Musician’s guide to influencer marketing

Influencer marketing should be a part of every musician’s marketing toolkit, particularly if your PR strategy is DIY. Learn how to get started.

by Angela Tyler of Bandzoogle

If you’d asked me nearly a decade ago when I started my PR company where the future of media was headed, I never could have predicted the power of influencer marketing. Even with the rise of the Kardashians, being a public figure in that way felt so unlikely. Like it was possible for celebrities but not for the everyday person.

Then, all of a sudden, it was everywhere and anyone could be an influencer. Just being online meant people you didn’t know were watching, and soon that became less scary and more exciting and with it came the rise of the influencer as we know and love them. Internet celebrities known for their influence over a certain niche. While other markets have been utilizing them for a long time, the music industry has been slow to hop on the trend.

Until now.

If you’re reading this, and you’re getting ready to kick off your own DIY PR campaign, you must make influencer marketing an integral piece of it. In my agency we are seeing the power of it tenfold—and not just the power to get in front of new fans or gain new streams, but the absolute joy in the creativity of it all. It’s a chance to gain a following while truly having fun and connecting with some incredible people.

So, how do you do it?

First, create your press plan

The first step in any good DIY PR campaign is to know what you’re doing and where you’re going. That means having a plan that tells you your goals for the campaign. For instance, do you want to tour in 6 months and this is a way to drum up interest and build a fanbase in those cities? Or are you about to release a new album and want to make sure the songs get heard?

All of this is important to know as you create your overall press plan and media list. It will inform who you approach when it comes to influencers and what kind of content you want to produce with them. 

Second, set objectives

For this article, we’re going to be talking about objectives specific to influencers, but you can include other objectives here as well, as they align with your press plan. An objective is essentially a measurable goal so that you can track your success. Otherwise, you’re just kind of arbitrarily hoping for the best.

A few examples would be:

• Partner with an influencer in a similar space to my brand (ie: if you want to tie your brand into environmentalism, it would be an influencer in that space)
• Have a “new song” in 5 different Reels/TikToks
• Do joint reel with 3 other indie bands

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Third, start making those connections!

This is the exciting part! Once you know what you want to accomplish, it’s time to get to work. The first step is making those connections. If you have a lot of time before you’re looking to partner with the influencer, I suggest taking the time to follow them, comment on their posts, reply to their stories, and get to know them. That way when you do reach out about a partnership it feels more organic.

However, if you don’t have that kind of time, you can start with following them, responding to a story or two in order to get into their inbox, and then introduce yourself and your ideas. Let them know what it is you like about them and their message and then just be honest. You’re about to release new music/tour/etc and would love to partner with them. 

Make sure you give them a few (2-3) ideas of how you’d like to work together. You might think you’re being nice by letting them decide, but you want to make it as easy as possible for them to picture what working together looks like and to say yes so, the less steps the better.

Fourth, follow up and keep pitching

PR is all about persistence, and influencer marketing is no different. Sometimes, you’re going to get an instant yes. Other times you’ll get no response at all. That’s ok. It’s also ok to follow up once and make sure they saw your message (we all get busy). No matter what, keep at it.

It takes consistency and creativity, but influencer partnerships truly are one of the quickest ways to move the needle on building your authority and reaching new fans. It’s well worth the effort!

Have you tried influencer marketing? 

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Angela Tyler is the founder of MP Co. (formerly Muddy Paw PR) and has secured placements on Forbes, Business Insider, American Songwriter, Lead Singer Syndrome, & more. She loves dessert, her rescue dog Sawyer, and new ideas.