Tim Notorff from October Promo for Influencer Marketing for Bands and Individual Artists

PR agent Tim Nottorf talks about working with influencers and gives advice on what bands and musicians should look for once they tackle this topic.

The Hamburg-based promotion and public relations agency has been operating since 2017. october graduation With influencer marketing. Its clients include brands such as Warner Music Group, BMG, Universal, eOne and Roadrunner Records.

Lots of work at first

Tim Nottorff recalls that at the beginning of working with influencers, a mailing list was drawn up. “Finding influencers was a lot of work at first. But once we expanded our distribution list, it became easier over time, since people are well connected to each other. But it is important to always stay on the ball and watch, who the influencers themselves follow and where they are Lots of interest right now.”

The selection of potential features was also based on analytical research. “First of all, numbers and statistics are important to us. They are counted from which countries the followers come from, since we mainly do our promotion in the German-speaking region. But of course, the reach of the stories and posts or the number of times will be reposted like This post is also important.”

In addition, it is especially important to the agency that the influencers involved are able to learn about the music and band they are promoting. “Authenticity is very important,” Tim says.

Similarities and differences with classic PR work

If one compares influencer collaborations with magazine articles, there are many similarities: “Taste plays an important role. When people think a band or artist is really good, they are usually open to collaboration. This is also the case with magazines. Is someone sitting in The editorial staff celebrates a particular band, and it’s also easier to do an interview or review there.”

For an agency like Oktober Promotion, reviews are and will be an important element in 2021, Nottorf explains. Especially because it can have a longer effect on the development of the ensemble. “Social media channels are usually relatively entertaining and fast-paced platforms through which you get a lot of input in a short time. If someone talks about a new album for a band for 30 minutes, most people will stop playing and click on the next channel.”

Contracts and legal issues

One hurdle is the legal aspect, Notorf explains. “You should definitely know when to flag posts as an advertisement and when not. Influencers usually know that too.”

Entering into contracts is one way to protect yourself. As a rule, an agreement is reached before cooperation: “On the label side and on the influencer side. If the whole thing is free, then an informal agreement is usually sufficient. If there is a budget, this should be recorded in advance in writing.”

kind question

In October promotion, one dares to doubt whether influencer marketing works for every type. “I can only talk about rock and metal themes ‘from my point of view,’ ” explains Noturf. “In this scene, fans are very familiar with the music they hear. This makes it easier from a marketing point of view. If someone is a fan of a band like Metallica and tells me about a newcomer metal band I don’t know, I’ll probably listen because I probably believe that person.”

Therefore the above credibility is essential to successfully working with influencers. Thanks to good communication, Oktober Promotion hasn’t had any bad experiences in this regard.

PR work in the future?

Many people still rate the influencer scene as immature or partly questionable, which could also be due to one notable example or the other. But behind a job description that is still relatively young, there is often a lot of work that is not immediately apparent to ordinary people. For Nottorf, the numbers and statistics, which are usually good arguments, show that the reach and influence of channels should not be underestimated. Influencer marketing isn’t necessarily the PR business of the future, “but it will certainly remain an important component.”

The upheaval in the field of social networks shows that the media landscape is constantly changing. But for Tim Nottorff, this is not something to worry about, but an opportunity to deal with it more intensely. The PR agent is looking with excitement at networks like TikTok, which are becoming more important.