Transcript auto-generated by Apple Podcasts

00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:03.580
ROBONZO: This episode of The Unstarving Musician is powered by Liner Notes.

00:00:03.920 –> 00:00:14.360
ROBONZO: Learn from the hundreds of musicians and industry professionals I’ve spoken with for The Unstarving Musician on topics such as marketing, songwriting, touring, sync licensing, and much more.

00:00:14.600 –> 00:00:17.520
ROBONZO: Sign up for linernotes at unstarvingmusician.com.

00:00:17.800 –> 00:00:26.720
ROBONZO: It’s an email newsletter from yours truly in which I share some of the best knowledge gems garnered from the many conversations featured on The Unstarving Musician.

00:00:26.980 –> 00:00:32.620
ROBONZO: You’ll also be privy to the latest podcast episodes and liner notes subscriber exclusives.

00:00:32.860 –> 00:00:35.300
ROBONZO: Sign up at unstarvingmusician.com.

00:00:35.420 –> 00:00:38.100
ROBONZO: It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.

00:00:39.540 –> 00:00:41.180
ROBONZO: This is The Unstarving Musician.

00:00:41.560 –> 00:00:42.380
ROBONZO: I’m Robonzo.

00:00:42.620 –> 00:00:43.700
ROBONZO: This is my podcast.

00:00:44.040 –> 00:00:51.000
ROBONZO: It features conversations with independent music artists and industry professionals with occasional special topic episodes featuring yours truly.

00:00:51.380 –> 00:01:02.840
ROBONZO: A glimpse into the minds of my varied guests, all intended to help independent music artists better understand the marketing, business and creative processes that empower us to do more of what we love, make music.

00:01:04.820 –> 00:01:06.500
ROBONZO: Welcome to another episode.

00:01:06.840 –> 00:01:07.540
ROBONZO: How are you?

00:01:08.060 –> 00:01:09.020
ROBONZO: Where are you?

00:01:09.540 –> 00:01:11.580
ROBONZO: And yes, what are you wearing?

00:01:12.480 –> 00:01:15.520
ROBONZO: These are the things I continue to be curious about.

00:01:16.700 –> 00:01:17.860
ROBONZO: I hope you’re doing great today.

00:01:19.400 –> 00:01:24.120
ROBONZO: A bit of housekeeping in the form of an announcement to kick things off here.

00:01:25.280 –> 00:01:33.440
ROBONZO: As The Unstarving Musician podcast got closer and closer to 300 episodes, I have decided to make episode 300 the final episode.

00:01:34.520 –> 00:01:38.020
ROBONZO: This is one of four final episodes that you’re listening to now.

00:01:38.880 –> 00:01:42.000
ROBONZO: They will be, all four of the last ones will be solo episodes.

00:01:42.020 –> 00:01:43.740
ROBONZO: That means just me, no interviews.

00:01:44.220 –> 00:01:50.760
ROBONZO: And I’ll be discussing topics I’ve written about for Liner Notes subscribers, which I hope you will enjoy and benefit from.

00:01:52.360 –> 00:01:54.800
ROBONZO: The podcast has been life changing for me.

00:01:54.800 –> 00:02:04.580
ROBONZO: It’s afforded me the opportunity to speak with and learn from hundreds of talented and inspiring musicians and music industry professionals.

00:02:05.480 –> 00:02:14.500
ROBONZO: My decision to stop producing new episodes is purely a time thing because I’m ready to focus on other projects, including my own music and musicianship.

00:02:16.320 –> 00:02:21.820
ROBONZO: But fear not, the Liner Notes newsletter and The Unstarving Musician blog will continue.

00:02:23.100 –> 00:02:33.020
ROBONZO: If you have not yet signed up for Liner Notes, you can do so at unstarvingmusician.com forward slash linernotes or at unstarvingmusician.com for that matter.

00:02:34.820 –> 00:02:45.020
ROBONZO: And I have a lot of ideas for new ways of sharing all the knowledge I’ve garnered from the many interviews conducted for the podcast, so there will be more coming and more on that soon.

