Finding Cold VIPs Checklist (Student Access)

This is one of many parts of The Profitable Producer Course, and it was designed to help home studio owners grow their businesses.

If your douchebag friend shared this with you, they weren't supposed to. I hope you enjoy it, but keep in mind that this is merely a fraction of what the rest of the students are experiencing inside the Profitable Producer Course. 

If you want to learn more about The Profitable Producer Course, go to www.theprofitableproducer.com or you can read more free content at www.thesixfigurehomestudio.com.

Gather Your List:

In this section, I'll walk you through some different ways to discover potential partners worth contacting.

This approach will work better for some people than others, and it really depends on you, your location, your niche, which services you offer, etc. 

Don't forget to download the spreadsheet!

It's located inside PPC Module 2 under the "Finding And Contacting Cold Leads Pt. 2" lesson.

Don't Be Afraid To Try New Things

Don't be afraid to try new methods that I don't cover here. If you discover something that works well for you, let me know! It may be something that I add to this checklist 🙂

Before adding to the spreadsheet - ask these questions:

Types of Potential Partners & Referral Sources

(and win/win relationships)

What you're looking for are any people who could send you potential leads for a referral fee. This will create a win win, as long as you can provide a quality service for each artist that is referred to you. 

Service Providers

These are anyone who provides a service to your idea client. They include, but are not limited to:

• Mastering Engineers
• Mixing Engineers
• Producers
• Other Home Studio Owners
• Tracking Engineers
• Commercial Studio Owners
• Merchandise Companies
• CD Duplication Service Companies
• Your "competition"
• Live Sound

One simple example would be a mixing engineer and a mastering engineer. Their services compliment each other well, and this forms a natural win/win relationship. They're able to refer project to each other or provide services that one person may not be able/willing to do. 

One less obvious example would be two "competing" home studios in the same area. If you've properly "niched down" (meaning you work with a very specific subgenre), you shouldn't really be competing for the same bands. More likely, you'll be referring bands to your "competitor" if they don't fit your niche, and they'll be referring bands to you that fit what you're looking for.  

Industry People

These are anyone who work within your industry (especially if they're within your niche). They include, but are not limited to:

• Record Labels (Owners or A&R: especially smaller niche indie labels)
• Booking Agents
• Artist Managers

This is a win/win relationship because these people are always looking for people who can make their artists look good. This is especially true for the "up-and-coming" artists since they may not have a "go-to" person for whatever service you offer. 

Influencers 

This is something that has only recently been something to consider, but you can form extremely powerful partnerships with "influencers." The term is a bit broad, but it's basically anyone who has a strong influence within your industry or niche. This would include, but not be limited to:

• Bloggers
• Podcasters
• Authors
• Writers
• Magazines  (although this has shifted quite a lot over the years)
• News Websites (specific to your niche)
• Musicians with a personal brand and/or large social media following

This can be a win/win if you have some sort of referral fee you're sending them whenever they send you a project. A lot of influencers are looking for new and interesting ways to monetize their personal brand, and this can be one of the ways they're able to do it.

The key with this type of referral source is that they need to be at a level where they're eager to monetize their following in some way. The larger "influencers" will be past the point of being interested in this sort of arrangement. 

Places to Find Potential Partners & Referral Sources

Finding Potential Partners Through Google

www.Google.com

Good ol' Google. Solid, reliable, and easy to use. 

There's an endless supply of potential partners if you can get creative with search terms and phrases. Since there are an infinite number of phrases you could use to search Google, this section will simply include a few phrases you can adapt in order to get you started. It should also get your mindset into the right place so you can start coming up with your own phrases.

•                     services for    genre/niche  
  • Example: mastering services for heavy metal
•   genre/niche  Producer
  • Example: Stoner Metal Producers (the more obscure the genre, the better)
•   genre/niche   blog
  • Example: Heavy Metal Blog
•  genre/niche   podcast
  • Example: Deathcore Podcast
•  genre/niche  news
  • Example: Metalcore News
•  genre/niche   Record Labels
  • Example: Dreampop Record Labels

There are even more combinations and terms you can search for. Think of every possible sub genre, and try a google search for each one. 

Use Google Tools To Find Up-To-Date Sources

This is the method I use to find the most recently updated websites. Nothing is worse than wasting time on a webiste that has been abandoned. 

Finding Potential Partners Through Facebook

www.Facebook.com

This approach lends itself better to more of a "scattershot" and less of a calculated approach. 

This is because there are TONS of facebook pages dedicated to every possible sub genre in existence.  You can simple search facebook for a subgenre, then sort through pages, and send direct messages. I'll cover this in detail below. 

1. Search Facebook For A Specific Sub Genre

 In my world, there is Pirate Metal, Thrash Metal, Symphonic Metal, Speed Metal, Djent, Power Metal, Nu Metal, Metalcore, Deathcore, Grindcore, Folk Metal, Sludge Metal, Doom Metal, Death Metal, Christian Metal, Black Metal, Rap Metal, Progressive Metal, and many many more. 

I'm better at mixing some than others, and some genres will have a larger pool of potential clients than others, so I know which of these are worth putting my time into. You know your niche better than I do, so make your own decisions here. 

2. Go to the "Pages" tab

This will give you a list of Facebook pages that are dedicated to that genre. While these wont be your direct customers, they will be a great source of referrals, as many of them are well-connected to your ideal customers. 

