Quartet #25: How to Raise Your Rates, Words to Avoid in Messaging and More!
Hello, strangers!
It has been a hot minute. This spring has been a bit much in the life department to say the least.
I am trying to get back on the horse on a few fronts (like this newsletter!) while also being patient with myself while I continue to deal with some stuff.
I know I would tell a TEM Coaching client to be kind to themselves and give themselves space. But it's hard to follow your own advice sometime!
Anyways, thank you for your patience.
And without further ado, here are this week's ideas...
Quartet of the Week
1. How to Raise Your Rates This post is actually two different lists: Five signs that you should raise your rates and six best practices to raising your rates the right way.
I keep telling you on TEM that you should raise your rates because it is almost certain that you should!
But there's something to be said for a post like this one that breaks down exactly how to do it. It is a very actionable list.
2. 10 Words to Avoid in Your Messaging Writing good copy, whether in a pitch email or on a sales page on a website, is critically important.
This list is a great place to start when trying to tighten up your messaging and stand out from the seemingly limitless options out there. 3. A Moving Video About a "Magic" Marker
The message of this YouTube video is why I included it. The marker becomes magical when you keep using it.
But this is also a great example of making art that stands out. The messaging combines with the cartoons in a way that is immediately memerable.
And as I've stated over and over again, the biggest threat to musicians in 2023 is blending in. Standing out is the only viable path forward.
Not sure I'd be sharing this if it was just someone talking about the same message. Or rather, I don't think it ever would have made my radar in the first place.
4. The Creative Sweet Spot Between Likeability and Novelty
This is a brief marketing post about all of the crazy flavors of Oreos they have trotted out over the last five years.
Caramel Apple? Candy Corn? Fruit Punch??
You'll just have to trust me that this is related to your career as an entrepreneurial musician. It is worth the click simply for the likeability/novelty chart. That one illustration hits on so much of what I try to talk about in TEM!
This Week in TEM
Hard to believe that TEM is knocking on the door of the Episode 300! TEM299 is about how suffering is often voluntary, a lesson I need to be reminded of!
My Final Thought of the Week
Here's a quote to send you on your way:
“If you don't value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know and start charging for it.”
—Kim Garst
I've been trying to be on a gratitude kick of late and this quote from the always amazing Maya Angelou is just wonderful.
There are some days when I don't take the time to cultivate gratitude. And as an entrepreneurial musician with a portfolio career, I can sometimes tend to focus on what I haven't gotten done rather than what I have. I can also focus on my failures rather than my successes.
But reading a quote like this one makes me realize that today is the only day I'm ever going to get to experience this day and that makes everything slow down just a little bit.
Here's to taking it all in along the way!
Cheers,
Andrew
The Entrepreneurial Musician
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