Every rapper online today is hunting down hip hop blogs to get featured on. So how are you going to stand out from the crowd?
You might have heard the same run of the mill answers on other rap websites. Where they tell you that good music will prevail and you will get the glory that your music deserves.
Been there done that. Right ?
There is a ton of rap talent online. Being talented is great. But talent will only get you so far.
So what’s The Real Secret ?……
Hard work, motivation, discipline, craft, patience, and grit! These are all things that online rap artists lack when it comes to marketing.
Ask yourself do you have these necessary skills to get past the gatekeepers on rap blogs?
Or are you just another rap artist praying that your talent will eventually get you the hip hop blog coverage that it deserves.
If you believe that you have the fight and lots of hard work in you to succeed, then continue on reading. I compiled a list of ideas, on how to get your music on hip hop blogs.
Here I show you where to start submitting your music and tips on how to get featured on these rap sites.
The internet is a very big place. There are more than a handle full of the big rap websites like Hotnewhiphop.com , Djbooth.com, Stopthebreaks, 2Dopeboyz and so on and so forth.
Just because you only see hip-hop blogs like these so frequently, doesn’t mean that they are the only ones.
I have done my level best with this article to help guide you. Take this information to help get your music featured on hip hop blogs. It’s up to you to take this knowledge and use to share your music with the world.
[sociallocker id=”3016″] CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF HERE[/sociallocker]
STEP 1. DOWNLOAD FREE MY LIST OF HIP HOP BLOGS 780+
To make this journey a little bit easier for you, a while back I compiled a list of 780 + hip hop blogs. This list took me a while to make. The reason it took me a while to make is that it’s not just a list of rap blogs. It’s my hip hop blogs cheat sheet.
So it’s not just a list of hip hop blog. Nor is it a list of rap blog emails.
I compiled tons of information on these indie hip hop blogs to help my submission and networking on these websites. This is more of a worksheet to help you keep track of the sites that will respond to you.
This worksheet or cheat sheet whatever you what to call it. It comes with detailed information on each of these hip hop blogs. Information like
The Type Of Ads They Use
Type of ads they sell
Social Media Profiles Twitter, Facebook,
Social Profile Links
Social Media Profiles, likes, follower counts.
Links To Their Contact Pages
Links To The Site
Email address are NOT included in this list of rap blogs because certain spammers will abuse the system and ruin it for everyone.
Also over time emails change so it’s up to you to find the emails when you network with the blog owners over time. The list has links to social profiles and contact pages which never change 🙂
Some new blogs will crop up and some blogs will die out. It’s up to you to figure out which blogs will suit your needs. Which are good and which are useless.
I can’t be held responsible for how some blog owners act. So don’t shoot the messenger.
I will give you tips on how to approach rap blog owners and rap blog writers later in the article.
So what’s the catch? How come you’re giving away this list for FREE?
I am giving away my rap blogs list because it’s a great resource. I remember when I started networking with or music sites and other sites in different niches.
Starting from the bottom sucks. I have been there. I know what it feels like to have no money to promote my music. All I had was just a lot of time, patience, and hard work.
I have done a large part of your homework ?. It wasn’t easy finding all these rap blogs to submit music to
I am giving the list away so that new hip hop artists will come to my website, read my blog, promote my articles and later on maybe purchase my rap beats.
So if you really want this hip hop blogs list for FREE you need to subscribe my website via email.
That’s it subscribe to my blog with just your email address and worksheet is yours. It’s designed to help you submit your music to hip-hop blogs.
I get more blog readers and you get the rap blogs list.
STEP 2. How To Check If These Hip Hop Blogs Are Worth Submitting Music Too.
I think this is a step that many rappers and music marketing sites forget to mention? music marketing sites forget to mention?
How can you tell if it’s worth your time to be even featured on these blogs?
Time to do some homework !!!
SOCIAL SITE ENGAGEMENT LEVELS
Start with the obvious signs first. The blog list I provide has links to social media profiles of all these hip hop sites.
Use your gut here. See if there is any engagement on the profiles or the posts of these sites.