00:02:48.880 –> 00:02:52.200
ROBONZO: So yes, this is one of the final four.

00:02:53.020 –> 00:02:54.860
ROBONZO: Just me, so no more interviews, like I said.

00:02:55.340 –> 00:02:57.640
ROBONZO: So please enjoy this conversation with just me.

00:02:58.460 –> 00:02:58.980
ROBONZO: Just kidding.

00:02:59.340 –> 00:03:02.580
ROBONZO: So the topic I’m going to talk about with you today is near and dear to my heart.

00:03:03.200 –> 00:03:07.900
ROBONZO: It is leveraging your email list and hopefully have one.

00:03:09.200 –> 00:03:16.380
ROBONZO: Once you have started building your email list, you want and need to leverage it by sending regular emails to your subscribers.

00:03:16.520 –> 00:03:19.380
ROBONZO: These are your supporters, your fans, after all.

00:03:20.540 –> 00:03:24.820
ROBONZO: Start by considering how often you’d like to email your subscribers.

00:03:26.380 –> 00:03:31.260
ROBONZO: In my experience, this can be one of the most challenging commitments when it comes to email.

00:03:31.280 –> 00:03:32.280
ROBONZO: So think about it carefully.

00:03:33.680 –> 00:03:38.520
ROBONZO: You can choose the frequency or you can change the frequency, I mean, to say, if you over commit it first.

00:03:38.540 –> 00:03:42.160
ROBONZO: So maybe you thought you’d do it twice a week or once a week and it’s like, oh, that’s too much.

00:03:43.020 –> 00:03:45.300
ROBONZO: Dial it back, but start somewhere.

00:03:46.060 –> 00:03:54.680
ROBONZO: But know this, your subscribers will lose interest in you and possibly even forget about you if your emails are too irregular or too infrequent.

00:03:54.700 –> 00:04:00.400
ROBONZO: So that is why you want to get them on a regular basis, communicate with them on a regular basis.

00:04:02.320 –> 00:04:05.340
ROBONZO: Next, planning ahead is your friend.

00:04:05.700 –> 00:04:15.480
ROBONZO: So plan ahead so that you’re not at a loss for what to write about each week or each every couple of weeks, however often you decide to write.

00:04:17.060 –> 00:04:23.240
ROBONZO: And the best planning tool is a simple spreadsheet in the form of an editorial content calendar.

00:04:23.260 –> 00:04:39.740
ROBONZO: Now, if you’re not familiar with what an editorial calendar is, it is basically a planning tool for planning creation, publication and promotion of your content across different media channels such as blogs, social media, podcasts, and email newsletters.

00:04:42.000 –> 00:04:49.800
ROBONZO: You can use your editorial calendar to capture ideas for upcoming emails and as a way to schedule emails in like a logical order.

00:04:50.700 –> 00:05:09.240
ROBONZO: My suggestion is if you’re a songwriter, you know all about doing this, but keep a notepad or keep your phone notes, whatever voice recorder handy so when you come up with a good email topic idea just like you might with a song idea or any reminder, you can capture it right then and then you can put it on your content calendar later.

00:05:10.040 –> 00:05:15.880
ROBONZO: I’m going to give you a link in the show notes for this episode for a very simple template that I use.

00:05:16.440 –> 00:05:22.280
ROBONZO: It comes from a more sophisticated template, which I can also share if you contact me, but this one’s pretty simple.

00:05:22.640 –> 00:05:23.680
ROBONZO: You can use it if you like.

00:05:23.700 –> 00:05:32.860
ROBONZO: You can customize it, but it’s just for you in case you need a little more familiarity with a content calendar and how I use it.

00:05:35.080 –> 00:05:55.600
ROBONZO: If you want the more complicated, not in a bad way complicated, but more complex, sophisticated, that’s a better word, a more sophisticated email template if you’re interested in seeing that, I have one that I actually got from a podcast course through Pat Flynn, who’s the creator of Smart Passive Income.

00:05:56.140 –> 00:05:57.260
ROBONZO: And it’s really cool.

