Free Ways To Promote Your Songs
If you want to get your name recognized as a rapper, you need to promote yourself.
Promotion is more than likely the most important step to becoming a well-known
rap artist, second to the music itself. Many rappers new to the game sit and wait for
a record label or executive to find them and push them into fame. Waiting to be
discovered can be a big mistake. Just like some lyrics point out, this is not a perfect
world, so don’t wait for the magic to happen. You have to be proactive and focus on
your own promotion to get exposure before the labels come calling.
Promotion takes as much work as writing and recording the song. In this article, you will explore FREE online avenues to help promote your songs without a label or promoter.
Free Ways To Promote Your Songs
1) Viral Videos
YouTube is an immense marketing tool at your disposal. It’s a great outlet to express
yourself creatively and build a fan base. Videos that go viral on this service can receive
millions and millions of views. YouTube is currently the second most searched website
on the Web, right after Google. Remember that Google owns YouTube, so it’s basically
#1 and #2. Either way, if you want to make it in the rap industry, you need to upload
your songs to this streaming community. You can also post videos of just about anything
else you want to help promote your music. Make at least one upload each week to get a
growing fanbase.
2) Connect to Fans on Facebook
Everybody uses Facebook. For some Internet users, this site is the only one they visit in
any given day. People take it with them everywhere they go and access new information
uploaded to the site every day. As an up-and-coming rapper, a Facebook fan page is a must.
Give users freebies, such as free downloads for likes and comments. People love a freebie,
so this will literally boost your Facebook fan base. Make sure to be active on the page and
post often, but be sure not to overload people with your self promotion. If they block your
posts, they’ll never see another one of your latest tracks. Post news and articles that are
relevant to your music and your craft. Be smart and market yourself as somebody people
want to listen to. They’ll be happy they met you after you get more famous.
3) Tweet, Tweet, Tweet
It is more than just a sound that a bird makes. Tweets will earn you another valuable medium
to connect with your fans. Again, give people gifts based on interaction to inspire them to
subscribe to your Twitter page. Random promotions and giveaways are a great way to boost
your user base and increase your Web presence. The commercial post rule on Facebook
applies here as well. Be sure and post daily. Experts advise a minimum 10 tweets per day with
one promotional message every 100-200 tweets.
4) E-mails Aren’t Dead Yet
Use your YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts to get fans to subscribe to an email list.
Send out two or three messages each week, updating them with news and events related to
your music to keep the word out. Interact directly with fans and give away free concert tickets
or album downloads. Remember to put out things important to your fans, keep the e-mails
tailored to them.
5) Online Forums
Don’t be afraid to get involved with forums. Find the most frequented hip-hop forums and
interact with the user base. This is your craft and you may have a lot to say. Get involved!
Provide the link to your Facebook page in your signature and mention any free giveaways
you may have. Find the topics that have the most active discussions and post about five times
each day. You are advertising your music while talking about the things that drives you to create.
This is a free and easy way to promote yourself and your music.
6) Don’t Stop There
There are an assortment of band and music pages all across the web. Find them all and create
a page for your music. Put your tracks on every medium you can find. You want your name to
come up in search engines, and you want your music to have the most possible listeners. You
can implement these tips to get yourself the exposure you need to boost your rap career.
Keep at it and don’t give up. The game seems closed until you burst your way in, and the more
you expose your music to the world, the more likely that day will soon come. However, there is
no supplement for quality. If you’ve applied this advice to your Internet promotion and still have
not developed a strong user base, then you need to look at the passion and conviction that you
put into your music. Promotion won’t improve the sound of your music. You need to be sure you
are putting the best product on the market that you can. Find a good producer and develop your
own style. Use beats that people will want to hear again and again.