By now you’ve gotten your music website and blogging platform setup, or are still in the preproduction process. (Planning and Preparation)

Hopefully you’ve also explored the neighborhood of your niche, locally-and/or globally, through some effective market research to have identified the Cornerstone Content you are going to create as the foundation for your blog.

Though the larger body of cornerstone content can be created later, one of the first pieces of content I advise you to create if you are following our training system and methodologies-is what we call your Fan Magnet.

It is just what it seems. A piece of pillar content every artist or musician in the modern world should work on as hard as they do their music. It's apart of the foundation for successfully building a community of loyal fans and patrons of your brand.

Getting your Fan Magnet right is how you'll begin to attract rather than promote.

Your Fan Magnet, is one of the most important pieces of content you are going to create to build your fan base directly-because it is the front end ice-breaker, or the featured piece of content that will be introducing or further inviting potential fans to get to know you and your content.

Your Fan Magnet, Opt-in Incentive, Free Gift, Bribe-whatever you want to call it, is the piece of content responsible for turning visitors into subscribers. For converting possible fans into potential fans-more precisely. This is an important first impression your fans and potentials will have of you-so you want to put a lot of love into your Fan Magnet!

How Artists Get More Fans

It's the primary tool we use to build your database for your new releases and product launch campaigns, and is how you can perpetually bring new potential fans into your Fan Relationship Database on autopilot-once you create it, along with the front end of your Music Marketing System.

This is the first level in your Fan Engagement Elevator.

It is the initial entrance into your Relationship Database, and your Music Marketing System.

It's the meat of your primary Fan Experience Pathway. (FEP #1)

You will offer your Fan Magnet in exchange for your potential fans name, email address and zip code-if you like.

Remember though, that the more form fields you include at the opt-in stage, the lower your ratio of converting subscribers will become. Also, many places across the world don't have zip codes-and some people will actually be annoyed or even offended that you asked for one.

How To Create the Perfect Fan Magnet for your Tribe:

In short, you do it by creating something irresistible to your potential fans!

Something specific that talks DIRECTLY to your target audience and incentivizes them to sign up.

Both the MESSAGE, and the CONTENT, need to be tailored to attract your Perfect Fan Profile.

Here’s How You Can Determine What That is For You:

Ask yourself the following questions...

1. what is my audience/perfect fan mostly interested in about what i do?

2. what would my audience love me for?

3. what does my audience really want?

4. what does my audience truly desire?

5. if i could personally take my perfect fan by the hand, and show them around my world and deliver the most authentic experience of what i'm all about what would that look like? write it out like a movie scene-be vivid and detailed.

What Can I Create and Give Away to Attract and Convert More Fans?

In many cases, it can be put together out of content you’ve already created. Of course it can be anything that you can deliver digitally. You can be as creative as you like. Some most common examples include.

• Your Music/Art

• Exclusive Content

• Videos/Documentary/Behind the scenes

• EBook/Report/Articles

• Audios/Podcasts/Interviews

• Resource pages

• Your Time (Skype sessions, google hangout, etc.)

• Anything else that you can imagine!

It's really up to you and what best represents you and your message!

How Is My New Fan Give-away Best Delivered:

Next you'll need to determine how it is best delivered to your potential new fan and tribal member.

A popular and very easy format is something downloadable-such as a Mp3's, or PDF's with Links inside. Another option is video. Some Artists choose and prefer audio... You should ask yourself, what format is this piece of content best delivered and consumed? How about asking your audience directly?

You should think about it from the perspective of your perfect fan who is going to be consuming it. The easiest way to test that is to go directly to the source!

How To Set It Up:

After you create the content, the easiest way to set this up is to put an "Opt-in Box" into the sidebar of your blog by copying and pasting a snippet of code generated by your email service provider.

This will show up on your site as that famous name and email box with some text above and/or below the form fields.

You just simply attach the link to the download page or members area in the “Thank You” or “Welcome Email“ which can be accessed and edited in your Email Marketing Service Providers account.

The Key To Creating a Fan Magnet Ready For Prime Time:

1. Doing the needed research to determine what will really engage and build an emotional bond between you and your perfect fans.

2. Deciding what kind of product to create and what format to deliver it in.

3. Connecting it to the rest of your primary Fan Experience Pathway (FEP #1) and Music Marketing System to ensure you followup and build on the relationship for the long term.

4. Focusing on emotional value and content as well as authentic communication-rather than production value and technical aspects! Remember it's about delivering the EXPERIENCE of your content for your fans!

OK, And Then Am I All Done?

Yes and No!

You cannot just create a Fan Magnet and then never do anything again...

It's a mistake I see a lot of artists and musicians make. They put all this work and effort into this one piece or project and then for whatever reason don't fully follow up or follow through. There are of course many reasons for this, many of which I've experienced myself, but please, remember to complete the mission!

Remember rule #5 of the GAME. One Mission at a time, from the bottom to the top-not the other way around.

As we like to say, stick to the G-Code!

You start with one Fan Magnet, one Fan Experience Pathway, (one Sequence or Fan Engagement Cycle as we call it) and then you refine it until you have it dialed in and honed to excellence...!

But, and here's the best part...

Then you do it all over again!

That's what we call the Fan Engagement Cycle. Connect, Overdeliver, Receive, then Elevate the relationship to the next level.

The whole purpose of the Fan Magnet is to attract and generate more fans. The whole purpose of the primary Fan Experience Pathway, and the Music Marketing System as a whole is to bring your audience CLOSER to you, to engage with them, to build a relationship, and become apart of their lives as well as give them the opportunity to come along the journey of your music career!

We start off with one, and eventually we create an entire interconnected set of Fan Experience Pathways called your Music Marketing System that leverages what technology could and should be doing for your career. So that you can be automatically be generating and developing your fans and relationship database WHILE spending more of your time on your Main Moves (Core Focus Activities) like creating and connecting!

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Mission: Create and Install Your Fan Magnet into Your Music Marketing System

Step 1 - Brainstorm & Create Your Fan Magnet by going through the above exercises.

Step 2 - Determine the format it would best be delivered in, and create it.

Step 3 - Create your opt-in form through your commercial email service provider and setup your Opt-in Box connected to your Fan Magnet on your website so that it automatically gets delivered when someone fills out that form and hits the subscribe button.

Step 4 - Test it to make sure it works smoothly, and delivers all the goods properly-from start to finish.

Any questions or concerns be sure to add them in the comments below and i'll try to keep this material clear, simple, and updated for everyone.

Please add your voice to the conversation and tell us about your first Fan Magnet, and feel free to post a link to where we can check it out!