MARKETING & PROMOTION
Standing behind your release
The single most valuable thing you can do to ensure the success of your release, is simply to stand behind the Digital Pressing. You’re creating an incredibly exciting new way to deliver deeper musical experiences to your audience, but without clear and confident communication, there’s a chance your fans won’t understand how great the offering is.
And it is great. Fans are converted from the mob of faceless streamers in an affordable and convenient way to…
Learn more about you and your music
Gain access to a community of like-minded fans and artists
Be recognised for their support
…all the while knowing their purchase is going far further than a stream or a t-shirt in keeping you doing what you love – making music.
Below is our best practice guide for cutting through the noise when promoting your product
Key messages/moments;
Communicate the ‘Why’
Communicating the Why behind your release is an opportunity to authentically and sincerely express why you’re releasing music in this new format. This is your greatest opportunity to share your motivations for doing something bold, new and refreshing with your audience – and trust us, they’ll appreciate being brought along for the ride.
Here are some thought starters for your Why;
More financially sustainable
No more overheads, low royalties or delays. Digital Pressings support me quickly, more cost effectively and in perpetuity whilst still offering ownership of the music.
Connect with fans
Helps me better recognise, understand, connect with and serve my supporters where platforms elsewhere withhold that data.
Creative freedom
Gives me greater creative freedom over how I present my work, so you can connect with and experience a deeper, more engaging story behind the music.
Eco-friendly
Helps me create more eco-conscious release campaigns. It’d take 1.3m Digital Pressings to equal the same carbon footprint of a single 12” vinyl.
Convenient
Cheaper, easier and more convenient way for my fans to collect my work. A standard merch store experience without shipping costs, wait-times or trips to the post office.
Recognition
The clear provenance and public recognition of support, allow my fans to be more than a consumer, but a collector, more than a number, but a name.
For more detail on the benefits of releasing in this format, please explore our article What can I create on Serenade or set up a meeting to chat with a member of the team at partnerships@serenade.co – we’re always happy to help!
Focus on the experience
Our platform and product are designed so that fans don’t need to know anything about the tech that powers it – your communication should reflect that. Focus on the music and the wonderful fan experiences that come with it; bonus content, inclusion on the product page, ownership of a limited product. Use familiar language and avoid NFT jargon at all costs.
Remember
- Digital Pressing is the format,
- and NFT is simply the technology that enables it.
Below are some great examples of how other artists have communicated their Why for creating a Digital Pressing and the benefits for their fans;
For a more detailed list of helpful words and phrases to describe the product and platform, please click explore our article How do I communicate my Digital Pressings to fans.
Use your channels wisely
Successful promotion of a Digital Pressing requires you to hit several simple beats across your existing social channels.
#1 Claim your profile
Announce your release and provide more long-form context around your Why as a standalone post to give fans a more permanent reference point to understand the new format.
E.g. 1 month from your release via Instagram tile / Twitter post
#2 Explain your Pressing and collect interest
Give fans the what, where and when in the form of an Instagram story so they can easily ‘swipe-up’ to be registered for notifications. Don’t forget to add the link to your Linktree for ease of access.
E.g. 1 week before your release via Instagram story / Linktree
#3 Keep it visible
Ensure that in the window between announcing and releasing that you’re reaching as many of your fans as possible. Keep information about your Digital Pressing consistently visible on your social media channels, whether it’s a TikTok discussing how excited you are for the release, a simple Instagram story with a countdown or anything else that gets the message out there.
E.g. 5 days out from release onwards via Instagram story / TikTok post / other lo-fi social posts
#4 Build excitement for your release
Host a Twitter Spaces or similar livestream to create a simple but exciting moment as your Pressing is released. This is your chance to talk about the music, help fans form a deeper connection to your art and convert consumers to collectors. For more info, see our Promotion Spotlight below.
E.g. Day of your release as your Pressing goes live via Twitter Spaces
#5 Direct fans to product
Once your Pressing is live, place a link everywhere your fans go to find out what you’re doing and how they can support you. This will help to convert new fans into invested supporters, as the product is designed for deeper engagement and closer fan connections.
E.g. Immediately after your Pressing has gone live via all socials / EDM / Linktree / merch stores
Promotion spotlight
Twitter Spaces
Key points
- Helps create a moment around the release
- Allows fans to share in the release with you
- Relaxed tone and easy to set up
- Creates simple soundbites for wider marketing material
Your Digital pressing will benefit greatly from excitement and attention at the time of release. Organise a moment to have a relaxed conversation between collaborators and fans about the project and capitalise on the increased engagement this creates. Releasing music should be a celebration, and who better to savour this moment with than your fans.
Host this wherever you’re most comfortable (Instagram Live, Discord Call, Twitch Stream, etc.) but we suggest Twitter Spaces for the following reasons;
- Audio only (no need to get ready and approve your background)
- Limited contributors (won’t be hijacked by over enthusiastic fans)
- Great cross-section (opportunity to bring traditional Web2 and growing Web3 audiences together)
Feel free to tag Serenade if you’re hosting your own release moment – we’d love to join when we can!
Tackling misinformation
With the amount of media attention driven towards NFTs over the last few years, you will inevitably have some fans who have questions. Thankfully, we’ve designed our platform and product in a way to perfectly respond to the 3 major problems/concerns fans might have with this technology.
- Carbon footprint
- Affordability
- Accessibility
For a far more extensive list of answers to common areas of misconception, please refer to our article Tackling Misinformation: A Guide.
2% of the Carbon Footprint of a single tweet
Affordable music ownership
