pm (PST), it may be Sheena's show but it's definitely your experience. Become part of the adventure on LA Talk Radio by calling into the show. facebook.com/sheenametal @SheenaMetal

WSLR
PO Box 2540, Sarasota, FL 34230
PH: 941-894-6469
info@wslr.org
www.wslr.org
WSLR's programming promotes equality, peace, sustainability, democracy and social and economic justice. facebook.com/wslr965 @WSLR965

Halshack Indie Rockcast
Hal Jester jesterman9000@gmail.com
www.halshack.com
I began my company HALSHACK as an independent A&R, public relations manager and now a radio personality to source bands and artists that I feel are in viable contention of possible notoriety or even stardom in the mainstream music industry. I look for quality emerging artists an aspire to working with only the best indie and unsigned acts. I produce my own radio show in order to gain attention for these artists by giving full promotion on my website, radio show and various social media outlets and platforms as well as possibly having an article or review written about certain acts that garner the attention. We also provide blogs and music reviews for certain artists that we deem worthy of the extra exposure by my highly trained staff of ex record label scouts and musicians. I cater mainly to Rock/Alt/Pop with a smattering of Reggae, Ska, Americana and Funk occasionally mixed in. facebook.com/halshack @halshack

Behind The Shadow
PO Box 13526, Macon, GA 31208-3526
PH: 478-742-7956
Joey Stuckey joey@joeystuckey.com
www.joeystuckey.com
A Web TV show designed to promote bands and artists that are working hard to make music full time. I know how hard it is to give your life to the creation of art, in my case, music. I want to support those people that make music their livings and to share the vast and incredible array of talent out there. Besides interviewing artists and bands and having them perform their music live in studio, I also have talks with music industry professionals like entertainment lawyers on the program to teach artists and bands about how to be successful and to highlight how to get started in the music business. facebook.com/joeystuckey @Jstuckeymusic

The Mad Music Asylum
PH: 347-687-4279
Uncle Duke themadmusicasylum@gmail.com
www.themadmusicasylum.com
If you are an artist looking for exposure, we would love to hear your stuff. I don't want to come across as a snob but my musical tastes run from the Baroque Classical period to the music of today. I cannot guarantee you a slot on the program but am always, always looking for new tunes to listen to and love. I cannot give you any direction as to what to submit because depending on the mood I am in, I have the potential to like anything and everything. I would say please no head banging really Hard Rock, but at times I like Black Sabbath and Ted Nugent as much as the next guy so....anything goes. The best way to get our attention is to fill out our ONLINE FORM and send us a LINK to your music. If that seems too complicated, you can just send the LINK to our e-mail address. Also, it helps to interact with us on any of our various social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Pinterest). If we like what we hear, we will contact you to obtain the MP3 file so we can mix it in to the program. facebook.com/MadMusicAsylum @MadMusicAsylum

2.2 RADIO PROMOTERS

Twin Vision
261 5th Ave. #1F, Brooklyn, NY 11215
PH: 718-369-1370
Peter Hay peterhay@twinvision.net
www.twinvision.net
Offers radio promotion services to artists and labels with proven strategies that create exposure and awareness with national audiences. We are specialists in working with independently created projects, from artists putting out their own recordings to major independent labels, as well as foreign labels looking for a niche in the American market. For the last seventeen years, Twin Vision has provided promotion services to artists, managers, publishers and labels whose projects required special attention at radio formats that embrace new and emerging artists.

