How to find new music promotional writing clients

August 6, 2015 10:19 AM

I am a music journalist, and I’ve also done a lot of promotional writing (bios, press releases, etc) over the years for musicians, PR firms, and record labels. I’ve mostly written for rock musicians but have done other genres as well. I want to get more clients but don't know the most effective way. More inside.

I love doing that writing, and I am good at it. But it’s hard to find work, especially since smaller labels only have a couple projects a year for me. In the past I’ve just written to labels and pr firms with samples of my work. It was really time-consuming to find all the email addresses, and it only yielded a few low-paying assignments. I’ve advertised on Craigslist and through social media.


I feel like I’m missing some more streamlined ways to go about this. I don’t mind reaching out to potential clients if it has greater potential to yield work. I know of mediabistro, but I haven’t heard such great things.


How can I get more work? I'm grateful for any help with starting points of folks to write, places to advertise, help wanted ads, etc.

posted by mermaidcafe to Work & Money (1 answer total)

I don't know much about this particular niche. To get a foothold in it, you'll have to feel your way in it. Forget "streamlined" for now. Keep experimenting and see what works. But after reading your question, some ideas came to mind:

-Call people; don't write them. Call them once, twice, three times before you give up. Leave a message. You can email them as a follow up, or send an email before you call, but use the phone. Emails are too easy to ignore. It's a numbers game. Call lots and lots of people. If you're intimidated about cold calling (and you probably are), you'll get better with practice. Just do it. You can find advice about doing it well online or in books.

-Figure out who would be hiring you. Managers, publicists, PR people, club owners, booking agents, the bands themselves, etc. Figure out who your market is. Network in your market. Get your name out there.

-Get a website for your writing business. (Yes, think of it as a small business.) If you don't want to hire a design firm, you can use a DIY builder like Squarespace or Wix or a number of others. Say what you do, how you help people in this biz, and include some writing samples.

-For the clients you do have (the small labels, etc.), stay in touch. Call them or email them every 2-3 months or so. If they don't have any work for you, ask them for referrals or leads. Then follow up with those.

Good luck!
posted by Leontine at 11:23 AM on August 6, 2015 [1 favorite]