The future of music

Email Marketing for Musicians: 10 Steps for Beginners

May 22, 2023
Email marketing for musicians

In this day and age, there are many ways to promote your own music.

However, many artists tend to underestimate the power of good old email marketing.

Email marketing for musicians involves, among other things, setting clear goals, writing persuasive content, and growing an email list.

If you approach it in the right way, email marketing strategies can be very effective. 

So in today’s post, we’ll take you through the email marketing process and effective strategies that will enrich your music marketing plan.

Starting a Music Marketing Campaign 

Launching a music marketing campaign can be challenging for beginners.

There are many things to think about, and it’s not easy to figure out which strategies are effective and which aren’t.

On the other hand, a wide range of digital tools and promotion services are ultimately a good thing.

As an independent artist, you can create a good marketing plan and promote your music in an easy and inexpensive way.

But music marketing is so much more than simply promoting your music online.

Of course, building a strong online presence and distributing your music on large streaming platforms is essential.

But music marketing also involves building a brand, developing innovative and effective strategies, advertising, public relations, and so much more.

marketing strategy

Some of the most popular music marketing strategies include:

  • Utilizing social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)
  • Starting a YouTube channel
  • Running paid promotions
  • Reaching out to playlist curators 
  • Reaching out to creators and influencers
  • Getting radio promotion
  • Utilizing offline marketing strategies

All of these marketing strategies are rather effective.

Now, you should find the methods and strategies that align with your career goals as well as your personal values.

But regardless of what you choose, you shouldn’t forget about email marketing. 

Email is universal and personal, and email marketing has been around for quite some time now.

Many journalists, promoters, booking agents, and other relevant people from the industry are used to getting all their information via email.

That said, consider developing a powerful email marketing strategy.

If you do it properly, you won’t regret it. 

Email Marketing for Musicians – 10 Easy Steps 

Although the email marketing process might seem daunting, it’s actually fairly easy.

More importantly, it will bring you many benefits. 

Therefore, if you put the work in, you’ll get the results you want. 

1. Create a mailing list

First and foremost, you should create a beginning email list.

This list should have all the emails you already have.

So, the best way to collect them is by using a spreadsheet.

Developing a mailing list is the first step towards creating a newsletter and growing your email list.

Now, how you’re going to shape your newsletter is entirely on you.

Music newsletters usually include news and updates regarding releases and upcoming gigs, interviews, videos, images, behind-the-scenes footage, and stories. 

Also, don’t forget to make it personal – your newsletter should be informative, but it should also reflect who you are as an artist. 

You can even write it in a conversational tone. 

And if you promote your newsletter like a product and grab your potential fans’ attention in the right way, you’ll eventually attract many new subscribers. 

Until that happens, focus on what you already have and start building your email list from scratch. 

2. Choose an email marketing service 

If you want to launch an effective email marketing campaign, we suggest choosing an email marketing platform.

In fact, finding a good email marketing service is arguably one of the best promotional tactics for you and your music.

person using laptop and mobile phone

An email platform will make your emails look more professional and persuasive, and it will help you reach more people.

More importantly, an email marketing service will prevent your emails from ending up in spam.

So, discover more about the best email marketing services for musicians and opt for the platform that suits you best. 

3. Grow your email list

Once you create your beginning email list and newsletter, you need to think about the ways to attract new subscribers. 

There are a bunch of online tools you can use to grow your email list – from email sign-up tools to email list-building apps and QR code technology.

All of these tools can help you find new subscribers in an easy way.

However, you also need to make sure you integrate email sign-up tools into your website.

This is arguably the best way to grow your email list since interested listeners and fans will most likely visit your website at some point.

But if you want your visitors to subscribe, you need to make that move worth their while.

In other words, you need to offer them something in return – either a discount for your merch or a sneak peek of your new single.

You need to present the benefits of joining your email list very clearly.

So, provide your potential subscribers a reason to subscribe and offer different incentives.

In this day and age, people get emails, messages, and ads all the time – so if you want them to subscribe for more news and updates, you need to promise them it will be worth it.

4. Set goals

While growing your email list and thinking about the content you want to share with your subscribers, you also need to think about your email marketing goals.

Creating an email marketing strategy will ultimately help you get through the whole process in an easier and more efficient way.

Moreover, setting clear and realistic goals will help you keep track of your progress.

And it will help you actually make progress.

You can explore more about SMART goals – this is a nice acronym for creating a framework for setting goals.

The SMART framework entails that your goals need to be: 

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Time Sensitive
making plan on whiteboard

You should also create an email marketing calendar with upcoming gigs, releases, and other important events.

The most important events such as big concerts or album releases should have more email reminders. 

To make things easier for you, create a music marketing calendar with graphics and colors so you don’t miss anything.

Finally, make sure your plans are aligned with your goals. 

And then start taking all the necessary steps to achieve these goals – one step at a time. 

5. Use an email marketing template

Another important step in growing your email list and reaching out to your fans is to utilize email marketing templates.