National Record Promotion
137 N. Larchmont #500, Los Angeles, CA 90004
PH: 323-658-7449
Larry Weir larry_weir@sbcglobal.net
www.larryweir.com
We promote artists and groups at radio with an emphasis on independent labels and recording artists. Over the last five years NRP has worked with many major acts. NRP will assist you in weekly tracking reports...national chart activity & radio interviews. facebook.com/National.Record.Promotion

CIMG, LLC
119 Bowling Ave. Nashville, TN 37205-2357
Tony Bates contact@cimgllc.com
www.cimgllc.com
Our Radio Promotion work focuses on relevant radio stations (terrestrial and online), especially college radio stations, in the U.S., Canada and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Our staff works daily to build relationships with radio stations, regional promoters, music/entertainment publications and websites, and media outlets throughout North America as well as in eastern and central Europe. We work mostly with Rock, Pop-Rock, Americana and Alt-Country artists. facebook.com/cimgllc

Howard Rosen Promotion
521 W. Channel Islands Blvd. #15, Port Hueneme, CA 93041
PH: 805-382-2200 FX: 805-201-7816
info@howiewood.com
www.howiewood.com
Since 1985 We have been helping artists reach their goals of obtaining radio airplay, expanding their fan base, and creating awareness throughout the industry. @Howiewoodpromo

SECTION THREE: SERVICES/VENDORS/LABELS THAT WILL HELP SELL YOUR MUSIC

3.1 SERVICES - PROMOTION/PUBLICITY

WHIPLASH PR & Management
398 Columbus Ave. PMB #183, Boston, MA 02116
PH: 617-445-4383
Rhonda Sanchez whiplashpr@aol.com
www.whiplashprandmanagement.com
Thanks to many years of developing relationships with journalists, editors, reviewers, radio programmers and national and international contacts of all varieties, Whiplash PR & Management has been able to individually tailor its efforts by targeting members of the media who will specifically champion its clients. These personal relationships with the clients and media alike provide The WPM Team with a deeper understanding of each one's needs and talents, as well as the fuel to create the fresh, attention-grabbing pitches for which the firm has become well known. Whiplash PR & Management is fearlessly creative in the pursuit of press coverage for its clients. As one of the the pioneers of the indie pr movement in 1996; hence 'indie publicist', we chooses carefully which projects to take on. Whiplash staff is dedicated and enthusiastic and regularly goes beyond the call of duty, securing any opportunity that would be beneficial for the clients, whether it falls in the realm of conventional publicity or career development. @Whiplashpr

Music Video Distribution
PO Box 285, Fenton, MI 48430
PH: 888-463-4336
Terrance go@3000records.com
www.musicvideodistribution.com
Our team will upload and manually submit your music video to 40+ video sharing sites (Like: YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Screencast.com, Bebo, etc.) plus manually submit your video to the top search engines (Google, Yahoo! and Bing). We also provide YouTube SEO to get your video ranked with top results on YouTube. In addition we provide you with a full report on music video distribution work that is completed. facebook.com/3000records @musicbusiness

Doug Deutsch Publicity Services
Doug Deutsch dougdeutschpr@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/dougdeutschpublicity
Full-service artist publicity and promotion, tour publicity, festivals publicity (Blues, Rock, Americana, Country, Pop) since 1995. References on request! @Publiciteeguy

Empire Music Promotions
Ryan Donnelly yourempiremusicpromotions@gmail.com
www.empiremusicpromotions.com
A premiere music PR company focused on ensuring that all of our clients receive both prominent and quality, news-worthy press results; every single time. Here at E.M.P we truly believe that every band or musician that we choose to work with is unique, and that each client of ours deserves a custom campaign that reflects that core belief. We understand that what works for one band simply will not work for another, and using both tried and true methods of the past, Ryan focuses his efforts on reaching out to the multitude of publications personally, to guarantee that every one of our musicians receive the very best support possible from us. We can't wait to hear your music and we can't wait to share it! facebook.com/EmpireMusicPromotions @empiremusicpr

CIMG, LLC
119 Bowling Ave. Nashville, TN 37205-2357
Tony Bates contact@cimgllc.com
www.cimgllc.com
We provide Social Media Marketing and Social Commerce Solutions for our clients, in addition to Artist Management and Record Label Services. We work with artists, record labels, agencies, events, and brands of all kinds that want to effectively engage their supporters and fans via social media. Considering the global marketplace and international appeal, we offer our services in several languages as well, when appropriate to meet your goals. We work mostly with Rock, Pop-Rock, Americana and Alt-Country artists. facebook.com/cimgllc