A rap blog with a 100k Facebook likes and very little engagement is a big red flag that these likes are fake. The same goes for Twitter.
You can use a tool called Twit audit to check it their followers are real or not.
SEMRUSH / ALEXA /
Semrush is a website I use to spy on my competition with my blogs. It gives a rough estimate of the level of traffic a site gets from search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. {not social traffic]
SEMRUSH
This is not a perfect representation of the blog in question, but from my experience, it’s as close as you can get without the really analytical data the site has one it’s own. Alexa.com is a similar site that gives you show general stats about a certain website.
ALEXA.COM
Try and find sites with a consistent flow of traffic which may seem legit.
When You Submit Your Music to Hip-Hop Blogs Make Sure To Read The Blog First
Sometimes you just have to go with your gut feeling. If a site looks neglected and doesn’t respond to comments etc don’t waste your time.
Look for consistent updates to the rap blog. But not too much.
Or your feature may be buried in their blog feed by the time it gets any coverage.
Pro tip: Ask previously featured artists, was it worth getting featured on that specific music blog? Ask them for feedback over social media or via email.
Firstsiteguide.com
Firstsiteguide is a blog that shares information from different online sources like SEMrush.com and Moz to give you a general outline of how much traffic is coming to a website. It also gives you an insight look at the metrics on a website, as I am sure you don’t want to be featured on a high bounce rate website or a slow hip hop blog. This site has one of the closest website traffic estimate tools I have come across online.
Bonus PRO-TIP
Once you build some rapport with the blog owner over several emails, ask for some analytical data, from their Google analytics or StatCounter?
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NOTICE: Just to give you the heads up data can always be faked. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut feeling. So make sure to do the best homework that you can.
STEP 3. O.K. What Next? I Have The List Of Music Now. How Do I Get These Rap Blogs To Feature My Music?
Here’s the kicker…. !
You need to understand what are the needs of the hip hop blog owners. What do they really want? Why do they want to post your rap music on their blog?
Most hip hop sites have one goal and one goal only. TRAFFIC !
Eyes on their blogs and Viewers. All they want is more and more viewers for their blog so that they will make more money from the ads on their sites.
So you need to ask yourself have you got any type of following at all?
This can include social media followers, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Youtube, an Email list?
So if don’t have a following yet online. You need to start now. Start with one network and build it up good.
Take my advice and start an email list now today.
GOLDEN NUGGET!
Bloggers know that email is much more responsive compared to social media. So even if you have a small email list of fans it might work as leverage when you are pitching these websites.
HERE IS MY FREE COURSE HOW TO START AN EMAIL LIST
HERE IS MY TWITTER COURSE ON HOW TO BUILD A TWITTER FAN BASE.
These music blogs expect you to help promote them as much as you expect them to promote you. They want your followers in exchange for their followers.
ADDITIONAL READING
Here is an article I found on the Sonicbids blog about how to get your music on featured on music sites. The blog caters to bands and indie musicians but the information stays the same across the board.
STEP 4. HOW DO I PITCH MY MUSIC TO RAP MUSIC BLOGGERS?
This is where patience comes in my friend. Networking might look like sending a few emails here and there, but it’s boring and soul destroying over time.
If you have a good mindset and a lot of much-needed patience you’ll be fine. You need to understand that these blogs get pitched tons of time every day of every week.
This is a numbers game, remember it takes luck, and persistence.
Just don’t make the same mistake that other rappers are making. Tons of rappers are spamming hip hop bloggers and rap writers on social media. This is a big no no!
Ask them via email or on social media Questions like these.
What is the procedure of getting featured on their rap blog?
What is the right way to submit music to their rap blog?
Do they accept music submissions?
Example email to hip hop blogs:
To: john@specificrapblog.com
From dan@thecorporatethief beats
Subject: Hay [ Bloggers Name ] How do I submit music to your blog.
Email content:
Hey John @ specificrapblog.com
My name is Dan Hartnett, I am a beat maker from Ireland.
I noticed that your blog features music from independent rap artists. I was wondering what is the right way to submit music to your blog?
