A PR campaign for an album or single typically lasts between 3-5 months on average. If a band runs a shorter campaign, they often miss out on valuable opportunities. This is because print magazines and larger websites require longer lead times to review an album. Much of this time is necessary to “cut through the noise” and ensure that journalists are even aware the album is available for review.
To make the most of this lead time, it’s crucial for a band to release content that supports their PR campaign. Without content, journalists have little reason to cover the band before the album is released, which can result in a campaign that feels “dead” due to minimal press coverage.
Here are some effective ways to keep your PR campaign active:
- Release multiple singles. For a 5-month campaign, release 4-5 singles. For a 4-month campaign, aim for 4 singles. This allows you to send a press release for each song, giving your publicist the opportunity to request coverage from journalists. This also increases the chance that journalists will check out your music and decide to listen to the full album or EP if they like what they hear. Singles should be released every 4-6 weeks during the campaign.
- Release playthrough videos. Post these 2 weeks after each single release. Fans enjoy professionally filmed playthrough videos, and they can attract additional media attention when paired with a press release.
- Strategically announce tour news. There are two ways to time tour announcements during an album release cycle: alongside a single release or between singles. If you don’t have many singles to release, announcing your tour between releases can be a good way to maintain press coverage.
- Share your reviews, interviews *and* news posts. Anytime a media outlet posts a review, interview, or posts about your single, make sure you share it on your socials. It doesn’t have to be a feed post on your Instagram, but it should be shared. Make sure you tag the site as well and have each of your band members share it too. Each time you share your media coverage is another chance for more people to find out about you.
- Make sure you are active on your social mediums. Post *at least* once a week and preferably daily on your social mediums. If you have the time, make sure you’re posting to TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Twitter. If you don’t have the time, pick one or two to focus on. Also, make sure you are posting quality content. Consistency is important, but posting low quality to keep up consistency, tends to harm, rather than help long-term.
In short, when planning a PR campaign, make sure to maximize it with a strategic schedule of singles, playthrough videos, social media posts and announcements. This will help ensure a steady flow of media attention, keeping the campaign dynamic rather than front-loading all the press coverage at the end.