Email marketing platforms usually use drag-and-drop email templates – they are really handy because they allow you to add images and videos without hassle.

To make your email more clear and straightforward (but also eye-catching), integrate your logo or visual art in the corner.

Although adding a logo works better for brands and companies, it can work well for musicians as well.

After all, you need to treat your newsletter as a product – that’s the best way to reach a lot of people and expand your fanbase.

If one of your goals is to get your music heard, taking your music marketing seriously is essential.

6. Write engaging email content

Apart from using online marketing tools and email marketing services, you also need to focus on your email content.

The content you write is central to your email marketing campaign.

That said, think about what in your opinion makes a good email.

Determine what type of emails you’re drawn to and try to incorporate these elements into your own email.

Now, there are also certain rules and techniques for writing a compelling email you can explore.

For instance, your emails should be persuasive yet not too pushy.

They should engage readers but also convey a clear message.

And they need to persuade your subscribers to take action. 

Don’t worry if all of this looks a bit confusing – although it doesn’t seem that way to some people, learning how to write an effective email takes practice.

Eventually, you’ll figure out what works and what doesn’t.

In the end, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution – although there are certain writing techniques and tools you can use, what works for you might not work for someone else.

So, think about your target audience and create unique content that reflects your musical personality. 

7. Send a welcome email

When your email list starts to grow, you shouldn’t overwhelm your fans with content and information right away.

Whenever someone subscribes to your newsletter, send out a welcome email first.

You can inform your subscribers of the type of emails you’re going to send them.

This type of email should be clear and concise – tell your new subscribers what to expect, but also try to intrigue them a little bit.

You can even include a small teaser for your next update – but nothing too much.

The most important thing is to make them feel welcome and let them know they’re now part of your online community.

8. Create automated email campaigns

Effective email marketing for musicians also involves automated email campaigns.

Generally, drip marketing is a communication strategy that sends (or “drips”) a set of messages in a specific order based on user action. 

So, the term drip campaign refers to a series of automated triggered emails sent to people who take a specific action on your website.

This strategy is very handy because it allows you to focus on what really matters to you – your music and performance.

9. Track your progress

Once you start to see the results of your email marketing campaign and strategies, you’ll know you’re doing a good job.

However, you should monitor your progress in a more structured way.

Thankfully, many email marketing platforms offer reports and email statistics. 

They will provide you with useful information regarding your email open rate, delivery rate, and the number of people who have unsubscribed from your email list.

searching analytics on google

It’s important to learn to interpret these reports so you can respond accordingly.

You should also take into account the key performance indicators (KPIs) – the most important factors in music marketing for musicians.

These usually include music sales, concert attendance, and merch sales.

Other metrics and indicators that can help you measure your results include:

  • Click-through rate
  • Click-to-open rate
  • Bounce rate
  • Spam complaint rate
  • The average revenue per email sent
  • Email campaign profitability 

All of these statistics and analytics will help you decide what your next step should be.

10. Explore new marketing tools and techniques 

If your email statistics are good and your KPIs are increasing, you know you’re doing a good job.

So although that might be a reason to celebrate, this is not a time to rest just yet. 

If you want to keep growing your audience and promoting your music via email effectively, you need to stay consistent.

But you should also explore new music marketing techniques.

Try to get some fresh ideas – brainstorm with your friends or band members or seek advice from someone with more experience in email marketing for musicians.

There are many good online sources that can help you out – from online marketing courses and learning apps to handy digital tools and services.

Take advantage of everything you have at your disposal and make your email marketing campaign even more effective and exciting. 

Benefits of Email Marketing 

If you put some time and effort into developing email marketing strategies, you’ll undoubtedly get the results you want.

Email is still one of the best ways to communicate with relevant people from the industry as well as your fans.

And it’s an easy way to share news and updates, especially if you create drip campaigns.

Plus, email marketing will allow you to remind your audience of your presence, even if you don’t have any big news to share.

If you want to make it in the music industry, staying consistent and relevant is crucial.

That said, you should also utilize other channels and platforms to promote your newsletter – promote it on social media, your YouTube channel, and so on.

After all, email marketing should be only one part of your music marketing campaign.

And although that might seem a bit daunting or overwhelming, it’s definitely worth it.

Email Marketing for Musicians – Final Thoughts 

Email marketing for musicians can indeed be very effective – it can help you grow your audience, reach out to your fans, and find new opportunities. 

But good email marketing strategies involve more than just sending out emails.

You need to write persuasive content, monitor your progress, and use various marketing tools and techniques. 

All of these steps are actually rather simple – you just need to create a good plan based on your goals and get things started! 

You may also like: 15 Ways to Promote Your Music

Will Fenton

Will, the founder of MIDDER, is a multifaceted individual with a deep passion for music and personal finance. As a self-proclaimed music and personal finance geek, he has a keen eye for futuristic technologies, especially those that empower creators and the public.

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