Are you doing PR for your ego or to get results?

That question should be used. I see it quite often that the artists mainly want that Pr for his/her ego not to get more sales/streams. If you ask the artists if it is for sales or ego they will promptly answer that it is for sales. Then you just ask take the money and use it on Googel ads and Facebooks ads or similar. Then it comes, no I want to be in the papers.

Like there is a point to be in the press? I mean I can’t remember when I last time bought a physical newspaper. No what they are after is to get a reviews, like there is that many reviews any longer except for small German fanzines. Or even better a personal interview, where they journalist ask these questions you dreamt of answering since you started with music.

Guess what, this question is never coming. If there is questions and a interview it will be strange questions about what kind of jam you like or the weirdest restaurant you been to. They won’t ask about your inspiration or what kind of gear you play on.

Actually to get best results is to use the online ads and great keywords. Really that is most cost effective. Not so sexy I know, but if you are in for the sales that is the best.

But the ego is what talking so I still see all these artists buying PR services that really don’t get you anywhere. Send outs to countless blogs, newspapers. That even if they respond on it, you won’t really get any sales out of it.

Yes this is how you did it in the past. They sucked already back then, but that was the only way.
I spoke to a good friend who works on an ad agency. He said the same, even with the big companies they go for ego. They had developed new tools where you can pinpoint the target group. Get most out of each penny spend. Still the buyers wanted a totally useless ad in the big newspaper costing a fortune. Why, well it’s the ego. You can tell your friends, look on this full page in the morning paper. Okay for the same amount of money you can reach the right target group for a whole year and getting more sales. But ego is hard to talk sense to.