Email Lists for Musicians – Where The Heck To Start!

Did you know that email marketing is the top way to get people to move from being fans to fans who actually buy your music? 
It’s true!
Email marketing has come a long way since the early days of AOL and it is the perfect things for musicians to incorporate into their music strategy. Emails can help you build deep relationships between you and your fans. They can help you launch a new album with massive sales. And they don’t have to be a standard newsletter of tour dates. 
So how the heck do you start if you’ve never thought about having one before? 
Let’s chat about where to start with email marketing, how to get people to sign up, and what to send those new fans.
1. Make signing up for your email list something they want to do AKA give them a free thing! 
People love free shit. Blunt but so true! What we are offering to people is a clear and easy way for them to sign up for our lists by giving them something we know they want (hint: it’s free music). 
This free song is called an opt-in. 
The opt-in should be some of your best work. We want this to be a little taste of more of what you can offer them as future fans. Make sure that this song is current to what you are doing now musically. And, make sure that there is a clear opt-in space on your website, social media profiles, and anywhere else you live online. 
2. Choose your provider
Your emails need a home on the internet, someplace you an watch your list grow!
Mailchimp has a free plan up to 2,000 subscribers. They let you send out 12,000 emails a month on the free plan and have no limit to the number of lists you create. What’s nice is they have email templates based not only around what style of email you’d like to send but also what sort of campaign you’d like to run. Finally, it’s really simple to use. 
Constant Contact is one of the best known in the mail list business. They have a free 60-day trial and don’t require a credit card to get started. After the free trial, it is $20 a month to start. What is great about them are the user-friendly designs and formats, opt-in forms you can place online, and the analytics you get. 
Mad Mimi is one of the smaller companies and I don’t see a lot of talk about them but I think you are missing out if you don’t include them! You can have up to 1,000 subscribers for as little as $12 a month. That is one of the best deals around! Mad Mimi focuses on clean and modern email designs, in depth analytics, and is super (super) user friendly.
3. What the heck to actually say
Okay, so we have our lists made and have people signing up. What should we send them? Here are some basic things to think about:
>> What kind of emails will you send?
>> How often will you send them? 
>> What emotions do you want to evoke in your emails?
>> Will you send newsletters or single topics? 
Protip! I really don’t like it when people send me blog email notifications. There are tools like Feedly and WordPress that let me keep track of when my fav writers update. I don’t think that we need to take up previous space in the inbox with those “go read my blog” emails. 
As to what to actually write about? Here are a few ideas to get you going:
 

Behind the scenes of your latest music video
The story behind writing your song/album/composition
Your biggest mess up in music
Your biggest a-ha moment in music
Your favorite moments on tour
Reaction to fans
Sneak Peeks at your latest songs
Early access to music and videos 

 
But wait! I only have 10 people on my list! Should I send them an email? 
YES!
Those 10 people signed up for your list because they found value in what you had to say. They liked you enough to want a free download of a song to take with them everywhere. They don’t know and don’t care if they are 1 out of 100 or 1 out of 10,000.
They only care about hearing from you, their new favorite musician. 
Finally, don’t leave your subscribers hanging. 
Having your own email list is a responsibility. It doesn’t matter how many you have on your list. They want to hear from you. So don’t stick to sending out the typical newsletters and emails that just have tour dates. 
Give your fans a reason to be excited when they open an email from you. 
Till next time, rock on!
x x x 
Laura has been a working musician for over 10 years writing and recording albums, coaching vocalists, and composing original scores for indie films. After earning her MBA where she specialized in strategy and the entertainment industry, Laura started the Amp Up Your Audience program, where she helps musicians start and grow their music careers. Follow her on Instagram @schneider_music or her site www.LauraSchneiderMusic.com