How To Pitch Music Or Event Coverage To Journalists
Updated: Oct 8, 2022
Effective pitching helps brands and creatives secure placements on different types of media platforms. It's very important to understand some of the how-to's and how not to's of submitting music to people. This article will list some things to consider before submitting music to a platform or even to a publicist. P.A.L.M. out of Los Angeles has a wonderful video that shows some of the dos and don't dos of requesting music or event coverage.
Before I get to the dos and don't dos, let me give a little bit of background about myself. I'm a writer and editor with seven years of experience writing for indie platforms such as theMSQshop. Not only that, I am a staff member of The Legion Media Group, which does public relations for Dipset, WWE, and clients from EMPIRE Records. Some of the examples mentioned are things I see all the time with creatives. Now, onto the funny part of this article, the don't dos.
DO NOT DO THESE THINGS
Not doing research on the platform or writer you're trying to work with. Don't lie and say that you've read their stuff and list an incorrect example to them.
"Google me". DO NOT SAY THAT TO A JOURNALIST OR A PUBLICIST WHEN YOU'RE ASKING FOR THEIR SERVICES. It can come off very inconsiderate as we get a variety of messages and emails on a day-to-day basis.
Don't type the subject of an email you send to the platform in ALL CAPS. THE MAILING SYSTEM WILL MARK IT AS SPAM AND WILL NOT APPEAR IN THE INBOX.
Dropping links in DMs or sending that link in an email without any context to the link. Publicists/journalists/blog pages will think it's spam and ignore it.
Don't bash a platform because it did not cover your music. Journalists can be very busy and not even see that you specifically released something. Or that they didn't see that one song fit for their platform. To quote a famous publicist, Chanel Pettaway, "be careful of the toes you step on today as it may be connected to the ass you may have to kiss tomorrow."
DO THESE THINGS INSTEAD
Do your research on the platform or writer you want to get coverage from. Eg: If you're a rapper trying to get coverage on a drill rap album, see which platforms cover drill rap frequently. If you're trying to get coverage about your brand hosting a panel about NFT's, find platforms that discuss NFTs. If you're trying to get coverage from a specific journalist, look at their past articles and what they like to write about or cover.
If you're planning a festival or event, hook them up with media passes or pay them to cover the event in person. Take care of your media personnel at the event as well.
Invest in services that media platforms like MSQ provide. Mass editorial coverages, consultations, PR strategies, interviews, branding, video, and photo shoots/edits, you name it. These media platforms have to make money as well and it builds a relationship with that platform. Clout is not a form of currency. I REPEAT, Clout is not a form of currency.
When sending an email, start with a formal introduction of who you are. Explain why you want to get covered on your preferred platform. Send the cover art along with a listening link to the release, your website, and social media handles. It helps journalists and publicists learn more about you so we can determine what to do.
Share the article when it's published. It's common courtesy to show love back to platforms that you ask to be published on. No one is too Hollywood to return the love. Include the article link in your post. It helps with the brand's website metrics.
Submit music through their preferred method. At the bottom of every one of our articles, theMSQshop writers always have a tagline at the bottom of their articles with information on how to submit content or request our services. Some journalists or content creators have their emails in their social media bios or as an icon to click on their Instagram pages.
Written by: Jay Guevara @justinhisprime on all social media.
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