00:05:57.580 –> 00:06:01.440
ROBONZO: It was a bit much for me, though, so I just, man, I distilled it down to like three sheets, I think.

00:06:01.460 –> 00:06:03.800
ROBONZO: But it’s a cool template.

00:06:03.820 –> 00:06:05.220
ROBONZO: I think it works well for some people.

00:06:05.540 –> 00:06:07.180
ROBONZO: So you can contact me if you want that one.

00:06:07.200 –> 00:06:13.820
ROBONZO: Again, I’ll leave a link in the show notes for this episode for a very simple format content calendar so you can have something to plan with.

00:06:15.440 –> 00:06:33.180
ROBONZO: As an independent musician, there are many things you can write about on a recurring basis, including current projects, upcoming shows, merchandise for sale, sneak previews, music videos, crowdfunding and all kinds of other things.

00:06:33.320 –> 00:06:38.100
ROBONZO: Just the themes, the topics are limitless, really.

00:06:39.500 –> 00:06:47.500
ROBONZO: And touching on the anatomy of an email, I recommend you start your emails with something personal.

00:06:47.940 –> 00:06:53.680
ROBONZO: And it doesn’t mean you have to share your deepest, darkest secrets, although maybe some people would be into that.

00:06:53.700 –> 00:06:54.740
ROBONZO: But you don’t have to do that.

00:06:55.600 –> 00:06:59.740
ROBONZO: You can share things you’ve been thinking about or something fun that happened recently.

00:07:00.760 –> 00:07:05.560
ROBONZO: You can be as personal as you like, but the best stuff to share is insider stuff.

00:07:05.680 –> 00:07:08.400
ROBONZO: And your insiders are your email subscribers.

00:07:08.880 –> 00:07:11.520
ROBONZO: So think of exclusive things you can share with them.

00:07:11.540 –> 00:07:14.760
ROBONZO: And believe it or not, people will like some of the personal stuff.

00:07:14.780 –> 00:07:16.700
ROBONZO: So you can get as personal as you want.

00:07:16.740 –> 00:07:21.480
ROBONZO: I kind of dial it back a little bit, but occasionally I tell subscribers some pretty personal things.

00:07:23.060 –> 00:07:29.720
ROBONZO: You know, people sign up for your email list to stay in the know, so to speak, and to learn more about you as an artist and a person.

00:07:30.460 –> 00:07:36.380
ROBONZO: It doesn’t really even matter if you’re making music or you’re doing some other form of art or content creation.

00:07:36.400 –> 00:07:37.200
ROBONZO: This is the way it is.

00:07:39.060 –> 00:07:44.380
ROBONZO: By sharing this way, subscribers will be more inclined to appreciate and enjoy your emails.

00:07:45.740 –> 00:07:51.440
ROBONZO: If you’re not much of a writer, though, just use the short format that covers any of the items I’ve mentioned above.

00:07:51.460 –> 00:07:56.940
ROBONZO: You can even, in fact, I highly recommend you just sort of come up with a format.

00:07:57.760 –> 00:07:59.180
ROBONZO: Start with something personal.

00:08:00.600 –> 00:08:07.340
ROBONZO: Maybe continue with something you’re working on or something you read, something that inspired you.

00:08:08.120 –> 00:08:10.480
ROBONZO: And then tell them about your upcoming shows.

00:08:10.500 –> 00:08:12.400
ROBONZO: That’s one example of a template you could use.

00:08:13.580 –> 00:08:19.400
ROBONZO: I usually when I, The Unstarving Musician, Liner Notes email has a pretty specific format.

00:08:19.420 –> 00:08:24.160
ROBONZO: I dive into some topic that I hope you’ll find very interesting and helpful.

00:08:25.720 –> 00:08:30.060
ROBONZO: The podcast emails that go out talk specifically about new episodes that are out.

00:08:30.400 –> 00:08:32.260
ROBONZO: They both have very clear formats.

00:08:33.880 –> 00:08:36.840
ROBONZO: The my music artist related emails.

00:08:37.740 –> 00:08:42.940
ROBONZO: I’m still working on that format, but for the most part, I just share something new that I’ve done.

