Facebook Horrors and Twitter Absences

 By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

Seven weeks ago, vocalist, actor, songwriter, and producer Terry Barber wrote a guest blog (published here) that talked mainly about how his official music page on Facebook had been hacked.  While you should go read the whole post that he contributed, the bottom line is that now we’re sitting here at the end of September and he still hasn’t gotten it back.  He had well over 14 thousand likes/followers on there, yet has had to start over again and currently has 345.  No, I didn’t leave out a digit.  Instead of well over 14 thousand he has well over three hundred.

Getting hacked on Facebook is real.

And it’s a shame because, as you’ll hear in the interview that I had done with Terry back in June on Episode 333 of the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, he is extremely talented and doing big things.  Yet, scores of people won’t know about all that he’s up to because the method they used for following him is gone.

The day after tomorrow, Episode 347 will come out.  As I was preparing for that interview – as I always do with everyone else – I went on the guest’s website and social media (in addition to using notes, talking points, that they send to me).  When I was on the website and clicked the Facebook icon, it went to a Facebook page with a message saying, “This page isn’t available.  The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.”

I emailed the guest to ask if they were aware of this and the answer I got back was, ‘Yes, long story… it got hacked.’

And if you still aren’t convinced, I also saw a recent post on Instagram by NHTE 236 guest Carly Jo Jackson where she was saying, “My Facebook page was pretty much abducted by aliens for a while ((hacked))…” and then someone in the comments said, “The same thing happened to me!!!”

Maybe the craziest part of all these music pages on Facebook getting hacked is that obviously everyone is putting a huge priority on that platform, yet with little use for Twitter.  As upsetting as it is for me to hear about the former is as frustrating as it is for me to consistently observe the latter.

I look at Twitter accounts that performers have and so (so) many of them are doing very (very) little with them.  Their following is poor.  The frequency with which they tweet is poor.  Some of them pin a tweet and then obviously forget that it’s up there and, as a result, you look at their Twitter feed and it begins with something that they put out more than a year ago.  Others haven’t updated their Twitter bio and/or the image header, and you quickly understand that they are only on there to say that they’re on there.

Protect your Facebook account.  Change the password if you feel compelled.  Make it something tough with weird characters and numbers and symbols.  But then safeguard yourself further by placing a priority on Twitter and posting just as regularly on there as you obviously feel moved to do on Facebook.  In my opinion, Twitter is a stronger platform than Facebook when it comes to potential discovery by way of hashtags, so even if you only do it for that reason, then good for you.  But if your Facebook gets hacked and you’re scrambling for where to redirect people to while your help ticket gets reviewed, know that being regular on Twitter will provide tremendous relief for you then too.

Continue the conversation with me on (yes) Twitter via @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook (sigh) or even LinkedIn.  Plus, there’s always good old-fashioned email.

• • •

I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.

Get More Notice for What You’re Creating

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

I have often adapted the expression “You can’t be all things to all people” to instead imply that you can’t be on every single platform – industry-specific or social media.  But you do, however, need to be on some, meaning, enough.

The more you’re “seen,” the less likely people are to forget about you and, of course, the better chance you have of doing more business, whatever that looks like for you.

For example, every Monday I publish a blog here on this site.  But I also publish it on Medium and on Blogger.  I did a consult last week with a massage therapist who was looking for some marketing help and she asked, “A different blog for all those sites?”  Exhale.  No.  This same blog that you’re reading here on the Now Hear This website is the exact same as readers on Medium and Blogger will be seeing.

While there is yet another website that I publish a completely different blog on (totally different subject matter), the bottom line is visibility.  Have you heard the expression, “Meet people where they are”?  It’s used a lot in Christian communities, but in the world that creators live and work in, you need to have your work available where your audience hangs out.

I always remind people too that lots of us just seem to have a favorite platform.  So, in the example above, even though I want traffic to my website, there are people who love reading on Medium.  Thus, I’m better off meeting them there rather than agonizing over them not coming to the Now Hear This website.  (Besides, a link or two within my blog – or in my boilerplate at the bottom – will get them over to here anyway.)

