The Greatest Promo of All Part 4: Promoting the Promo

So you've followed all the advice in my blog and from others, You've ticked all the boxes, dotted the 'i's and crossed the 't's. You have a promo video in your computer that is worthy of release at the annual Sundance film festival.

Now what? Obviously the next step is to get your video seen by the people that need to see it. So for that you need to figure out who that is.

Who should see my video?

Agents:

Using an agency is a very effective way of promoting your video because they have a vested in interest in showing your video to clients. A good video will help you to win a contract and it will help the agency to develop their reputation. An agency can show your video to a wide range of clients in a short time. They will also be able to accurately assess which clients would most likely be interested in what you have to offer*.

*Note: A video is the first step but make sure you have all the rest of your press kit ready to send or be viewed at a moments notice.

Clients:

 If you are are going 'direct' to clients then you need to find out who they are and how you can contact them.
Contacting clients directly is great as you can cut out the middle man. However, it can be quite labor intensive as you have to contact them individually. It can also be an incredibly difficult task to direct and ensure your video is viewed by the right person. The upside is that you don't need to pay anyone a commission and you can communicate and negotiate much more expeditiously with the client.

Here is an example of the pros and pitfalls involved in directly contacting clients.

My fiance and I really wanted to work in Bali. I had worked there before and loved it. Now it was her turn. The problem was that we did not know anyone in the kinds of resorts and hotels that we wanted to play in. Solution? She made a list of all the resorts and hotels that she would like to play in. We sent emails to 17 hotels, with our details, links to our website, previous work experience etc. We got one response and it lead to a beautiful two month contract at a new resort in Uluwatu, Bali.

Caveat!

• Of those 17 emails we were never sure how many made it past the spam box. 
• We were never sure if we sent them to the right people at those resorts and hotels. 
• We were never sure if they could even understand English.

What I am trying to say by explaining all of this is that it is not an easy road to book gigs directly. Those people that do it probably already have friends, or business acquaintances in that venue. They may have been performing for many years and during that time they have built up a great network and established a reputation to the point where hotels or clubs are calling them to come back and perform again.

I believe a way to increase your chances of booking gigs direct is to actually call the venue and let them know your intentions and ask who you could speak to that is directly responsible for hiring entertainers. In that way you drastically increase your chances of directing your material to the correct person. Inform them that you are sending an email and they may be able to tell you how to address it or identify it with a specialized subject so it will not be marked as spam or so that it can be easily identified*.

* Note. Many Enterainment managers or staff that are responsible for hiring entertainers may be receiving tens or hundreds of emails on a daily basis. Taking the time to call them before sending an email adds a really nice personal touch and it can be reassuring for you and the client.

Fellow musicians and friends:

Do not overlook the importance of having friends and fellow musicians see your video because you just never know where it could lead. A good friend of mine who is also a fellow musician contacted me and said he had a gig for me in Thailand. He had shown it to a manager that he was working for at the time. My friend's contract was almost finished and the manager was looking for a new act. We couldn't accept that gig because we were contractually obligated at the time but it is a good example and a good reason to let your friends and musical friends know about your video.

Promoters:

Promoters are people that usually specialize in organizing one-off events like concerts, product launches and festivals. They usually work through agents to source any acts they need but it doesn't hurt if you can contact them and provide them with your details. Their realm is not really contract work for hotels and clubs but there is a crossover in certain instances.

Posting to Youtube and hoping for the best!

Ummm, yeah.....this is like pointing a gun up into the air without looking, pulling the trigger, and expecting a bird to fall out of the sky. It may net you a result, but you could be waiting a while for it to happen.

Improve your chances:

Fortunately there is something you can do to increase your chances of bagging that bird.

You have to direct people to it just like leading a bird to a bird bath.

• Use annotations
• Use links to and from your website or blogsite
• Use tags to ensure that when people do searches that your video has a good chance of appearing

Our videos on Youtube have gotten us work from people that we never contacted. We have been offered jobs on the strength of a couple of our videos that were posted on Youtube. We had two offers roll in from China. But, it was the video that did the job of promoting us initially. Having a well organized website that they could visit after watching the video was what sealed the deal for us.

Summary:

Well folks this article concludes "The Greatest Promo of All" series. I hope you have enjoyed reading my articles and I am sure that I will be revisiting and exploring some of the topics that I have covered in this series. Please check over the previous three articles relating to this series if you have just joined today.
Now go and bag that bird!

Musicians! Save money on your photo shoots!

Photo shoots, taking pictures, mug shots whatever you want to call it we have to do them at some stage or another.

Like it or not, you will have to have your picture taken and used in promoting yourself or your group or both.

The importance of adding photos to your promotional material, press kits, websites, job advertisements etc cannot be overstated.

Many musicians hate the idea of having their picture taken or having to dress up for a photo shoot. I sympathize as I used to be in that category. But over the past few years I have learnt that it is something that has to be done and to just get on with it, try to see the benefits of it, and enjoy it.

