A step-by-step guide to help you pre-prepare, launch, &

keep the momentum going for your new release

This is a companion checksheet to our 3-part series The

Musician’s Guide to Marketing Plans, our most popular blog
series in the history of Cyber PR

Cyber PR prepares custom long-term marketing plans

which we call Musician’s Total Tuneups. They are
designed specifically with your long and short-term
goals in mind, and over 100 pages long. To read more about
the Total Tuneup process, please visit bit.ly/totaltuneup
PART 1
RAMPING UP FOR RELEASE
Distribution - Read: Musicians Guide to Soundcloud & Spotify

□ Single (or multiple singles) selected

□ Killer single and album artwork created
□ Sent information to CD Baby or Tunecore with single schedule
□ Spotify Artist App Downloaded & verification in process
□ Spotify presave campaign ready
□ Playlist created on Spotify
□ SoundCloud
□ Bandcamp
□ Pandora submission
□ Signed up to Sound Exchange

Website - Read: Musicians Guide to Creating a Website

□ URL is matching all socials

□ Branding is on point
□ Your website is in your control and you can edit it
□ Your Signature Story rocks
□ Photos
□ Social links with icons easily found
□ Newsletter sign up with amazing bribe
□ Gigs - you have signed up to BandsInTown & SongKick
□ News section or blog
□ Contact info is easy to find
Social Media - Read: Inside a Social Media Management Campaign

□ You know how to design your own tiles to post

□ Branding is consistent
□ Content calendar in play - Download SMM Calendar
□ Facebook Page - posting 3-4x per week/paid boosting 2x per month
□ Instagram - posting 3-4x per week
□ Twitter - posting 3-4x a day
□ YouTube - post consistently
□ News or blog
□ Make sure you are interacting and responding to fans

Newsletter - Read: Newsletter Best Practies

□ You have one CTA per newsletter

□ Clipboards are purchased for gathering e-mails at live shows
□ You have a system for DM on all socials to build mailing list regularly
□ Check your open rates and adjust strategy frequently
□ Make separate lists for certain areas (cities you play)
□ Newsletter brainstorming session

Press - Read: Ultimate Guide to Music Publicity

□ Professional bio
□ Mini-bio is written to send to press (pitch)
□ Captivating promo photos (in right shapes and sizes)
□ You have a PR strategy outlined - either DIY or a team onboard
□ Album/single artwork available on your site for press to download
□ SoundCloud Page is pimped out for the press
□ Spotify Page is perfect for the press with updated bio
□ BandsInTown & SongKick & Facebook Events all updated for live shows
□ If applicable you understand how premieres work
□ When you get press you thank the writer and tag them on socials
□ You visualize your press to show it off on socials
□ You add press articles or clips to your press page on your website
PART 2
ORDERING THE CHAOS
Read: Time Management for Musicians
Two Months - Twelve Weeks Before Release

□ Your calendar is outlined with all the steps for your release
□ Artwork is ready and looks amazing
□ Copyrights are secured
□ Registered for ASCAP, BMI or SESAC
□ Facebook Like campaign to get more followers to your page
□ Round up as many fans onto your newsletter list as possible
□ If applicable, use Pledge Music for a prerelease campaign
□ Your presave campaign is in order

One Month - Six Weeks Before Release

□ Skin all socials announcing the date

□ Prepare countdown tiles and images
□ Make mini video announcing your release
□ Make GIFs to post
□ Release single(s)
□ Announce a release event - Live show or listening party
□ Press campaign begins
□ Start presale campaign

Two Weeks Before Release

□ Daily posting on socials

□ Double check everything is in order and nothing is out of whack
□ Prepare social media skins for “out now” banners
□ Prepare personal emails (for friends & VIPs who don’t open your newsletter)

Release Day

□ Reskin all socials

□ Create updates on all socials with “out now” and pin to top
□ Create a killer Instagram Story (4-6 graphics to post throughout the day)
□ Create a Facebook Story
□ Send newsletter
□ If you have a solid Facebook following do a live listening party
PART 3
THE ONGOING WORK
Release New Content Consistently - Read: Can You Eat? Then You can Post!
□ Covers
□ Remixes
□ Alternate versions or tracks
□ Live show footage
□ Collaborations with artists you love
□ Create & release a great lyric video

Merchandise - Read: 5 Super Simple Steps That Will Make You Money At Your Next Show

□ Survey your fans to see what kind of cool merch they may want
□ Experiment with merch on demand so you are not out of a lot of money
□ Only when you have proof that people might buy, then place merch
□ Create a great sticker to give away at shows as a bribe for getting
on the mailing list

Making Money - Read: Our 3 Part Series on this!

□ Explore Patreon - is it right for you? Study what’s working on the platform
for others and see if it resonates
□ Create a very special VIP event and sell tickets
□ Do a call out to your newsletter that you do private events
□ Explore film & TV licensing
□ Consider Crowdfunding for your next project - a full 30-day campaign
□ Treat yourself to a conference and go learn and network
Want A Custom Plan Built Just For You?
A Total Tuneup is a unique offering in the current lineup of what is available to
musicians from service-based agencies. It is designed to function as your true
artist development plan. It is based on thousands of hours of practicing
marketing and PR coupled with interactions with teams - artists who had really
brilliant strategists with deep understanding of all of the moving parts. Record
labels, managers, and some well-heeled marketers possess this kind of
knowledge and that is who I have teamed up with - some of the best and
brightest colleagues I've ever had the privilege of working with know and this is
who will collaborate create and deliver your Total Tuneup.

They come from my 20+ years of working with artists and observing which ones build
sustainable careers vs. which ones burn out due to lack of planning, lack of funds and
the fact that all of the steps necessary were just not known to them. Therefore they
didn't take the actions needed, got overwhelmed and burned out.

Want to know more about our Total Tuneups?

Click to read a full overview of what it is and how it works.