Thanks from Dan Aka The Corporate Thief Beats.
This is just one template email that I have saved on my Gmail. I have 20 of these email templates along with canned responses.
This is usually the first email I will send without any links or social profiles etc? The email is just an ice breaker. Short and sweet. Plus it makes you stand out from the crowd that just bombard them with tons of social profile links.
I would create many different types of email templates. You can do this by creating canned responses in Gmail.
Video Tutorial Canned Responses
Creating many different emails enables you to see which email get you past the first contact with the hip hop blog.
It will also help you get past Gmail’s spam filter if you are emailing a lot of people in one day.
2ND GOLDEN NUGGET
HERE IS MY PRO TIP:
Use an app called yesware which can be added to your Gmail to see if your email has been opened by that hip hop blogger.
If it has, this information can be added to your cheat sheet to come back to later.
Yesware gives you reminders to try again or if you forgot to respond to a certain blogger. It comes with a price but you can make the process a little easier if you know if someone is opening your emails.
There are other free solutions out there just look them up on Youtube.
You might be wondering ??
These bloggers just getting tons of requests every day. So they might not see your email. This doesn’t mean give up. I usually go back with a follow-up email 3 or 4 days later? Just to see if I get any leeway with them.
Example follow up email
To: john@specificrapblog.com
From dan@thecorporatethief beats
Subject: RE: Hay [ Bloggers Name ] Dan here did you get my last email?
Email content:
Hey John @ specificrapblog.com
My name is Dan Hartnett, aka The Corporatethief Beats.
I just looked at your latest blog post today I liked your article on J Cole’s new album. Great review John.
I hit you up a couple of days ago about how to get featured on your blog and what was the right way to submit music to your site? Did you get my email?
I appreciate it you can hit me up whenever you get a chance.
Thanks from Dan Aka The Corporate Thief Beats.
https://thecorporatethiefbeats.com/
In this email I ego stroked the blogger just tad bit by mentioning his latest article. This makes you stand out from the other rappers that are submitting music to hip hop blogs. Most of them don’t have any clue of what they blogger has done.
I also added one link this time to see if the rap blogger is curious. Maybe he will check out my music on his own accord.
If you followed my pro tip above about Yesware, you will be able to see if they clicked your link in the email you just sent.
If the blogger doesn’t respond after that move on. Maybe come back later a few months down the line but don’t waste any more time. 2 follow-up emails are enough.
If the blogger does respond be ready !!! This leads to the next section of the article. Creating a professional press pack.
ADDITIONAL READING
This is another read that can help you where I found it on music think tank. This writer shows you how to pitch music blog writers. Here the writer breaks down his formula on how to get music bloggers to notice your emails and pitches.
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STEP 5 HOW TO CREATE A PROFESSIONAL PRESS PACK
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Some bloggers are old school and like to do things in a professional way. Others blogs are just one guy in his mom’s basement and he may just need the basic information.
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Either way, follow their instructions. Each site may have different submission rules of how they want the music to be submitted.
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You can use a site called Canva to create a PDF portfolio with your background, biography 400 words at least, achievements, goals, sites your music has been featured on, social profile links and your number of followers, how many email subscribers you have?
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VIDEO TUTORIAL OF CANVA
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Once you create a Press pack PDF attached it to the email.
Try and follow their instructions in the email. If the blogger only wants a bio, an image, and a mp3 only give him that.
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HERE’S THE DEAL…….
PRO TIP:
Bloggers get really annoyed if you don’t follow their instructions. If they say they only want a Soundcloud link only give them a Soundcloud link.
If you end up attaching a mp3 or giving them a Datpiff link , you can kill your chances of being featured on that hip hop blog.
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I have spoken to a lot of bloggers online. This has to be the number one thing that drives them nuts.
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STEP 6. Learn To Write Emails With Good Email Etiquette.
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Something that I have noticed from dealing with hip hop artist’s for a number of years is that a lot of emails that rappers don’t make any sense.
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Leave the street talk at home or at your live shows. Keep your emails short, concise and professional. A poorly constructed email is just a waste of time.
