PITCH GUIDE
We all love a great story, with dazzling imagery and engaging conversation around our favourite sounds to go with it. But how do we get music from an artist’s desk to an editor’s inbox? If you’re an artist yourself, or a manger of some kind or even a label owner, it helps to know the process before you try and pitch, and to think a little deeper about what would create the best response to your material. This guide should help you get into the heart of a what good coverage can mean, so that you can get the best out of a pitch.
before you begin, remember…
NOTE: Publications have long term schedules that they need to stick to. If your project comes out in 2 days, there’s not enough time to plug. Give them at least 4 weeks before the release date to process your pitch
Bear in mind that when you pitch your work to a writer, they have to then pitch to the editor, who has the final say on what gets published. If you can make this process as easy as possible by providing enough evocative information in good time, you’ll have more success.
Publications have long term schedules and strategies that they need to work with to maintain order, especially when they publish in print. If you pitch that your project comes out in 2 days, there won’t be enough time to plug it. (Unless you’re Beyonce). Send your music at least 4 weeks before the release date to leave time for the editorial team to process your pitch. For print, give it 8 weeks.
You want to create conversation around the music, so start by making conversation with your target (writer, editor or publication). Be honest. Asking folks to “just listen” to or “give feedback” on your music when you really want an article is the wrong way to go. Avoid going into DMs and just saying “hey” or sending music without explaining what it is you hope to gain. Find an email address and ask for what you really want. Use your voice!
Blogging, journalism and PR are all different things. Make sure you understand what you’re asking for. Blogs are opinion-based, while journalism is based on facts that by-and-large are objective, checked and backed up with evidence. PR is a service and comes at a cost. Read this if you’re unsure about the difference between blogging a journalism, and read this if you want understand the differences between PR and journalism.
📌 Promoters and talent bookers use journalists with good reputations to help them understand artists professionally and guide them toward good booking decisions. Getting verified on social media is also easier if you have good journalism around your work. This is not the same for blogs. Blogs are entertaining and easy for anyone with a passion to produce, but won’t help in this way.
Not all platforms work the same way, so tailor your pitches to each publication. Don’t mass email if you really want a chance — read the platform and tweak your pitch to suit the target
📌 e.g. The Face only deals with “new generation” artists for their cover stories, and there will never be a music cover two months in a row. Resident Advisor has an editorial platform and a ticketing platform, which is very handy to subscribe to if you want to connect coverage on your work with events. You will only notice things like this if you read the publications!
Don't take offence if you don't get a response — there are thousands of artists and agencies emailing for the same coverage, and only a handful of team members to manage the weight of this. Be kind!
Make the writer/editor's life easier; think like a journalist when crafting your pitch (what can be said about you, your music or your scene in 1000+ words? Can we look back on this story in a year and still find it to be relevant or evergreen?) “My music is coming out next week” is not enough unfortunately. Find the story. )
📌 NOTE: Unless there is a great story or statement behind a single, it’s unlikely that it’ll get more than a review. Pitching EPs or albums with running themes, burgeoning scenes, groundbreaking statements or hidden meanings can produce more of a story, so wait until you have a body of work, enough of a conversation around your work or great timing around a single before you pitch, to make sure the impact of your story can land.
find the story:
Let’s use Kamo Mphela’s music video for “Ghost” as an example.
What’s the angle? What is going to let people know what is happening while pulling them in? What is this artist doing that makes this conversation compelling? Where, when, why, how?
Provide context. The majority of the world might look at Kamo’s social media following and assume her journey has been perfect, when the full story tells us that she has undergone a lot of body shaming, verbal abuse and scrutiny online since her transition from dancer to vocalist and choreographer. After a little bit of research, it’s clear that in this music video she has responded by putting her strengths to her advantage, paying homage to one of the greatest multi-talented “ghosts” of all time. This is the context with which the single is being released, and is the beginning of a great story about her journey, how women are treated in her country or genre, or how creativity can change narratives around art across time and timelines. Coupled with the fact that fellow artist Sizwe Alakine (formerly known as “Reason”) is a ghost-writer on this track adds a triple meaning to the story for a clever, well-crafted pitch. The writer/journalist can now continue to build a story around the release with all of this context in mind.
do your homework:
Do make notes on the type of articles you want to target, and the platform’s/writer’s style or “beat”
📌 e.g. You’ve found someone who has been published at mixmag for example, writing about the Black history of techno. Your music is R’nB. Instead of just asking them to cover your work and hoping to get lucky, find a writer who specialises in R’nB — or find out from your target if they know someone who they can put you in touch with. Ask first! What do they write about, predominantly? That is what is referred to as a “beat.” Don’t just pitch to someone because you know they have ties to a publication. Find someone whose beat matches yours!
Do not ask one writer to source and pitch to multiple platforms unless you are prepared to pay for a PR service, because that is essentially what you’re asking for — and PR is pricey, tough work. No journalist is obligated to reach out to multiple platforms for you unless you have a fair agreement in place.
📌 e.g. If you run a festival or event, invite the writer to attend so that they can communicate their experience first-hand. If you don’t have a PR budget, offer to help source information or provide access for other stories they’re looking to work on, so that they can benefit from your interaction in some way.
CRAFT YOUR PITCH:
Write “Pitch” somewhere in your email subject line — it makes your email easier to find amongst all the other communications coming through. Don’t rely on DMs to get this done unless the writer has stated otherwise.
Keep it brief! Try to communicate as much as possible with as little space as you can.
Include links to the music, images, a biography and as much information as you can that provides context for your pitch.
What impact will the story have? Why should anyone care? Why should anyone care now? Who should care? All of this will strengthen your pitch. Find the story.
Following up is ok, but don’t harass your target for days on end. There could be any number of reasons why your pitch wasn’t successful, such as a lack of budget on the publication’s side; the lack of an appropriate writer for your pitch; illness, heavy workloads etc. If you don’t hear back in a week or two, assume you weren’t successful and try again for the next pitch.