RAPIDFIRE PR
PH: 360-509-1779
Cyrus Rhodes rhodesm@wavecable.com
www.rapidfirepr.com
RAPIDFIRE PR is the only PR firm in the world that can deliver 10 music reviews, written by 10 separate music critics, posted on 10 separate websites in as little as 10 working days. No matter if it's an EP, LP, single or video/press release RAPIDFIRE PR has got you covered with over 50+ writers on staff and top web affiliates all working on your behalf. From the indie artist to the pro publicist - RAPIDFIRE PR delivers music marketing for all. @cyrusrhodes

3.2 SERVICES - LABELS, DISTRIBUTORS AND ONLINE VENDORS

Delved in Dreams
PO Box 11653, South Bend, IN 46628
PH: 574-400-6048
Thomas & Pamela delvedindreamsplus@gmail.com
www.delvedindreamsmusic.com
Heart and soul music to inspire your spirit. Featuring independent artists who share innovation & fresh revelations in music. We are actively seeking new artists. We deal in digital downloads only. We place our artists on 29 platforms (Apple iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc.) and on our website. We actively distribute, market, and sell. We work with Country, Rock, Pop, EDM, World, Contemporary Christian and Instrumental artists. Our artists are an incredible mix from around the globe. facebook.com/delvedindreams @delvedindreams

SECTION FOUR: SITES WHERE YOU CAN UPLOAD YOUR BAND'S MP3s OR VIDEOS

DittyTV
PH: 901-302-9339
info@dittytv.com
www.dittytv.com
A television network that celebrates Americana and Roots style of music. Our television network features live concerts, music videos, interviews, documentaries, and more. We produce and broadcast our own live shows and feature video from a variety of passionate music inspired video producers. We are actively seeking music-related video content to include on our music network. If you've produced or own music-related video content, we'd love to broadcast it to the world! While DittyTV produces a great deal of content, we are also curating and playing music videos and other content produced by people like you. Do you want to see your original music broadcast to world? Just submit your video via out ONLINE FORM! Our staff will catalog, process, and prepare the video for broadcast. The $35 processing fee helps cover some of the costs associated with processing the actual data into our system, preparing it for broadcast (audio levels, frame rates, codecs and other boring but important stuff) and delivering it to the world. facebook.com/DittyTV @dittytv

SECTION FIVE: SOCIAL NETWORKS AND ONLINE COMMUNITIES

8Tracks
David Porter info@8tracks.com
www.8tracks.com
A simple way for people to share and discover music through an online mix, a short playlist containing at least 30 minutes - roughly 8 tracks - of music. Artists can start by making an 8tracks profile. Please make sure to include a full artist bio, profile picture, links for listeners to purchase your music, social media accounts so that fans can find you elsewhere too. Then, e-mail our friendly support staff and we'll upgrade you to an 'Artist' profile. Once that's taken care of, here are some suggestions for promoting yourself within our community: Create a playlist that includes some of your own material. It's best to follow a theme like "chill" or "driving music" and add specific tags to make it searchable. If you want to add more than 2 tracks of original content to a single playlist, you'll have to reach out to our support staff again for assistance with that. If there's one particular song that you'd like to promote, make sure it's the first track so people hear it immediately! Avoid self-promotional images and content. Share your 8tracks profile and playlist(s) on your own social media channels. facebook.com/8tracks @8tracks

SECTION SIX: HELPFUL TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR YOUR BAND