If you find it hard to write emails use the examples I gave above or hire a writer on Fiverr.com. They can create a bunch of sample icebreaker emails.
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If you find it hard to write a biography about yourself hire someone on to help you make a press pack. Create an audio track or a video about yourself. Then send it to them to make it sound more professional.
STEP 7. Build Relationships With The Rap Blog Writers.
At the end of every blog post on these rap blogs, there’s usually a link to the author’s page. This may contain a biography and some social profiles or a contact email.
Before you start emailing them, try and get into their sphere of influence first. Start to comment on the posts on their blogs. Ask questions or debate with their articles.
These people have a craft too. And the like to be adored just like musicians.
Getting in front of them on their blog or social media channels might make it easier for you, to ask them to feature your music.
Try and wait till the time is right to ask for the feature.
Pro Tip
Maybe try and ask them if the need any help with some research on any article they are doing now? If the are reviewing a certain album or topics tell them that you can lend a hand with the research?
Just give it shot! Maybe Hip Hop blogger John wants to hit the club cause it’s a Friday night and he wants to get his freak on. Who Knows?
STEP 8. Hire Some Help With Emailing Bloggers
The main reason I advise you to hire VA to help with rap blog submissions because emailing music bloggers is fine for 1 – 3 days. After a month of doing this one your own, you will eventually get bored, fed up and burnt out.
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Your music is a personal thing. As you have dedicated so much of your time to your craft. It maybe the best music you have ever made but some bloggers just won’t like it.
It’s very easy to get down from a lot of rejection or negative feedback. A lack of progress isn’t good for morale.
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Having an assistant helping you with your email outreach to these rap blogs will remove any emotional attachment that you have with the music. This person will do all the grunt work, without feeling the rejection.
Here are some sites for hiring a virtual assistant
Fiverr.com: Looks cheap on paper but can become costly over time. Not the best place for quality work, but you can find a gem if you look hard enough.
Upwork.com Can cost a lot of money but it’s best to get your email outreach done in a week. Do your homework on the person you’re going to hire. Look at the feedback spend what you can afford.
Freelancer.com Like that of Upwork can be costly, but I have had found good writers and workers here before within my budget limits.
So many of the rappers that read this article are going to ignore this step because it costs money. I was like that too. I didn’t want to spend anything too.
But this is pure 100% grunt work! Emailing bloggers all day will suck the soul out of your body trust me. Not to mention how bad it is for morale when blogger tell you that your music isn’t fit for their hip hop blog.
PRO TIP: HIRE SOME HELP !!! Save up $200 and hire some help for a couple of days if you get 3-5days for $200 bucks it’s money well spent.
Just make it clear to the VA what you need them to do. Look for feedback on their profiles. Let them use the rap blogs list that I gave you to help them.
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STEP 9 DON’T SKIP STEP 8 !!! I’m Not fricking kidding.
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I’mm serious it will save you so much heartache.
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STEP 10 If You Get Featured On A Hip Hop Blog Learn How to Promote It.
Promoting your featured blog post on a hip hop blog will boost your credibility with the blog owner. You scratch their backs, and they will scratch yours.
If they can see you working hard, providing them with viewers, they will introduce you to their social followers, email subscribers, front page, and spotlight placement.
Maybe they have other blogs where they can add your music to promote you.
Here are some simple ways that you can promote your feature on that hip hop blogs post.
USE YOUR OWN WEBSITE AND EMAIL LIST
These are very valuable assets to have in your arsenal. Create a blog post on your website about your features.
If you don’t have a website yet I have a FREE mini website course that you can learn how to start a blog today.
FREE HOW TO START A WEBSITE STEP BY STEP MINI COURSE
I also recommend using an email list of subscribers. Every musician should start building an email list from day one.
If you recently got featured on a hip-hop blog, the easiest way to promote that feature is to tell your email subscribers.
Anytime I post a new blog post or a have a guest post featured on a music marketing blog, I share it with my email subscribers. They are the first people to engage with the material. They are far more likely to read or listen to what I have to say.