In saying that, today I am posting some tips on how to save some time, money, and stress when preparing, executing, and subsequently, publishing your Mona Lisas' in the quest for a gig.

First things first:

Ask yourself this question:

1. What are the clients requirements? If you don't know the answer ask the client directly, ask your agent, ask people that have performed there before or those musicians that have done that kind of gig before. Become the Sherlock Holmes of discovering clients' wants and needs.
 I have promoted myself and others for an incredibly diverse range of clients with varying tastes and requirements. Some of the clients were rock club owners, others were wedding planners, some were five star lobby lounge and resort entertainment managers.

All of these clients require musician(s) to look a particular way. If you can tailor your look to the clients conceptions of how they want you or expect you to look then you will have won a large part of the battle to securing a gig. As many of us know, clients in a lot of clubs and hotels listen with their eyes!

Determining what a client wants from you or how they expect you to look can prevent you from wasting precious time and resources.

Here is a small selection of the different looks I have used in the past few years to appease clients and audiences.

• In 2000 I did some classical guitar concerts throughout New Zealand which required me to wear a tuxedo for the promotional shots.

Classical guitar concert in Rotorua, New Zealand

• In 2005 I worked for a beautiful hotel in Jakarta that expected the band to wear uniforms i.e. matching colors and styles.

This photo is an example of individual shots pieced together using photoshop. See the bottom of the blog for examples of how many times this photo has been reincarnated!

• Earlier this year I worked at a new Five-star resort in Bali where management was happy for us to wear singlets, shorts and jandals whilst performing!

Picture for a rock contract in Dubai, UAE

• At the present time I am working in one of Japan's premiere hotels and I am expected to wear slacks, suits, or semi-formal to formal attire every night

• 

  Promotional picture for a Five Star hotel in Japan

2. Use available resources. I have participated in photo shoots that have had large budgets and tiny budgets. Most have fallen into the later category. If you are shooting with a meagre budget try to use resources that are around you. Borrow a camera, use a location that is free, ask a friend that is good with makeup to do your makeup.

I hear so many people complaining that they need this and that and its often not the case. Hollywood blockbuster movies with multi-million dollar promotional budgets have deluded them into thinking that they need special effects, dynamic lighting, and pyrotechnic displays to land a gig. This is not true.

3. KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. Most clients do not need photos that have you skydiving off the Empire State building holding your guitar or pics of you drumming on Mt. Everest. They need simple shots that display the style of clothing and the 'look' or image that you would usually have on the stage. Unless you think you have a wonderful location that will enhance your appeal, keep the background simple too.

4. Group shots vs. Individual shots. If you are in a band and you need to do a photo shoot you have to consider whether or not to shoot as a group or as individuals , then use photoshop or similar software to piece all of the individual pictures of each member together. 

Let me discuss this in a little more detail addressing the pros and cons of each:

Group shot:

Pros: everyone is in one place and you can experiment with lots of different configurations, probably cheaper, less-time consuming, editing should be much easier

Cons: it can be hard to get everyone together at the same time, could be expensive to find the right location for a big group, if one person looks like a dork in all of the pictures it could be very difficult to fix.

The single biggest con in my mind of having a group shot is this:

A BAND MEMBER LEAVES!

When or if this happens it can render all of your pics useless. You may be able to photo shop someone else's head onto the leaving member's shoulders but this could be unethical if you haven't received the leaving member's permission to do so, it usually (but not always) ends up looking weird, and just isn't cool if you are trying to portray professionalism. 

I speak from experience when I say that I have been involved in a band that has been through this on several occasions, I have witnessed many other bands with whom I am friends with resort to the same methods and I simply don't think it works.

Individual shots:

Pros: Infinite 'juggle-ability' i.e. you can move members around, change colors, adjust and edit with much greater ease and effectiveness, you can use a generic background as a template should members decide to leave or if new members enter, members can do their photo shoot when they have time*.

*Tips: If you organise the photo shoot when you normally have a rehearsal you can kill two birds with one stone. Rehearse and do the photo shoot or at the very least you can ensure that everyone will be there for it.

Cons: more time-consuming, more costly, lots of editing involved

5. Don't rush out and spend $ on a fancy, hi-tech camera or video camera. Why? Because you probably can't use all of the features, there may be a long learning curve to master to fully utilise the hardware properly, or you may only use it once or twice a year. Those of us that have studied finance and accounting call this phenomenon 'over capitalisation'. 

Over capitalization- defined

And probably the most important thing to realize is that the best camera in the world can't perform miracles if the shots are at terrible angles, or if someone hasn't done their hair, or if the room is too dark. You may be well-served paying a professional for a few hours or getting a friend that has a decent camera to help you.

In closing:

• Don't get too arty unless the client specifically wants something out of the ordinary
• Try to set a budget and keep to it
• Try to 'future-proof' your pictures
• Get as many 'looks' done as your budget and time frame allows

Good luck with your shooting!