Ariel Hyatt on Developing Your Brand – Podcast Episode #24
In episode #24 of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast Ariel Hyatt from Cyber PR joins us to discuss the impact that a well developed brand can have on your music career.
Because without a well developed brand… the marketing just isn’t going to work.
In this interview Ariel lays out a few simple steps that any artist can take to uncover what she calls your “nugget” and be on your way to developing a cohesive and EFFECTIVE brand.
To listen to the interview just go to iTunes >> Search “Music Marketing Manifesto” >> and subscribe. The episode should start to download immediately. You can also click here to find the MMM podcast on iTunes.
You can also listen (or download) right here on the site. Just click the play/download button below. (Note*** For more player controls please listen in iTunes)
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In the interview Ariel references a checklist that she has provided to help with the exercises she lays out during our conversation. You can find that here.
I want to be sure an extend a big thank you to Ariel for taking the time to join us on this episode and for giving us such valuable information about branding. It’s an often overlooked, but crucially important, part of any successful music career.
If you enjoy this episode then please do me a favor and go to iTunes, click “subscribe”, and leave a review. Those ratings and reviews are vital to the success of the podcast. Your help will be greatly appreciated.
And as always, please leave any thoughts, opinions, or feedback in the comments below.
Just a heads up, her link collects your email, but doesn’t provide the download. I am sure it’s not malicious, but no email came so the site may be inactive.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the update. I just looked at the link myself. I’m wondering if you may have confused here newsletter sign up with the comment box. The comment box also asks for name and email before posting and can be mistaken.
If you think you did fill out the form to get onto Ariel’s newsletter, it is possible that the email is going to your junk folder, or something like a ‘promotions’ folder, similar to gmail.
Let me know if I can ever help with anything else.
Hey John, I know I’m way behind the loop on this but saved it on my computer until I had time to give it a good listen, great stuff as usual, thank you very much!
Hi Dan,
No worries. I’m glad you got around to it and found it to be helpful.
Let me know if I can ever help with anything else.
I really enjoyed this and I can honestly use what has been said here that woman is awesome and I need to work on my brand I realize. Ive been doing music for years and am starting to realize how to market myself more professionally along with your help my friends thank you for everything you are doing here really
Hi Anthony,
Great! I really appreciate you checking out the podcast and I’m glad that the interview with Ariel seems to resonate with you.
Let me know if I can ever help with anything else.
John l got a lot of insight n great ideas for marketing myself n my works l am small with big dreams thanks
Hi David,
Great! I really appreciate you taking the time to check out the video.
Let me know if I can ever help with anything else.
I like this episode but felt turned off when Ariel started talking about artists who do a show every month for 5 years and only 20 people come. I felt she was putting down artists who in her eyes aren’t like Imagine Dragons. The truth is, Norah Jones did shows for many years before she became famous and only had 20 people in the audience. I know her first drummer and he would tell me stories about it. So Ariel seemed very discouraging during that segment of the interview. What I like about you John is you believe any artist, no matter how big their turnout at a show is – can sell albums. 🙂
Hey Fran,
Thanks for the feedback. I can understand and appreciate where you are coming from.
While I can’t put words in Ariel’s mouth, my take on the comment was simply that there are artists out there that don’t have a well enough developed brand to ultimately connect with any audience. I personally would agree with that. There are times when the marketing just doesn’t work, because the presentation isn’t strong enough. I think the issue does require a little tough love, as there are many artists that have the talent, but have not distilled it into something that connects with any given audience. Frankly, there are also artists that are just not disciplined enough to develop their talent to a professional level. But that doesn’t mean that with the right focus and hard work, any career can’t be turned around.
I know that ultimately Ariel is a huge advocate of independent artists and I think the comment was just part of a very nuanced conversation about branding, rather than a dismissal of artists who are not able to draw people to live shows.
Thanks again for listening, and for the feedback.
A great episode, I really enjoyed listening to Ariel’s approach for branding
and learning about social media tune up.Really helpful.On another note, first time I remember – about 2 years back – checking John’s bio on Wikipedia, I really admired his comeback in the industry.I am glad he briefly touched on it.More insightful episodes please.
Hi Ali,
Thanks for your interest. Yes, I do feel that much of my story is relevant to people, due to the combination of being someone who was both signed to a rather large major deal, only to not see records sales as a result, but also due to my extensive and growing background as an successful online marketer.
Please let me know if I can ever help with anything.
Hey John,
Love your work! Buy all your products as your teaching style is excellent.
Previously being signed to a major. I think a artist money would be better spent applying it to the strategies you teach by far.
I respect Ariel uses new media to get exposure for the artist and not taking artist money by trying to get exposure from old school traditional media outlets,radio and TV.
But she lost me when she started talking about branding and the artist she referenced. Especially when talking about John Mayer for example. How he catered his artwork to the blogs etc..to get placed.
In my opinion this sounds very old school. And a philosophy a novice would buy into. Doing what everyone else is doing is major label strategy.
Not the strategy of those who follow MMM.
Spending money owning your data(Funnel)and marketing to those that would like your brand is the way to go!Again in my opinion.
If I had 5,000 dollars i wouldn’t even think about using it on a publicist unless i was touring.
Thanks
Hey Sean,
I appreciate the kind words and your support of what I do.
Regarding Ariel’s comments, while I don’t want to put words her mouth, my take on the conversation is not that she is suggesting that one engage in branding strategies INSTEAD of marketing, but rather she is trying to lay out a few ways that artists can distill their brand so that the marketing is effective. I personally thought the John Mayer examples made for a great visualization of how an artist might approach making sure that all of their public facing elements are cohesive. A cohesive brand is quite important, if the funnel is going to work (as I’m sure you’d agree). And I felt that the conversation was a healthy one about how one can develop the brand (a confusing subject for many) rather than any specific push or focus on PR.
Regarding PR in general, I don’t think it’s better or worse than a direct to fan funnel, it’s just a different tool, to be used in different instances and for different reasons than marketing. I think the problem is that many artists have an old school view of PR and believe that hiring a PR agent in itself is going to somehow make them successful, which, as both of us pointed out is not really the case.
Is that fair?
Totally loving this episode, John! Thanks!
Thanks Charley. Gave you a bit of a shout out at the end of today’s coaching call by the way. Congrats on your current Billboard chart position.
I caught that! Thank you! ?
Wonderful work!
Thanks Monty!
So important in this age of disruptive technology beginning with napster!
In this age of competition for free time in lieu of seeing live music, short branding is key. We get all our gigs via gigmasters and a few relationships with promoters.
Thanks James. Glad to hear the topic is resonating with you 🙂
Thanks for another great episode John. Would love to get them more often. The MMM podcast is my favorite music biz podcast. Keep’m coming 🙂
Thanks Sarah! Working on a plan to get a LOT more episodes out much more often. News about that as soon as I have the details worked out.