The other website that I mentioned that I publish to that is for totally different subject matter?  I do nothing at all to promote that I have blogs on there.  Yet, because they are so well established and have such a huge volume of traffic, the content that I publish on there is getting a good number of eyes on it.  (I can see the number of reads, even though I’m not paying to be on their site.)

There was a time when the future of SoundCloud was in doubt, but they have done a masterful job of reorganizing and all is well there.  I have long encouraged people in the music community to have their music on there.  Why?  For the reason I alluded to above.  That’s an online destination where music people hang out.  It’s why I’ve always had the “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast on there.  Since the show caters to listeners who are singers, songwriters, musicians, etc. who want to learn more to help them grow in their career in music, that’s absolutely a place where NHTE should be.  And as a result, I’ve gotten listeners from all around the world on SoundCloud.  Had I only kept the podcast here on the website and/or “just” on iTunes (Apple Podcasts) and Spotify, I would have missed out on thousands and thousands and thousands of listens from SoundCloud users.

To be sure, there are only so many hours in a day, and no, you can’t be all things to all people (can’t be everywhere and shouldn’t be everywhere).  But, social media-wise, if you’re not on what I personally consider “the big three” – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – you’re off to a bad start.  Take inventory of not only where you are, but where you aren’t.  If you want more exposure, go out and get it.

Remember that I am here to help you.  With the weekly podcast, through the blog I publish every Monday, and even through personal one-on-one consultations.  It starts with you, though.  Don’t wait any longer to kick your career up a notch.

Continue the conversation with me on Twitter via @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook, LinkedIn, or even good old reliable email.

 • • •

I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.

Why Musicians Need to be on LinkedIn

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

Being in the entertainment business as long as I have, not to mention writing a weekly blog and hosting a weekly podcast, plus with the number of events that I speak at, you can appreciate the volume of questions that I get asked, via email, face-to-face, through social media, and so on.  Some of them repeat, some of them are, ahem, quite unique, and others deserve praise for their depth and/or quality.

However, one question in the first half of 2020 that stuck with me was from a performer who wanted to know if I felt they should be on LinkedIn.

At first, we can understand why this would be asked by someone in that capacity.  After all, when you create music you think of getting the songs themselves on platforms ranging from iTunes to Spotify to SoundCloud and more.  And then, of course, when you turn the focus away from the music and onto its creator – yourself – you start to envision your own website and certainly YouTube, eventually settling on one or more out of the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram trio.

As I wrote last week, music creators are putting a ton of pressure on themselves to make a go of this.  That blog of mine stressed that they want to make sure that they’re doing everything they can to make this their full-time job.

Of course, you can be a solo artist and literally do everything yourself at home – write, perform, and record – but there’s strength in numbers.  Maybe you’re not ready to put an entire team around you, but you do know that there are people out there who can help you and who you’d love to pick the brain of if not get some level of assistance from.

It all adds up to another reminder that this is a business!

When you talk about the connections you’d like to make – booking agents, publishers, A&R folks – and then you ask me about platforms that you should be on, I’m operating from the foundation of this being a business.  Where online are people going to make connections to further their business?  LinkedIn.

This is where I tell you that nobody is paying me to endorse LinkedIn.  I’m not getting any kickback for referring people over there to sign up.  There’s no incentive for me in pointing you their way other than what it is every week when I write my blog or publish a podcast episode – to help you get ahead.

I’m presently sitting at more than 1,000 connections on LinkedIn.  Do I have an active relationship with each and every one of those folks?  Of course not.  Do I use the platform regularly?  Absolutely.  I aim for five days a week, between posting on my page and/or the Now Hear This company page, or searching for connections (those I’m seeking specifically or those that they – quite accurately – recommend for me), or sometimes I’m just flat out surfing the feed.

If you tell me, “Yeah, I actually am on LinkedIn and I’ve never seen any benefit,” then I will challenge you with, “How active are you?  Is your profile optimized?”  Like anything else, you get out of it exactly what you put into it.

Let me re-state.  You are in the music business.  LinkedIn is the app/online platform for doing business.  So yes, you should be on there.

What other questions do you have for me about the entertainment industry?  Take advantage of my more than 15 years in the business.  Tweet at me to @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook or – duh – LinkedIn (or even email) to get in touch.

• • •

I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.