Music Marketing: Independent Rap Artists VS. Earned Media (Original Publish Date June 11, 2020)

The main reason why independent artists should care about (and want) earned media is because it establishes trust among potential music listeners. A study found that about 83 percent of people completely trust recommendations they get from family and friends.

Earned media has evolved as social media has become the most reliable communication platform. This has allowed people also to trust the opinions of others online. For example, sources such as blogs or Youtube reviews, even if they do not know those people in real life.

Another reason to strive for earned media is its ability to produce high conversation, resulting in a higher return on investment. According to AdAge, paid media typically had conversion rates below 1 percent. Earned media, in contrast, often has conversion rates over 5 percent!

The Confusing Part of Earned Media

Your brand does not pay for earned media. Unfortunately, this also means you are not paying to get any new customers or sales you gain from it.

Earned media is really like a UNO wild card. This is because you fight between the difficulties of people saying good or bad things about your brand and do not have any control over it. This can expose rap artists to angry bloggers with bad reviews. Social media can users leave a thumbs down on their content or even press disasters that make you and your music look bad.

You can manage and control your brand's message through paid (advertisements) and owned media (SEO content) to keep things positive.

How to Get Earned Media

Earned media is a by-the-chance situation. So your brand has to do something to make it.

Here are the easiest ways to obtain earned media:

1. SEO: Search engine optimization is the best way to ensure your brand evolves with search engine algorithms. Independent artists need to own media, so you end up at the top of organic search results.

2. Collaborate with Influencers: Influencer marketing, on its own, is a paid media mechanism. This method of partnership provides high engagement. Find someone who fits your brand. Ideally, someone outside of the music field. Use this opportunity to engage with those who care about what you care about. Doing this will help to get people excited about your music.

3. Create sharable, engaging content: Your goal when creating social media content sharable among your target audience. This includes getting placed in blogs like Pitchfork or creating videos outside of music that allows fans to learn more about your human side rather than your celebrity persona. You can also create challenges and giveaways, or make fun quizzes or polls that people can share on social media.

4. Content with REAL journalists or bloggers: Interviews with magazines in print or on the web or press stories about your company count as earned media. However, journalists and bloggers are very selective about whom they write about, so it is essential to develop a rapport. This goes beyond sending out press releases. It also means writing friendly emails and messages and going above and beyond to get the writer's attention. This is where digital and physical press boxes are an excellent way to capture attention.