Connecting The Dots With Artist Relations And PR

Everyone talks about the importance of content, that seven letter word that in my opinion, has turned many truly creative people into jacked-up drones willing to upchuck pretty much anything online. I used to be a marketing guy and a writer. Now I am a “content provider.” But I digress.

Your marketing department, sales team, and customers all crave content. Stories. Stories are everything in business and always have been. How we tell them changes, but not much else. And in our world of pro audio and MI products, the artist using those products plays huge in the story. Artists help cut to the chase. And who better to get that story than the artist relations person? You have the relationship that nobody else has. You’ve sat with that person and hopefully they have liked your product. You have the inside track.

Granted, you won’t be able to quote an artist or do sneaky smartphone photos without his or her permission, nor would you want to. But if you keep your ears and eyes open, chances are you’ll come across something that can be used in a meaningful way by your PR or marketing department. In my case I tend to do both PR and AR for my clients, which greatly streamlines the process.

Which brings me to one buzzword that actually makes sense to me. Brand journalism. You are a reporter for the brand that you represent. Make sure you help your company connect the dots. Otherwise you’re just one of those posers that the road crew snickers about.