Writing Help Wanted Ads

Besides your lyrics and music, this may be one of the most important things you write. Here are a few tips on how to write an effective ad that hopefully will get the results you desire.

FIND THE BEST NEWSPAPER FOR YOUR AD

If you are in a community with a thriving music scene, chances are you have a local paper that caters to the local music community. This is usually your underground paper, but in some areas, there may be a private music newspaper or magazine as well. Ask around and try to find where these can be obtained (they are usually free, but only handed out in a few places), and when, because these usually get snatched up quickly. Here in Austin, they also offer them free in the lobby of their office building, so this is a good place to go if you can never seem to get one before they are all gone. In many cases, as in our local underground, they also have an online version of their paper, and you can actually place your ads online as well-the addy is usually mentioned somewhere in the body of the paper, as well as in the want ads.

If you don't have an underground, chances are you do have a local paper that has a help wanted section that has an Entertainers section for you to put your ad into. If they do, take this route, and not place your ad under General Employment where it will just get lost. If this is your only paper, this will do, but if there are two of them, try to find which one has the best music scene section-chances are you will have picked the one that is best to place your ad. If this isn't apparent, though, you might just pick the one that seems to have the most ads in your category...there is probably a reason more people pick this paper over the other one or ones.

WRITE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE

If you are looking for people in a certain genre, make sure to speak your lingo. Give specifics of the style you are seeking, and, if you have room-mention a band or solo artist, if you can, who exemplifies your style. If you want to make sure you get younger or more mature artists or need experience, say this plainly, or you will get a lot of folks calling who are wasting your as well as their time. If you want them to know theory, try to show what parts are important for you-can they read color marks, know different modes on request, and so forth. Know the name of the style or styles of music you hope to create with these people, and try to use those terms somewhere in your ad. If you want people who can work percussively, or melodically, be clear about this if at all possible. Ask for the positions you are looking for correctly, too-if you want a fellow composer or if they should just be sidemen, insert this as well, so it is clear from the beginning what expectations are, to keep from bruising or stressing folks out later on.

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