00:08:43.480 –> 00:08:50.160
ROBONZO: Lately, it’s been like videos that I’m making, like promotional reels for some project or other I’m working on.

00:08:51.200 –> 00:08:56.720
ROBONZO: When I finally write another song, I’ll have a whole myriad of things to talk about and share with them.

00:08:58.520 –> 00:09:07.180
ROBONZO: So yeah, just and look at what other sign up for somebody else’s email list if you’re not already on one and see what they write to you as a musician, if that’s what you do.

00:09:09.080 –> 00:09:11.600
ROBONZO: And okay, so how is all of this going to help you?

00:09:12.400 –> 00:09:17.400
ROBONZO: Your email list subscribers are among the most likely to spend money on your music and merch.

00:09:17.920 –> 00:09:21.980
ROBONZO: They are your supporters after all, they sign up for a reason because they want to support your art.

00:09:22.540 –> 00:09:27.740
ROBONZO: They’re also among the most likely to be interested in attending a show or hosting a house concert.

00:09:28.600 –> 00:09:29.360
ROBONZO: And why is that?

00:09:29.520 –> 00:09:31.180
ROBONZO: Like I said, they are your supporters.

00:09:31.760 –> 00:09:34.960
ROBONZO: They’ve trusted you with their email address, so give them what they want.

00:09:35.620 –> 00:09:36.380
ROBONZO: Give them the goods.

00:09:37.740 –> 00:09:42.200
ROBONZO: So after your opener, share something you’re working on, like I said, let them know about upcoming shows.

00:09:42.220 –> 00:09:43.380
ROBONZO: Gosh, I already said that, didn’t I?

00:09:45.320 –> 00:09:47.100
ROBONZO: But these are good things that you can share with them.

00:09:47.720 –> 00:09:51.400
ROBONZO: Give them a little something when you have something to give.

00:09:51.400 –> 00:09:58.720
ROBONZO: Maybe a subscriber exclusive video or demo, some exclusive photos of you or handwritten lyrics.

00:09:59.280 –> 00:10:08.460
ROBONZO: Maybe you’d like to do like a drawing for some exclusive bit of art or for a house show like an exclusive performance online or in person.

00:10:08.480 –> 00:10:09.240
ROBONZO: So get creative.

00:10:09.580 –> 00:10:10.340
ROBONZO: You can think of stuff.

00:10:11.480 –> 00:10:17.440
ROBONZO: You can create deeper connections with an email list and with an email service like ConvertKit.

00:10:17.460 –> 00:10:18.700
ROBONZO: I love ConvertKit.

00:10:18.940 –> 00:10:22.580
ROBONZO: I’ve been using them for a long time.

00:10:22.720 –> 00:10:24.000
ROBONZO: I’m even an affiliate.

00:10:24.020 –> 00:10:26.420
ROBONZO: So I’m going to tell you a couple of things about ConvertKit.

00:10:27.040 –> 00:10:31.900
ROBONZO: I’ll leave a link in the show notes where you can create your own free account with ConvertKit.

00:10:33.260 –> 00:10:46.840
ROBONZO: And because I’m an affiliate, if you use that link and convert someday to a paid account, they will pay me a small commission, which is a great way to support The Unstarving Musician and me.

00:10:47.360 –> 00:10:48.260
ROBONZO: But you don’t have to do that.

00:10:48.460 –> 00:10:50.580
ROBONZO: And if you do, it won’t cost you anything, so don’t worry about that.

00:10:51.440 –> 00:10:54.120
ROBONZO: All right, so creating a deeper connection.

00:10:54.320 –> 00:10:57.920
ROBONZO: Start by not renting your audience.

00:10:58.320 –> 00:11:00.960
ROBONZO: That’s basically what you do when you limit it to social media.

00:11:01.280 –> 00:11:08.080
ROBONZO: Social media is very important, but if that’s the only thing you’re doing to communicate with your fan base, you are truly renting your audience and your fans.

00:11:08.460 –> 00:11:09.260
ROBONZO: You can own it.