3. Confirm The Page Is Active

Simple check their most recent post. If it's older than 6-12 months, the page is probably dead. You can still message them, but chances are you wont get a reply. 

4. Filter And Add To Your Spreadsheet

Ninja Method: Finding Referral Sources Through Artists

This is a fun way to knock out two birds with one stone. You're basically reaching out to cold artists in order to have them refer you to a VIP. 

For example, there's a band you want to work with, and they just released a new music video. You simply reach out to the band to ask them who they worked with on the music video. 

Once they give you the name of their music video director, you then have a name to drop in the initial email to the director. 

This should be done even if you already know who they worked with, as it gives you an excuse to get a conversation started with the artists. 

Email Template: Initial Email To Artist

-----

Hey   name  !

I just saw your new music video, and thought it was fantastic! Could you send me the contact info for the director you worked with? 

There are a few bands I recently mixed that will be recording music videos soon, and I'd love to refer to them to whoever you worked with. 

Thanks!

Brian Hood
www.456recordings.com

----

What To Say:

This is something I hear from people all the time. They have no idea how to go about the "first contact" during cold outreach. 

"I don't want to feel like I'm bothering them."

There's a lot of anxiety around this. It's ok. Just follow along and you'll be fine. The key point to keep in mind here is that you're bringing something to the table for the other person. 

There are multiple ways to approach this scenario depending on the person you're reaching out to and the services you offer. 

• In some situations you'll simply be offering a way for them to make money from a referral fee.
• Sometimes it may make more sense to just "trade work".
• Sometimes you may just be offering to take tedious work off their hands
  • perhaps handling all of their drum editing or pitch correction 

 Whatever method you use, just be sure that it adds value to their life/experience/business in some way. Don't let these templates hold you back from getting creative with how you approach this.

Email Template: Trading Work With Potential Partners

(videography example)

----

Hey (Name), I just came across your video portfolio through your website, and loved what I saw. I noticed you work with a lot of metal bands and would like to offer a win/win scenario. 

I've been recording and mixing metal bands for past 8 years, and many of the artists I work with are looking for videographers to record their music videos. I'd love to basically love to "trade work" with you. 

Basically I'd refer all of my clients to you, and my only request is that you keep an eye out for any of your contacts who might be going into the studio soon.

If you're interested, let me know and we can jump on the phone to chat. 

Thanks!

Brian Hood
456 Recordings, Owner
www.456recordings.com 

-----

Note: If you found the VIP's contact info through the "ninja method" then be sure to mention it. This turns a completely "cold" lead into a "lukewarm" lead.  You can change the first line of the template to this:

Hey (Name), I got your contact information through   person's name  from  band name. I saw the music video you recently did for them, and I absolutely loved it! I noticed you work with a lot of metal bands and would like to offer a win/win scenario. 

Email Template: Offering Referral Fee to Potential Partners

Hey (Name), I just came across your portfolio through your website, and loved what I heard. I noticed you don't currently offer mixing services, however. 

I've been mixing heavy music for 8 years, and would like to offer a referral fee for any mixing projects you send my way. 

This would allow for you to monetize projects that come to you with poor mixes, and increase the quality of mixes you'd be working with during the mastering process. As a mastering engineer, I'm sure you understand how important the quality of the mix is when it comes to mastering. 

I can obviously discuss more details with you, but first I wanted to find out if this is something you'd be interested in. 

If so, would it be okay if I sent you a few numbers to give you an idea of how it would work? 

Brian Hood
456 Recordings, Owner
www.456recordings.com 

Let's Break It Down

Intro

Keep this part short and sweet. All you need to do here is let them know where you found them, and set yourself up for the next section:

Hey (Name), I just came across your portfolio through your website, and loved what I heard. I noticed you don't currently offer mixing services, however. 

Offer

Make sure you keep this part about THEM. What are you trying to do for them? 

I've been mixing heavy music for 8 years, and would like to offer a referral fee for any mixing projects you send my way. 

Benefit

Make sure this section clearly spells out a benefit for this person. What can you do for them, and how do you show that you understand what problem you can solve for them? How can you tie it into their goals? 

This would allow for you to monetize projects that come to you with poor mixes, and increase the quality of mixes you'd be working with during the mastering process. As a mastering engineer, I'm sure you understand how important the quality of the mix is when it comes to  mastering. 

Foot In The Door

One HUGE thing to remember here is that you're not trying to "seal the deal" on this first email. You goal here is to simply get your foot in the door. Try to make them curious. If you do this correctly, your reply rate can soar through the roof. 

I can obviously discuss more details with you, but first I wanted to find out if this is something you'd be interested in. 

Call To Action

Make this a "yes" or "no" option. The last thing you want is to create "work" for them. If you force them to craft up some long reply or force them to think up ways you can work together, you can kiss this opportunity goodbye. 

If so, would it be okay if I sent you a few numbers to give you an idea of how it would work? 

Email Template: Contacting Potential Influencers

Hey (Name), I just came across your website about _________ and thought there may be a way we could help each other.

I'm on a mission to rid the world of shitty mixes for  _genre/niche_ bands, and would like to offer you a referral fee for any band you send my way for mixing/mastering services. 

This would allow you to help point some of these bands with terrible mixes into the right direction, while also monetizing some of your connections in an ethical way. 

I can obviously discuss more details with you, but first I wanted to find out if this is something you'd be interested in.

If so, would it be okay if I sent you a few numbers to give you an idea of how it would work? 

Brian Hood
456 Recordings, Owner
www.456recordings.com