6.1 RESOURCES - GENERAL

Andy Tattersall - Music Photographer
Flat 2, 17 Market St., Heanor, Derbyshire, DE75 7NR UK
PH: +44 (0) 75407-88443
Andy Tattersall contact@andytatt.com
www.andytatt.com
I have a very simple vision ... understand a clients objective and desires, then communicate it through my work. Offering a personal service every time means I get the results every single time. My images have been featured on many different platforms both digitally, but also in printed publications and designs. I find motivation in working with people, portraying a true emotion and understanding for the viewer. Every photo has all sort of elements that go into it, whether it be brand identity, a subtle message as well as much more, I pride myself on working with my clients on a personal level. By understanding their expected outcome, it means I can offer a reliable service. My work has been used by Paloma Faith, Professor Green, Diversity, Nickelodeon star Breanna Yde as well as loads more. TESTIMONIALS: "Andy really captured the essence of what I think live performance is about and that is so hard to do in one still image" - Paloma Faith. "Andy is easily the best photographer I've worked with before. As a musician, it's so important to get good shots and Andy is just on the money every single time! He really helps to put you at ease too. I'd definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a photographer." - Ella Stephen, Jack+Ella. facebook.com/andytattphoto @andytattphoto

USA Songwriting Competition
2881 E. Oakland Park Blvd. #414, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306
info@songwriting.net
www.songwriting.net
The world's leading international songwriting competition. Winners will be chosen by a Blue Ribbon Judging Committee comprised of music industry professionals including A&R managers from record labels, publishers and producers. Songs are judged equally on originality, lyrics, melody and composition. Songs may be in any language. Quality of performance and production will not be considered. Many USA Songwriting Competition winners in the past have received recording and publishing contracts, have their songs placed on the charts as well as having their songs placed on film and television. facebook.com/usasongcomp @usasong

DigitalRadioTracker.com (DRT)
PH: 646-494-3783
support@digitalradiotracker.com
www.digitalradiotracker.com
Your premier radio airplay broadcast monitoring service that tracks radio airplay of songs in the US and worldwide on more than 5000+ radio stations. These radio stations include Major FM Terrestrial, College, Commercial and Non-Commercial as well as thousands of streaming Internet radio stations. Some of the radio broadcasting networks Although there are many genres of music, DigitalRadioTracker.com specializes in monitoring radio broadcasters in the following formats: CHR/Pop (Top 40), Rhythmic, Urban/Hip Hop/R&B, Country/Americana, Rock/Alternative, Gospel/Christian/Inspirational, Adult Contemporary and Jazz/Fusion. DigitalRadioTracker.com gathers millions of songs being played each day and compiles DRT Reports for our clients. A DRT Report breaks down exactly who is playing a song, when it's played and how often it's played. DigitalRadioTracker.com also offers Historical 8 Week Reports which list the history of airplay detections on all of our monitored stations during the last 8 week period. In addition, we provide Comprehensive Reports which shows the exact time of day/night a song is played on each of our monitored radio stations. If you have a song receiving airplay on radio and want to know when and where it's being played, get your DRT Report today!

Festival Network Online
PO Box 18839, Asheville, NC 28814
PH: 828-658-2779 FX: 828-645-3374
Julie Cochrane julie@festivalnet.com
www.festivalnet.com
Lists more than 10,000 events throughout the U.S. and Canada seeking performers, from local & regional to national & international. @_festivalnet

6.2 RESOURCES - EDUCATIONAL

The Big Picture
Bobby Owsinski polymedia@bobbyowsinski.com
www.music3point0.com
Production-oriented blog where I discuss everything you ever wanted to know about recording and music production. A popular feature is the breakdown and analysis of isolated tracks of popular songs.

DIY Musician Podcast
13909 NE Airport Way, Portland, OR 97230
Kevin Breuner podcast@cdbabypodcast.com
www.cdbabypodcast.com
Join CD Baby's Kevin and Chris as they discuss current music news, interview artists and industry professionals, offer tips and tricks to help today's independent musician move their career forward and much more! Interviews about how to be a successful musician without compromising your art. It's a perfect time to take advantage of the many opportunities for Do-It-Yourself artists that are springing up everywhere. @cdbaby @kbreuner

6.3 RESOURCES - TOOLS AND APPS

International Country Calling Codes and World Time Zones
www.countrycallingcodes.com
Find the international dialing code or time zone for any country. Online tool will instantly show you ALL telephone prefixes needed to call from one area code to another. facebook.com/CountryCallingCodes @callingcodes

