The Independent Artist's Guide to Music PR

TL;DR

DIY music PR requires research, professional presentation, and persistence. Target blogs and publications that cover similar artists, send personalised pitches 3-4 weeks before release, include streaming links and high-res photos, and follow up once. Never spam.

What Music PR Actually Does

Music PR — press and public relations — is the art of getting media coverage for your music. Features in blogs, reviews in publications, interviews on podcasts, playlist coverage, and social media mentions all fall under the PR umbrella.

Professional PR companies charge £300-1500+ per month for campaign management. They have established relationships with journalists, editors, and playlist curators that enable them to secure coverage that would be difficult to achieve independently. For artists with budget, professional PR is often worth the investment.

But for emerging artists without that budget, DIY PR is absolutely viable. You won't have the same access as a professional publicist, but you can secure meaningful coverage through research, professionalism, and persistence. Many successful artists started with DIY PR before graduating to professional representation.

Building Your Media List

The foundation of any PR campaign is a targeted media list — a database of journalists, bloggers, playlist curators, and podcasters who cover music similar to yours.

Start by identifying publications and blogs that have covered artists similar to you. Google is your friend: search for '[similar artist] blog feature' or '[your genre] music blog UK.' Create a spreadsheet of every relevant outlet, including: publication name, editor/journalist name, email address, social media handles, and a note on what they typically cover.

Aim for 50-100 targets. Quality over quantity — 50 targeted, relevant contacts will produce better results than 500 generic ones. Research each contact individually so your pitches can be personalised.

SubmitHub is a useful tool for identifying and contacting music bloggers. For a small fee per submission, you can send your music directly to curators who've opted in to receive submissions. The response rate is typically 10-20%, but it provides access to contacts you might not find independently.

Crafting the Perfect Pitch

Your pitch email is the most important document in your PR campaign. A good pitch respects the journalist's time, communicates clearly, and makes their job easy.

Subject line: [Artist Name] — [Track/Release Name] — [One compelling descriptor]. Example: 'Ash Walker — Midnight Run — dark electronic meets post-punk, out March 15.'

Opening: why you're contacting this specific person. Reference something they've written or featured. 'I really enjoyed your feature on [similar artist] last month — I think you might dig my new single for similar reasons.' One sentence. Not sycophantic, just relevant.

The pitch: 2-3 sentences describing your music and release. Be specific about the sound — 'dark electronic production meets post-punk vocal delivery' is infinitely more useful than 'genre-defying unique music.' Include a brief mention of any notable achievements (streams, press, supports).

Assets: Spotify/SoundCloud link (make it easy to listen), EPK link, high-res photos download link. Everything should be one click away.

Closing: a specific ask. 'I'd love to be considered for a review' or 'would you be interested in premiering this track?' Be clear about what you want.

Timing, Follow-Up, and Managing Expectations

Send pitches 3-4 weeks before your release date. This gives journalists time to listen, consider, and schedule coverage. Too early and they'll forget; too late and they can't plan coverage.

Follow up once, one week after your initial pitch. A brief, polite email: 'Just checking this reached you — happy to provide any additional info.' If you don't hear back after the follow-up, move on. Two follow-ups maximum. Three or more becomes harassment.

Manage expectations realistically. A DIY PR campaign for an emerging artist might secure 5-15 pieces of coverage from a list of 100 targets. That's a good result. Even professional PR campaigns often achieve similar ratios.

Track everything. Note who responds, who features you, and who ignores you. Build relationships with the contacts who engage — they're your future PR allies. Thank everyone who covers you with a personal message.

And remember: PR is cumulative. Your first campaign might secure 3 blog features. Your second might secure 5. Your third, 10. Each piece of coverage makes the next pitch easier because you have a track record to reference. Persistence, professionalism, and patience are the DIY PR triad.