If you are one of those artists who believe they never should pay for interviews, you should reconsider. When a publication interviews you for free, you answer questions that serve the interests of their target market. You do not control the content. I agree that free publicity and fresh internet real estate are all good things. However, there are many advantages to paying a professional to produce a featured interview or post, because you can control the questions, answers and many aspects of promotion. Get Asked the Right Interview Questions First, decide why you want to be interviewed. There are many reasons why artists want to be interviewed and tell their stories. Do you want to be interviewed because you just released a new song or film or book? Are you going on tour? Are you launching a crowdsourcing campaign? Are you looking for management or to beef up your electronic press kit (EPK)? Answering the why not only influences what questions you want to be asked, but also what order you want the interviewer to ask them. People have short attention spans, so make sure the interviewer asks you the most important questions first. Next, decide who you want to target. How you choose to answer your interview questions can vary widely, depending on your target audience. For example, you may want to provide short answers if you are talking to new fans, but go more in-depth if you are talking to die-hard fans. You may want to use different language and behave more professionally if you are answering questions to for potential managers. Because you know the questions you’ll be asked in advance, you can prepare your answers, rehearse for your interview and give your audience a fabulous performance. Take Charge of Interview Promotion...

When Agnieszka Sorycz interviewed me for her Film Marketing Blog, she asked me “What are the most common mistakes made by artists when it comes to promotion?” That really got me thinking about why some artists have wildly successful interviews and posts and why some artists don’t. The answer is simple: The most successful Amused Now posts are those where the artist shares responsibility for promotion with me.  This led me to identify the top 3 promotion mistakes an artist can make and how to avoid them: Mistake #1: Assume Promotion is the Promoter’s Job Through this Amused Now Blog and YouTube channel, I provide a vehicle for artists to share their work, backgrounds and insights. I can promote to my fans, but I am not you and I do not know your fans like you do. Every artist has to take ownership of their promotional activities. The most successful artists today are social media savvy. They have researched the available social media sites, studied the communication nuances of each one, found out where their fans hang out and hang out there too, making connections and building relationships. As an artist, you don’t have to be on every social media site, just the sites where your fans hang out most. Establish a web presence. If you don’t have your own website and don’t want to take on that responsibility, then setup a profile on an established site that fits your image. Fans want a place to go where they can find out more about you, what’s new and about upcoming gigs and public appearances. Keep your site updated and fresh, so fans return on a regular basis. Link your website through social media posts every time you update it. Mistake #2: Assume You Have a Private...