Remember the days when promoting a release meant creating flyers or shouting at people from a rooftop telling them to buy a CD or download it from the iTunes store? These days it’s all about social media: the best way to maximise your reach and hopefully, find your audience. That’s why content creators are the best people to turn towards if you want to get your music heard on social media. 

Content creators have taken over every facet of our lives in recent years. Not only do they know how to work algorithms but they also come with a loyal fanbase to which you can promote products and music recommendations. But if you don’t have a marketing team behind you to come up with a music promotion campaign, getting sync placements with content creators can be a great way to get your music heard. 

WHO?

Finding the right creator to promote your music is key. Whilst of course, you want to get your music heard by as many people as possible, what you really want is the right people to hear it. Smaller creators have a much stronger and more personal connection with their audience than larger creators. 

If your track is a heartfelt ballad, there’s not much point in reaching out to an extreme sports creator and hoping they’ll pop it in their video. Think about which creators resonate with you and what kind of content would work well for your music. 

HOW?

Reaching out to anyone cold can be a daunting task, but there’s no need to be worried. Before you contact content creators, get to know them first and watch their content. Also, think about how your music could fit with the content they create. If you can be specific when you talk to them, it’ll make the whole process much easier. It’s equally important to make your message personal. Often, creators will receive so many requests for collaborations so make sure you present yourself as someone who is engaged with their brand. 

Look for contact details in the channel description or in a social media bio. Email is often the safest option but messaging on social media can be good too. If you do direct message them, be friendly and personal but get to the point. If you can, get the crux of your message to show up on the preview they receive on their lock screen.

WHAT?

Make sure you’re super clear on what it is you’re offering and what you want them to do. Collaborations should be creative, authentic and meaningful. Asking them to promote your music in their videos is a great way to start off the relationship, but content creators are looking for content that’s engaging. So if you can come up with an idea that piques their interest, it’ll be beneficial for everyone. Non-musical collaborations could prove to be very useful too, so stay open-minded.

Whilst the creative stuff is fun, it’s essential to consider and outline the deliverables and expectations from both sides. If the content creator is promoting your track, the terms you come up with could outline how much of the track should be played, a shoutout from that creator, links in the description to your socials or streaming links – all of this needs to be discussed so that everyone can benefit from it. You can use trackable links to see who finds your music from your work with any particular creator.

RATES

You’ll need to talk about money. But if you can get content creators to like you more, then perhaps their desire to work with you might lead to a small discount. Prices can vary greatly depending on factors such as the platform and what it is you’re asking of them. Discuss a cost per mille (CPM) rate. Paying creators on a CPM model means you will pay a certain amount for every thousand views the video gets. You could end up in trouble if the video goes viral, so discuss a payment cap. There may be some haggling to be done but don’t alienate them by going too low!

SYNCVAULT

Using SyncVault allows you promote your track through creators with a single campaign. SyncVault has an ever-growing community of creators who all want to use music in their videos. They handle the video placements, the terms and the payment – you just set your budget and watch your music spread across the world.

Sign up to SyncVault here.