00:11:09.320 –> 00:11:10.620
ROBONZO: You can own an email list.

00:11:10.840 –> 00:11:14.900
ROBONZO: That’s yours, and it really is by permission.

00:11:16.000 –> 00:11:16.960
ROBONZO: It’s the best way to go.

00:11:17.900 –> 00:11:29.100
ROBONZO: You can create a deeper connection with your fans by reaching them directly in their inbox with personalized updates that turn casual listeners into super fans and no algorithms getting in the way.

00:11:29.120 –> 00:11:31.860
ROBONZO: Let’s face it, social media posts are fleeting.

00:11:32.800 –> 00:11:35.980
ROBONZO: And I know some people say, email is the old way.

00:11:35.980 –> 00:11:37.240
ROBONZO: Nobody reads email.

00:11:37.720 –> 00:11:38.560
ROBONZO: That’s not true.

00:11:40.000 –> 00:11:40.840
ROBONZO: It is an old way.

00:11:40.940 –> 00:11:42.080
ROBONZO: It’s been around for a long time.

00:11:42.220 –> 00:11:50.320
ROBONZO: But people still have email, and people who sign up for your email want to get them, and they will always get them.

00:11:51.620 –> 00:12:00.400
ROBONZO: The stronger the connection with your fans, the more control you have over how you earn a living with your music, and there’s no stronger way to do that than with an email list.

00:12:00.400 –> 00:12:04.720
ROBONZO: So I’m trying to encourage you here to do this, to do these things I talked to you about today.

00:12:05.460 –> 00:12:08.680
ROBONZO: So ConvertKit is basically audience-building software.

00:12:08.700 –> 00:12:13.920
ROBONZO: They can help you grow your fan base and connect with those fans and earn a living with your music, like I said.

00:12:14.440 –> 00:12:18.040
ROBONZO: So you can create a free account today at convertkit.com.

00:12:18.060 –> 00:12:20.000
ROBONZO: You can use the link that’s in the show notes if you want.

00:12:20.540 –> 00:12:23.360
ROBONZO: I would appreciate it, but I appreciate you anyway.

00:12:25.760 –> 00:12:35.200
ROBONZO: And another thing about ConvertKit I really wanted to tell you, and the reason I mentioned them is because in the last year, they created a, what do they call it?

00:12:35.520 –> 00:12:38.320
ROBONZO: Creators Community, that’s not right, Creator Network.

00:12:38.640 –> 00:12:40.140
ROBONZO: I think they call it the Creator Network.

00:12:41.180 –> 00:12:47.360
ROBONZO: It is people like me and others who are creating stuff and using ConvertKit.

00:12:48.240 –> 00:12:53.940
ROBONZO: And it’s a little ecosystem they have of people who are interested in seeing what other creators are doing.

00:12:54.260 –> 00:12:56.040
ROBONZO: Some of those people, in my case, are musicians.

00:12:56.800 –> 00:13:00.020
ROBONZO: And I’ve had a lot of new signups through this new Creator Network.

00:13:00.420 –> 00:13:01.920
ROBONZO: So I think it’s a real cool bonus.

00:13:03.080 –> 00:13:06.440
ROBONZO: I just referred a friend to them and she’s really digging it.

00:13:06.460 –> 00:13:08.560
ROBONZO: And she hasn’t even gotten to the whole Creator Network thing.

00:13:08.660 –> 00:13:14.600
ROBONZO: Now, by the way, it’s been huge for me in recent months in increasing my subscriber numbers.

00:13:15.000 –> 00:13:17.440
ROBONZO: But there’s no guarantee it will be that way for you.

00:13:17.460 –> 00:13:18.900
ROBONZO: I don’t think it’s that way for everyone.

00:13:18.920 –> 00:13:23.600
ROBONZO: But the trick is to just keep creating content, keep sending emails.

00:13:24.220 –> 00:13:30.780
ROBONZO: I send one a week because I’ve been doing weekly episodes, but I send one every other week in the form of Liner Notes.

