3 Things I Learned About Marketing Myself as a Composer
Back in 2019 when I first decided I wanted to become a media composer, I asked a successful composer/producer I knew what he wished he could tell his younger self about starting a career in music.
Guess what he said?
Learn marketing.
Here are 3 things I learned about marketing myself as a new film composer.
#1 Tell the right story to the right people
As a media composer, I’ve found that I attract two different audiences: filmmakers and other composers. Sharing content pieces on my Instagram that appeal to both audiences is something I learned through experimenting.
If you’re DMing filmmakers on IG like me, you can bet that they’re going to check out your profile and be thinking of the following:
How do they work with you and what are you like to work with?
What kind of music are you really good at composing and would it fit in their film?
Would you understand the kind of story they’re trying to tell?
The big question is, are you the right person for the job?
The story you tell to directors you want to work with should answer this question.
Through the content I post on my Instagram, I tell the directors that see my profile what I’m like to work with, what music I’m good at making, how I approach the scoring process, what I think about being a composer in today’s industry, and how I have a passion for sharing the things I learn.
Each post is a piece of my own creativity, the journey I‘ve been on, and the way I think about composing. It tells you who I am, what I do, and why I do it.
One of my current directors recently told me that he loved that I was passionate about passing on the things I learned to other young composers.
He even read the post I made for how to talk about music to directors and already followed some of the suggestions I outlined before we met.
My extremely relevant portfolio (not a demo reel, literally music music) was icing on the cake.
At this point, he was very excited to meet me.
Later he told me he wasn’t interested in the other composers that messaged him and that choosing me was an easy choice.
That is the power of telling the right story to the right person.
#2 Authenticity is a magnet
I’ve noticed that because I am so excited for the potential opportunity to compose for a film, I can’t help but be myself when I meet a director for the first time.
Being authentic results in a conversation that the director remembers and instantly makes me stand out from other composers that they were thinking about hiring or have hired in the past.
In other words, it pays off to just be yourself.
Now, imagine that you were the one deciding whether or not you should hire an outsider onto your project.
Wouldn’t meeting someone who is genuinely excited and full of ideas because they really care about the story you’re trying to tell make a great first impression? And what if they were also able to relate to you in interesting ways (you both like Studio Ghibli, you grew up in a Catholic family, you’re both Filipino Americans, you both love Aliens?)
And in addition, imagine they already composed great music that is relevant to your film.
Choosing a composer like that suddenly become an easy decision.
People remember someone who isn’t trying to appeal to everyone and has the music to back it up. You automatically stand out in the first meeting just for being yourself.
Weird, right?
The way present yourself and NOT your music online and offline is how your authenticity is expressed. You provide a service which ends in the delivery of a final product. You are the one directors will be interacting with, not your music.
This means that anytime a director is learning about you (through Instagram, your website, in a Zoom call, etc.), you are marketing yourself.
When all of these pieces come together and tell a consistent story about why your service matters to the director and can take them from point A to B, you cut through all the noise that is the generic “I make story-driven music in the style of 2 Steps From Hell, John Williams, Danny Elfman, and Hans Zimmer” composer website and portfolio.
In the long run, it’s more attractive and feels good to be yourself. You’ll also find that the directors that say yes are more enjoyable to work with and result in a stronger relationship.
#3 When people talk about art, they want a connection
People don’t go into the art of filmmaking to make money. In fact, most directors you first work with spend thousands of dollars of their own money to get their story on screen.
They have to force it into existence by launching Indiegogo and Kickstarter campaigns, ask their friends and family for support, and tell everyone they’re making this film when deep down inside they know there’s no guarantee they’ll meet their budget goals and create the film they envisioned.
So why is this important for us film composers?
I believe that if we miss this point as an aspiring film composer, everything feels fake.
All the marketing content you put out will make you cringe.
And it feels so selfish.
After all the trouble people have to go through to create a film, do you just want to blindly send out 100 emails and hope you get one “yes”?
There’s a better way.
When people talk about film, or any art for that matter- they want a connection.
We not only have to understand the story presented in the film, but the stories of our directors: why telling this story is important to them, where they’re having trouble in achieving the vision for their film, etc.
To connect with your director, you have to be curious and ask questions.
Every gig you throw yourself at, every time you promote yourself, every time you have to “sell yourself” as many established film composers giving advice say- feeling fake happens when you’re caught up in the idea of what’s in it for you.
If we’re not willing to connect with a real person who just poured their bank account and their soul into a film, why would they choose an unexperienced composer like you and me?
This connection is everything to me and I really believe it’s why I’ve experienced my breakthrough in working with paid clients.
If the way you market yourself doesn’t resonate, it’s because there’s a misconnect between the story you’re telling and the person on the other side who’s listening. This is everything from the music you show them, to the first message you send, and the things they learn online about who you are, your film scoring work, and why you do it.
In other words, if you don’t get the job, you’re not the composer they’re looking for or they already found someone they know, like, and trust.
A genuine connection along with great music is all it takes.
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Cheska Navarro is a scientist and media composer from San Diego, California. During her time in college, she realized that she had been pursuing her parents’ dream instead of her own and decided to fully embrace her creativity. Today she explores life as a creative introvert scoring films and documenting the journey.
