Читать книгу Work Hard Playlist Hard - Mike Warner - Страница 5
ОглавлениеLet’s get social
If you haven't already, sign up for the following social media accounts. If you are against social media, it’s time to suck it up and accept that for many people in this industry it is the fastest way to make initial contact, forge a friendship, and maybe even get an invite to their birthday party.
Use the same username for all services. This is important for consistency and helping people find you. If you are @JohnSmithTunes on Instagram, then your Twitter handle should be @JohnSmithTunes - making it easy for others to directly tweet to you.
To keep it consistent, you should do a quick check on social media sites first by going to facebook.com/johnsmithtunes, instagram.com/johnsmithtunes etc. to see if the username has been taken (yes, you can do this from a web browser, much quicker than searching in the apps).
Tip: If any new social media apps or sites launch after this book is released please also sign up for them, even if it is just to claim your unique username. If a new social media site takes off, you want to have facebook.com/johnsmithtunes not be stuck with facebook.com/johnsmith1989bro or worse. Claim it now, just in case! Here’s a site you can use to check all socials at the same time - checkusernames.com.
Now, I’m not just going to tell you to sign up and then “get to work”. Below are tips on creating a good profile, and where and how to find your first contacts. Once you’ve found them, don’t do anything yet. Write them down on the piece of paper that you grabbed before.
Follow these GOLDEN RULES when creating profiles on social media.
Use your real name, even if everyone knows you by “DJ Smells Good.” Don’t give people an opportunity to decide what you are about until they connect with you.
Use a real photo of your face. Show that you are a real person, don’t post crowd shots or a picture of the back of your head staring into the sunset.
Don’t use fake credentials but, at the same time, don’t undersell yourself. If you have been producing music for two weeks, don’t include that, instead say “Music Producer. Australia”. If people want to know more, they will slide into ask you.
Facebook is a perfect icebreaker because you can easily see mutual friends of contacts, even before they accept your friend request. This gives you a chance to ask your mate if they know ‘Person X’ and if they could introduce you through a DM. Once the conversation has started and they have responded positively, then go ahead and send a friend request while you are speaking with them (they are less likely to ignore it if you are speaking with them at the time).
Twitter is different. Introductions don’t work, most people don’t check their inbox or will block all Twitter users from being able to DM them. For now, set up your profile using the rules above and follow some artists, curators, or celebrities that you would like to work with or see inspirational tweets from. Once you have gained some value in yourself by creating your playlists (see Grow your playlist followings), then you will reach out to these Twitter contacts (if they don’t hear about you first).
While LinkedIn is mostly used for job hunting and co-worker creeping, it is also a useful tool for music industry professionals to network. Keep it real but also keep it relevant. Similar to Facebook, use an actual photo of your face (maybe a touch more professional here) and an honest resume. Also, only put relevant jobs, if you flipped burgers for five years but now work in a music store, just have the music store on your profile. Sign up for a free trial to get InMail credits. More detail on this in the Reach out to other curators chapter.
You might be asking why you need to sign up to a website that consists of photos and videos. However, Instagram is a great place to reach out to social influencers (see Influencer marketing). No rules here, just post pictures that show who you are. If you love food, you’ll fit right in but also share other cool stuff. If you went for a hike recently and saw a beautiful sunset, share it. People are more drawn to other people on Instagram, especially if you do cool stuff and post inspiring photos (don’t post gig flyers unless it’s the Coachella lineup and you are on it).
