Live performances present one of the easiest ways to add supporters to your mailing list. The people listening and watching your show are seeing you in action. They will be most likely to support you long-term because there is nothing like an experience. The sights, the smell, the tastes, the feeling, and the sounds all come together to create an experience that ideally will last for a lifetime in their memories.
A smart move for musicians is to capitalize on this right away by offering the audience a way to connect so that they can continue enjoying these experiences in the future. The best way to connect is through a mailing list.
There are many opportunities to collect email addresses at your live show. In this article, we’ll discuss the 3 main ways musicians can collect email addresses at every live performance.
Host a Giveaway
Every person wants to be a winner. The feeling of winning something is like none other. Participating in a giveaway is fun and suspenseful. When you host a giveaway during live performances your audience will most likely participate. You can give away a merchandise item, a free download, or anything that would be of some value to your audience. In order to utilize the giveaway as a means to add people to your mailing list, you’ll need to make email sign-up a requirement to participate. You can create giveaway postcards like the one shown here, or you can have them scan a QR code to fill out a form. Either way, let them know that by joining the giveaway, they will also be added to your mailing list. Sweeten the deal by saying that by signing up, they’ll automatically be a winner because you’ll send them (fill in the blank.) I normally tell them I’ll send them a personalized compilation album…a song they’ll hear at the current show and 3 more of my favorite originals. If anyone has any misgivings, this extra incentive usually wins them over. Make sure to conduct the giveaway right there on the spot so your audience isn’t waiting for days to learn who has won the giveaway. If you’re giving away a merchandise item, show the entire audience what the winner has won. This gives you a chance to plug your merchandise as well.
Put Your Mailing List on Display
A tried and true method for collecting email addresses at live shows is simply setting your mailing list out on your merchandise table. When people come up to check out your merchandise or leave a tip while you are performing, your mailing list should be right there for them to sign up. You could use a sheet of paper on a clipboard or a guest book. I recommend getting an email sign-up book made specifically for musicians. This will help you collect the data points you need to market and promote your music.
I’m With The Band Mailing List Sign up Book for Musicians
If you’re looking for a good book to collect email addresses during live performances, check out “I’m With The Band – Mailing List Sign-up Book for Bands and Musicians.” The book is set up perfectly for musicians to collect first and last names, email addresses, and phone numbers. It even has a spot for people to say something personal to the band or musician. The great thing about this book is that it allows you to keep all of the email addresses you’ve collected together in one place. This way you won’t have to worry about keeping track of different sheets of paper every time you’re gearing up for a show or finishing up one.
A Mailing List Sign-up Book for Bands and Musicians
- Blank fillable section for each mailing list entry
- Space for additional contact information per entry such as phone numbers and city and state
- Additional space per entry for notes and encouraging words to the band
- 150 pages; 8.5×11 size
- Ample entry logs and pages so that you can use this book again and again
Display a QR Code
With the constant advancement of smartphones, the world is literally at our fingertips. As musicians, we can build a similar world of connection with the use of QR codes. QR codes are barcodes that when scanned can take anyone to any place on the internet. If you put your QR code on display, you can direct your audience to sign up to your mailing list and access mailing list perks right away. It’s easy to create a QR code and for the most part, it’s free! There are several free code generators available. All you have to do is grab a link to your mailing list sign-up form and insert it into a QR Code generator. The generator will create a barcode that is scannable by any smartphone. If anyone scans it, they will automatically be taken to your landing page or mailing list sign-up form.
You can display your QR Code on your merchandise table or on a banner. You could also print them out and include them on anything you might be passing out during your show such as business cards, flyers, etc. Make sure to display the code somewhere that is prominent so people can see it. In addition, you’ll want to include a call-to-action somewhere near the code that tells the viewer what to do and why they should do it. For example, right above the code, you could include a phrase such as…
Scan now for a free album download.
The code should then take them to a landing page where you explain more about the freebie and how to get it. Ideally, there’s a place on that landing page where they can sign up for your mailing list.
Related:
+Email Marketing 101 for Musicians
+5 Tricks to Convert Website Visitors to Email Subscribers
+How I Get Subscribers on My Mailing List
+5 Things Musicians Should NOT Do with Their Mailing List
There’s no better time to add people to your mailing list as a performing musician than during a performance! If you are looking for proven ways to collect email addresses during live performances, try these three tried and true methods. You’ll begin to increase your mailing list tribe significantly with people who are truly interested in connecting with you.
3 Proven Ways to Collect Email Addresses At Live Music Shows
15 Practical Ways to Promote Your Music Online for Free
5 Tricks That Convert Visitors to Subscribers on Your Musician Website
Email Marketing for Musicians: Develop and Monetize Your Email List
Email Marketing for Musicians: Start and Grow a Loyal List of Followers
The Musician’s 5 Week Challenge for a Profitable New Year
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Great post! Unfortunately, we have only recently started growing the email list for our band, but I am convinced that THIS is going to be a game changer from the last time we released an album to the next time. Now, there are people who actually ALREADY care to know when it comes out, where, and how they can help. So, thanks for letting others know what we’ve only recently learned. 🙌🏾
Thanks Vox! You’re right. I think you’ll see a significant difference between promoting when you didn’t have a newsletter following and promoting when you do. Best wishes on your upcoming releases!