2. Promoting Yourself
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When it comes to promotion, it’s vital to define your target group. A general ‘getting the word out there’ approach might have some effect but asking yourself who you are promoting to, and tailoring your approach to that group or individual, will get you results much more quickly. Are you contacting an artistic director who you want to be commissioned by? Do you want to inspire musicians to perform your work? Are you reaching out to the general public to buy your recordings or tickets to your concert? Put yourself into their shoes to see what’s important to them, and write your promotional texts accordingly.
Research is another key element of successful promotion. Familiarise yourself with who’s who in the industry and what the activities of the organisations you potentially want to work with are. This kind of knowledge will enable you to have a much more meaningful exchange should you happen to be introduced to an artistic leader at a concert interval or when making a targeted approach to somebody in writing. Also bear in mind that there are plenty of opportunities in Europe and the rest of the world, so do extend your research beyond the UK.
For effective promotion, you need to have the right material. Take care to document performances of your work, by taking photos and making video or audio recordings. Also, remember to collect programmes, newspaper cuttings and brochures for each performance. Building an archive of relevant and interesting material from your performances will allow you to promote your work in a more colourful and effective way.
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