The Beginner Musician’s Guide to Networking
“Networking.” We all know the word. We all hate the word. How does a thing that ultimately helps us become so cringe? Maybe we can attribute it to the bros that read that one book about how to win friends (or whatever) and made it their personalities, or maybe it was Silicon Valley jargon that exploded all over social media and became a parody of itself. However you slice it, networking is unfortunately necessary in any field. Particularly in a “non-traditional” field like music, where there is no explicit ladder to climb and no roadmap to follow, networking is imperative to success and ultimately finding your path as an artist, songwriter, or any music business professional.
When you’re starting from scratch on your independent musician journey, it’s important to network as much as you can. While networking can be daunting, breaking it down into smaller pieces with goals in mind is much easier to wrap your brain around.
Community - in every aspect of life - is more important now than ever. In a reality where we are often siloed by location and social media is prioritized over real-life connections, it’s become normalized to shy away from human conversations in favor of screen time. The great thing about networking in music is that both elements are needed to build a fanbase and solidify your professional rolodex.
Building a community starts with the people closest to you. Always tell your friends, family, or anyone else in your inner circle when you have a show coming up or a new music release. Have them follow your social media accounts, add your songs to their playlists, invite them to your shows, and encourage them to repost your content. In return, reposting things they find important or showing up in person (or online) to support their endeavors is key to solidifying trust - and a reason to keep showing up for you.
Below, I’ve put together a little guide to get you started. Take a deep breath. That’s how it’ll feel to network once you get started. You won’t even have to think about it!
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While online presence and engagement are of utmost importance, nothing can replace genuine in-the-moment human interaction. Here are some general tips for networking IRL:
General Preparation:
Preparing your talking points ahead of time will help you avoid curveballs that may come up.
Identify your goals for the event. Who do you plan to talk to? Are you looking for opportunities, more followers, or genuine connections with other musicians? How can you leverage this event to optimally help your pursuits?
Research the guest list. Take a look at the particular group, company, or person that may be hosting the event.
Make business cards. It seems outdated, I know, but hear me out. Handing someone a short and sweet business card gives them a memento of your conversation and a physical reference point for future communication. The physical component will also stand out against a world of following each other back on Instagram!
Continually check who is mentioned in the event or who may be posting about it using a designated hashtag. You can reach out to other event participants over social media ahead of the event day, and you can use those hashtags and handles to let people know you’ll be at the event.
Being Present:
Put your phone away: it makes you more approachable and less distracted.
Me mobile rather than just standing by the snacks. Mobility also increases your chances for interaction.
Aesthetic and Vibe:
Make sure you are comfortable: this is not the time to try on the new heels you’ve been dying to wear, or the new pants you need to jump into to button.
Wear deodorant and clean, ironed clothes. Open-toed shoes are not appropriate for a networking event.
Make sure to keep breath mints on your person. Gum is fine as a backup, but nobody wants to approach a person who is chewing.
Dressing to represent your brand is a great way to introduce yourself as a full experience. It’s appropriate to incorporate your brand colors or dress for your genre.
Example: A rock musician could show up to a networking event in a blazer, lightly distressed black jeans, boots, and a collared shirt. Accessories like bracelets, jewelry, and tasteful headgear like a neutral colored hat or a scarf tied into a headband in a solid color all represent their brand while still maintaining approachability.
Example: A country singer-songwriter can attend a networking event in a flowing knee-length dress in a solid color or muted pattern (with a mid to high neckline), paired with a sweater or an undistressed denim or suede jacket, and short cowboy boots. She is representing her artistry and is prepared to network.
Etiquette:
Let your new connections talk. Allowing the recipient to speak on their current events or interests is a way for you to learn more about them. Commit these details to memory!
Enunciate and speak at an appropriate volume so the receiver of this communication can clearly understand you. Keep your major talking points succinct and memorable.
Keep alcohol consumption to a bare minimum. If you regularly partake in alcohol, keep your consumption to one or two drinks. If you do not partake in alcohol, do not choose a network event as your first time to try it. If you feel uncomfortable without a drink in your hand, ask the bartender for a club soda with lime or cranberry.
Grab a few snacks, but keep your plate light. Having a mouthful of cheese when someone walks up to shake your hand is less than ideal.
