Michael J. Media

YOUR MONTHLY DIY PR TIP FROM MIKE FARLEY

NOVEMBER 2007
Pitching To Music Blogs
By Guest Columnist Josh Preston

Hey guys. My name is Josh Preston and I run an indie label called Me and the Machine Records. Your friend and mine, Mike Farley, asked us to submit a tip this month so let's begin!!

One great way to get your music heard by the masses is to get your music reviewed by music blogs. Unlike typical press, blogs serve a niche market that may fit your band's style better than Rolling Stone and other huge publications. Publicity teams such as Michael J. Media do an awesome job of getting your music in the hands of online reviewers but you can help the process by doing a bit of your own homework.

The first place to start is to draw up a list of bands that you could be compared to. If you're having trouble coming up with a list of bands to which you can draw similarities, just come up with a list of artists that you'd like to open for. Once you've got your list in place, visit a music blog aggregator. My favorite is <http://elbo.ws>.

Once you're in, do a search for the first band on your list. The search will more than likely turn up a bunch of hits on various blogs and the posts are typically listed in reverse chronological order. Visit the blogs that pop up, grab their contact info and shoot them an email to find out if they'd be interested in writing a bit about your band or maybe even post a free mp3 from your record. The greatest element of this process is that when you send them an email to inquire about them writing about your band, you can break the ice by referencing the post about the band from your list. It's a great way to get in their good graces without simply asking for a plug.

Once you¹ve established a relationship with these blogs, you'll want to check back in a few days/weeks to see if they've written anything about your band. The best way to keep track of blog postings on your band will be to go back to <http://elbo.ws> and do a search on your band. It all comes full circle!!!

Be sure to keep a list of the blogs you send to so you can hit them up for future releases. Also, don¹t forget to save and print any posts about your band so you can use them for press kits and whatnot.

Thanks for reading this tip and don't forget to stop by meandthemachine.com to hear what we're up to. Until next time!!!

Josh Preston
Me And the Machine Records

If you would like to receive these monthly tips through email, please email mike [at] michaeljmedia.com to be added to the list.
Thank you!