MyNewsletterBuilder
comments@mynewsletterbuilder.com
www.mynewsletterbuilder.com
A user-friendly, feature-rich, online newsletter management program for novices and professionals alike. facebook.com/MyNewsletterBuilder1

VideoBlocks.com
PH: 866-282-5360
support@videoblocks.com
www.videoblocks.com
A members-only site offering a one-stop shop for stock video. Our members enjoy access to our unlimited library and our global marketplace. facebook.com/VideoBlocks @VideoBlocks

6.4 RESOURCES - AUDIO

DISC MAKERS
7905 N. Crescent Blvd. Pennsauken, NJ 08110-1402
PH: 800-468-9353
www.discmakers.com
The nation's leading CD / DVD duplicator, replicator and printer. When you're ready to make CDs, we're ready to make it happen. We're musicians too, so we know what you need to make it in this business: The best-looking product, the hottest-sounding audio and the most valuable (and free) promotional tools, including free distribution, a free UPC bar code and much more! facebook.com/discmakers @discmakers

OASIS CD Manufacturing
7905 N. Route 130, Delair, NJ 08110
PH: 540-987-8810
info@oasisCD.com
www.oasiscd.com
We help you manufacture your CD or DVD project. We also help you package it creatively, promote and distribute it so it doesn't become just more clutter in your apartment. facebook.com/OasisCD @oasisdisc

6.5 RESOURCES - ORGANIZATIONS

Musicians without Borders
Kloveniersburgwal 87, 1011 KA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
PH: +31 (0) 20-330-5012
info@musicianswithoutborders.org
www.musicianswithoutborders.org
Uses the power of music to bridge divides, connect communities, and heal the wounds of war. We work closely with local musicians and organizations to build sustainable projects in response to local needs. From successful projects we develop models, methodologies and trainings to adapt for other regions. Our professional trainers are specialized in running community music-making projects in places struggling to deal with trauma, fear and isolation as a result of war and conflict. facebook.com/MusicianswithoutBorders @MwBNews

SECTION SEVEN: THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE

The Musician's Guide to Instagram
by Ariel Hyatt, Cyber PR
© 2018 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission

Instagram - the most popular visual social platform has experienced a meteoric rise. Instagram has just reached 1 billion active users, and 95 million photos shared every day. And 80% of Instagram users come from outside of the United States! I guess a picture really is worth a thousand words. In case you didn't know, Instagram was acquired by Facebook for 1 billion dollars in April, 2012. We hear from artists all of the time that they love Instagram the most because of its ease of use.

PIMPING YOUR PROFILE

Instagram allows you to change your profile photo and add a 150 word bio with one link, so choose carefully! Next, connect to people you already know on Facebook, and if you choose, you can also search and connect to contacts in your phone. Next, link your socials by locating the little ???wheel??? at the top right of the app where you can link to your Facebook, Twitter and others.

After this is complete, it's simple. Take a photo (or choose one already stored on your phone). Next, apply a filter which will enhance the photo, change the color, make the photo look old, rotate it, soften colors etc. and then post!

TIP: Try to keep your user name consistent with your Twitter handle! Not only does this make it easier for fans to find you across social channels, but if someone tweets an Instagram photo of you, it will connect to your Twitter account as well.

HASHTAGS

When you post a photo, choose at least two hashtags, as this is how photos are found. Top Hashtags is a site that shows the top hashtags trending in real time if you are stuck, or want to get into an active hashtag conversation. You can put these hashtags in the actual caption, or post them in a comment under the photo after it's been published.

CAPTIONS SHOULD TELL A STORY

In addition to hashtags, you need to add captions to your photos before posting. What's going on in your photo? Fans want to connect with you on a personal level, so tell them a story! Post a few photos in real time, documenting the lead-up to a show, a day on tour, a trip to the zoo etc.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

It's vital to track which times your fans engage with your posts. Posting at 2 am on a Saturday might work perfectly for an EDM DJ, but it's not a great strategy for an older folk singer. Think about your target fan, and when they're most likely to be scrolling through Instagram. If you need help with this, there's a great website called Iconosquare that connects with your account and gives you detailed analytics on your followers and their engagement.