Displaying Confidence and Comfortability:
Walk into the room with your head held high and a warm-neutral facial expression. This will set the tone for the rest of the night. Avoid “RBF” to the best of your ability.
Body Language: Keep your arms at your sides or behind your back, respond with appropriate remarks and gestures, nod as people speak, and avoid looking straight down or straight up.
Your demeanor should accurately reflect your brand, but it is always important to be polite and open when speaking to new people. Do not overreact when speaking to new people. If you’re not vibing, find a polite way to exit the conversation. It’s better to make no impression than a bad impression - word gets around fast.
Social Butterfly:
Get everyone’s name in the room. Get people’s contact information (email, phone numbers) and/or their social media accounts. LinkedIn counts and bodes well for those who are exploring non-artist career avenues.
In a live show setting, having a physical clipboard for people to write their contact information on, or a QR code they can scan to join your mailing list and follow your social media accounts, is crucial to continuing the interaction from the live music experience.
Seal the Deal:
Add people on social media in the moment. While having a conversation, open Instagram (or your app of choice) and have the recipient type their name on your device. This displays that your interest is genuine.
Follow up with every connection you make. Send them an Instagram DM and like a few posts, add them on LinkedIn, and send them a message, or even post a picture of the event and add the handles of those you met that night.
Continually engaging with their content and attending events/livestreams they might be hosting or featuring are great ways to continue the relationship.
Remember the details about this person you can reference later. When you bring them up in the future, they will enjoy that you remembered the previous interaction and be more inclined to continue correspondence.
The part of networking most of us are familiar with these days is virtual, usually via social media. You’ve all received the weird spam messages that look like they were either copied and pasted from person to person or written by a bot and sent out automatically. Below, I’ve listed a few ways to make social media networking happen relatively organically and without pulling your hair out.
By definition, Direct Outreach is the method of reaching listeners through personalized messaging and email. This is a warmer style of communication than cutting and pasting, and is proven to keep your fans interested in staying in touch. You know what they say - you get more flies with honey than vinegar!
TALK TO PEOPLE! Tell everyone that your independent music is out.
Example: Have friends and family follow your accounts and post about your new music. You can also continue to invite Facebook Friends to like your Official Facebook Page.
Activity: Create a Facebook artist page if you haven’t already. Invite 10 of your Facebook friends to like the page.
While Facebook’s demographic skews 30 and over, it’s a great way to keep your family involved in your music (and maybe could entice them to throw some money your way over time).
Starting Your Follower Base Begin following related accounts (friends of friends, followers of followers, other independent musicians) and interact with their content.
When following new people, look at their feed and any songs/videos they have. Then, reach out to them and start a conversation. After politely chatting, let them know you have music out. You can follow up with them as you release more music. Since they already know you, they will be more inclined to listen. Include something specific to that person’s current posts in your message. This indicates genuine interest!
Offering to reciprocate your ask also builds trust and community.
EXAMPLE: My new song “Rising Tides, Crashing Skies” just came out! Here’s the link to listen. Feel free to send me any of your songs, I’d love to check them out!
Steps to reaching out to new people online:
a. Follow the account.
b. Like 2-3 of their recent posts.
c. Comment on 1-2 of those posts.
d. Send them a DM with a personalized message.
EXAMPLE: this is a template I wrote for a New England singer-songwriter friend of mine:
“Hey there, my name is Alanna and I am a singer/songwriter, too. I saw your post about seeing Demi Lovato in concert. I love her, she’s one of my favorites! If you like her music, you might like mine. I can send you a link if you’d like to give my new song a listen.
ACTIVITY: Create an effective message to send when reaching out to someone online for music promotion.
ACTIVITY: Cold message at least 3 new people with your new template.
Engaging with the posts and stories of other artists will reinforce your genuine interest in them, making them more likely to be interested in you and to support your initiatives.
That’s a lot of information, I know. I can say from experience in my own shoes as an independent musician that all of these steps have helped me book shows, gain listeners, grow my social media following, and build a local (and virtual!) community of musicians that I can lean on and be supported by. Try some of these tips out for yourself and let me know how it goes in the comments section!