00:13:31.480 –> 00:13:34.920
ROBONZO: And then occasionally I send one for my personal music-related projects.

00:13:35.640 –> 00:13:38.020
ROBONZO: Yeah, but I think that’s really the key.

00:13:38.040 –> 00:13:38.780
ROBONZO: Keep working at it.

00:13:38.800 –> 00:13:45.360
ROBONZO: Keep trying to create quality, informative, fun, interesting emails.

00:13:45.680 –> 00:13:47.780
ROBONZO: And you too can grow your list that way.

00:13:48.080 –> 00:13:49.200
ROBONZO: But you want to do other things.

00:13:49.600 –> 00:13:50.700
ROBONZO: And I guess I’ll mention those here.

00:13:50.720 –> 00:13:54.320
ROBONZO: I mean, you heard me talk about Liner Notes at the top of this episode.

00:13:54.680 –> 00:13:57.520
ROBONZO: That is because I want people to sign up for Liner Notes.

00:13:58.700 –> 00:14:02.300
ROBONZO: You can mention it on socials, obviously, tell everyone you know.

00:14:02.320 –> 00:14:10.780
ROBONZO: And if you have questions about ConvertKit or if you haven’t started your email list yet, feel free to contact me.

00:14:10.860 –> 00:14:14.960
ROBONZO: You can find my contact info on socials.

00:14:15.080 –> 00:14:16.240
ROBONZO: I’ve got one of those forms.

00:14:16.260 –> 00:14:17.520
ROBONZO: I think my email’s there.

00:14:17.740 –> 00:14:18.600
ROBONZO: You can text me.

00:14:20.400 –> 00:14:22.960
ROBONZO: I’m happy to answer questions about getting started.

00:14:23.320 –> 00:14:26.860
ROBONZO: I’m happy to answer questions about ConvertKit, so feel free.

00:14:27.780 –> 00:14:28.180
ROBONZO: All right.

00:14:28.940 –> 00:14:31.640
ROBONZO: Best of luck with leveraging your email list.

00:14:32.000 –> 00:14:32.980
ROBONZO: I know you can do this.

00:14:33.820 –> 00:14:34.700
ROBONZO: And thanks for listening.

00:14:37.380 –> 00:14:40.720
ROBONZO: If you do not yet have a website for your music, check out Bandzoogle.

00:14:41.000 –> 00:14:46.500
ROBONZO: It was created to help musicians and bands build a website and manage direct-to-fan marketing and sales.

00:14:46.940 –> 00:14:55.460
ROBONZO: Bandzoogle has amazing design options, a commission-free store to sell music, merch, tickets and more, plus tools that can capture detailed fan data for you.

00:14:55.740 –> 00:14:57.780
ROBONZO: Try it free at bandzoogle.com.

00:14:57.960 –> 00:15:03.420
ROBONZO: Use the promo code Robonzo, R-O-B-O-N-Z-O, to get 15% off your first year.

00:15:04.120 –> 00:15:05.100
ROBONZO: Thank you for listening.

00:15:05.280 –> 00:15:11.640
ROBONZO: You can leave us feedback, questions, comments, complaints at unstarvingmusician.com forward slash feedback.

00:15:12.020 –> 00:15:18.340
ROBONZO: If you enjoyed this podcast, please follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

00:15:19.020 –> 00:15:27.360
ROBONZO: If you love this podcast, please visit unstarvingmusician.com forward slash crowd sponsor to learn about the many ways of showing your love and support.

00:15:27.660 –> 00:15:30.460
ROBONZO: Your support does indeed equal love.

00:15:30.980 –> 00:15:35.940
ROBONZO: The series music you heard in this episode is New Gods Part 2 by Yours Truly.

00:15:36.320 –> 00:15:41.780
ROBONZO: Find links for all the places to hear the full version with vocals by Yours Truly at robonzo.com.

00:15:42.260 –> 00:15:46.980
ROBONZO: Find links for all the people and things talked about in this episode at unstarvingmusician.com.

00:15:48.200 –> 00:15:50.640
ROBONZO: Peace, love, and a whole lot of gratitude.