An email list is your property. Unlike social media channels which we basically rent. Many musicians have lost social media profiles or have been banned for misconduct.
An email list is a targeted list of people that want to follow you on a personal level. Try my free email marketing for musicians course to help your start one today.
HERE IS MY FREE COURSE HOW TO START AN EMAIL LIST
VIDEO MUSIC PROMOTION
Create Videos on social media, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter highlighting your feature on this blog. Make sure each video is native to each social channel.
So tailor each video to each social network so, you don’t end up with a 10-minute video on Instagram.
Add the links to the rap blog that featured your music.
Don’t forget to give the writer a shout out and include their social profile links like Twitter handles and ask your followers to follow them on social media.
Everyone online is out to build followers. Small gestures like this can really go a long way.
SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION
I won’t go into detail here because my whole blog is dedicated to social media music promotion. Here are some links to social media promotion tips. I have written about extensively on my site.
MY FREE MUSIC MARKETING TOOLS COURSE
12 videos with tools I use to promote my music online. This is the best free course out their giving rap artist and musicians a chance to promote their music.
The two videos that will help build up some social proof include my copromote video a social sharing site where people share each other’s music online.
And my sniply video where you can add a call to action on your social media links. You can promote the article using a call to action.
[ I understand that sounds like a mouthful just watch the video tutorial here]
HERE IS MY TWITTER COURSE ON HOW TO BUILD A TWITTER FAN BASE.
This course is my pride and joy. In this course, I show you how to create a Twitter following and then turn your Twitter account into a music marketing machine.
If you follow the steps in this course it will help remove a lot of grunt work that comes with Twitter music marketing.
I designed this course for myself because I felt that I spent too much time on Twitter doing boring manual Tweets and scheduling Tweets every day.
PRO TIPS
DO A LITTLE BIT OF ADVERTISING
Here’s The Kicker !!
You don’t need to do a whole lot of advertising. A simple Facebook boost for a couple of bucks will suffice. The same goes with other social channels Twitter and Instagram.
Tag them in the promotion of the post so that they can see you promoting the blog post. You are not doing this for massive numbers, just as social proof for the blog owner to see that you are doing your share of the promotion of the feature you have on their hip hop blogs.
Blog owners look at their website visitor stats all day long. It’s hard-wired into them. So if they can see a spike in traffic numbers from your feature on their blog, they will continue to promote your music on their rap blogs.
Social advertising can be pricey, but it’s much better quality than other forms of advertising. If you are feeling the pinch and can’t afford a lot of advertising, try looking a site like fiverr.com.
There are tons of good blogs here that offer good advertising opportunities. Yeah the site is full of crap too.
But it’s up to you to do your homework and find out which Fiverr opportunities are worth it and which are duds. You might just find one that provides a hip hop blog submission service.
Look at the reviews that people have on their Fiverr gigs. These reviews will be from paying customers to these reviews are legit.
ADDITIONAL READ MATERIAL
Here is a blog post of DIYCDbaby about 59 blogs that will listen to your music. I found it an interesting read. Where the author also hated summiting music to logs on the internet. Here he found some solutions to sites that actually need content to cover on a daily basis. So dig in and have a read.
To Sum Up My Post On How To Submit Rap Music To Hip Hop Blogs And Get Featured.
What’s The real story …?
Networking with hip hop blogs is not an easy job. For this reason, I stressed the hell out step 8. Hiring some help is the best advice I can give you.
Everyone can email people for one or 2 days. Doing it month after month without getting the feedback you desired can make this a very tedious job.
Stop with the superman syndrome. Save some money and get people to help you with submitting music to hip hop blogs.
Get my rap blogs list …..
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Don’t leave this site without it. I made this is of hip hop blogs when I was networking with rap blogs a while back. It’s full of valuable information to help you go through all these blogs 1 by 1.
Don’t spam these sites. Follow the guidelines for emailing them online that I gave you. If you just spam them with a bunch of links no blogger will ever feature your music on their hip hop blog
Godspeed And Good Luck