CROSS POSTING TO TWITTER

I caution you to be selective about what you cross-post to socials. You want to tell a separate story on each of your socials to get people to join you, and not get fatigued by the same posts across channels. Once in awhile, it's perfectly OK to cross-post.

TIP: when you cross-post to Twitter, your photo will not show up in your tweet stream (nor will it be added to your photos section on your Twitter page. It will instead show up as a link to Instagram. This is beneficial to get followers from Twitter, but can become annoying to your Twitter friends - another reason to use sparingly! There are ways to get your photos to show up on Twitter, but we'll save that for the next blog post.

CROSS POSTING TO FACEBOOK

Ditto with Facebook. You want to be Instagramming 3-5 times per week and if you cross-post to FB every time, it will get real old, real fast. The way you get people to follow all your different social channels is to actually make them different. It's okay to occasionally put an Instagram photo up on FB, but save it for the really good/important pics.

CREATE CTA POSTS

Make special posts to advertise events, releases, or get people to follow your Page on Facebook or your Twitter stream. There are a few apps that help you write on top of Instagram photos, creating beautiful and professional CTAs. We'll go into these in our next blog post.

VIDEOS

Instagram allows you to post 60-second videos - just long enough to catch the chorus of your latest song! Take the video from your phone, or upload a higher quality clip. This is a great way to promote your new music video, or your next show. Keep in mind that engagement rates on videos in Instagram tend to be lower than the engagement rates on photos, so don't rely too heavily on the video option. If you want to post lots of videos, Vine might be a better option for you.

INSTAGRAM STORIES

Instagram stories are a new feature within Instagram where users can share their day with their followers! You can post just simple photos of you going about your day, or you can record short videos. You can even use boomerang to make a looped post. Within this feature, you can also add a link that the viewer will have to swipe up to open. This can be used to promote a lot of different things - you can ask your followers to follow your other socials, send out a link to buy your new song or album on iTunes etc.

INSTAGRAM LIVE

Instagram now has live streaming. When you start one of these live streams, a notification is sent out to your followers to notify them that you are live! There is also a comment feature that happens in real time, so you can answer questions that your followers are sending in. This is a great way to connect with your fans on a more personal level, or to make announcements in a new, creative way!

OTHER TOOLS AND APPS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR ACCOUNT

There are dozens of great apps and sites you can use to optimize your photos and fan engagement on Instagram. We've touched on a few of them in this post, but stay tuned for our next post, because we're going to give you a run-down of these tools, and show you some examples of musicians who are rocking it on Instagram!

STILL STRUGGLING TO COME UP WITH CONTENT?

At Cyber PR, we encourage our clients to focus on thematics when coming up with content to post on social media. What do your tribe/followers want to see? What fits your personality? What are you trying to say? What do you care about? We recommend choosing up to five thematics, and focusing on those when posting on social media. Here are ten examples to get you started:

Charities/causes that you care about - #unicef #childfund
Family - #bro
Your pets/animals - #grumpycat #puppy
Other music/musicians, shows you go to, etc. - #musicmonday
Your upcoming events, premieres, etc. - #livemusicNYC
Your creative process - #coffeecoffeecoffee
Food - #COOKIES
Your hometown/where you live - #nyc #brooklyn
Nature - #outdoors #dirt
Your hobbies - #adultcoloringbooks

Then there's always #tbt (Throwback Thursday). Awkward childhood photos go down a treat.

There you go - the basics of Instagramming. Once you have a few photos, you will begin to lay out a visual story for yourself. Instagram is a great place to figure out what you want your brand image to be, and what parts/how much of your life you want to share with your fans. Above all, don't forget to engage with other users! Follow users who interest you, search for hashtags, and then like or comment on photos. This is how you really start to build your community!

Ariel Hyatt is founder of Cyber PR - a boutique digital PR and social media strategy firm based in Brooklyn. They will effectively widen your audience, engage your customers and help you become an online influencer. www.cyberpr.com

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