Meet Amy Schmittauer.

Most of us in the music and creative business space are seeing more and more videos in our social news feeds.

Why is that?

One big reason is video’s ability to build engagement.

We’re naturally drawn to the power of moving visual and audio media.

This is especially true when people are present in the videos.

That’s the power that Amy Schmittauer shows us how to excel at.

I was not aware of how excellent Amy’s work is as a video blog coach.

That is until my friend Chandler Coyle pointed me to a video she did that talked about the power of radio for musicians.

Her reference points are more in the pop realm of radio airplay, but the points she makes are spot on.

In this example alone, we can see how the power of effective communication through video can convert people into becoming not only fans, but tribesmen.

This video is how I first saw her work.

Is it a How-To for getting radio airplay? NO.

She’s talking about how getting your music in front of radio should be the first thing you think of when you think of marketing because it’s a natural fit.

That’s completely true. Check it out:

Amy’s site is full of her numerous videos, all showcasing ways to grow your audience using the power of video.

I wanted to connect with her to learn more about her story. To get her insights into how to take this platform of video production and translate it into the DIY music space, and build a dialogue.

Her helpful personality isn’t just something on the screen. It’s who she is  (authenticity is a key to building a solid core audience of superfans in any realm).

Does she talk about doing things in a digital space to build a big audience? Yes.

Does that go against the grain for Relationship Growth Farming? No.

Here’s why: All of Amy’s content is about creating content for an audience you want to build a connection with.

She talks about doing something from the perspective of the person you want to reach.

This is EXACTLY the Relationship Growth Farming Method

If you hear her talking about “mainstream” media or marketing in this piece, don’t ignore her words altogether. Because she’s still talking to you and an indie/DIY person. She’s talking about all of us. We need to look at how we can present our

There are some really insightful and strong pieces of advice that Amy shares in this podcast episode (download and stream via iTunes, Stitcher, and Spreaker).

Among them are how to focus on being consistent with your videos instead of trying to start out with the best equipment.

From my days back in the university world of media and journalism, I worked with a lot of young people starting their media experience.  They would hold off starting to work on their dreams of making videos until they got the best gear.

Then they’d spend a fortune on gear that sat in a closet unused.

Amy’s wisdom and advice here to start with what you have is spot on

One key (very BIG key) that she points out repeatedly is something that’s covered extensively in The DIY Musician’s Radio Handbook. Your focus with your marketing and engagement methods must be on the person you want to reach.

Think about what matters to them. This is your tribe of superfans, your core audience we’re talking about. What do these people care the most about? How can you serve their interests?

By making your end-user your focus, you will not only stand out, but you will find that the right people are magnetized to you.

“No one’s thinking about what the end user really wants, they just put out what they want to put out, and that’s NOT how you get people to like you.”

Amy Schmittauer goes beyond just talking about how to make videos that people want to see. She’s a master at building engagement.

It’s not enough to just make a video that has you playing your song, or acting out drama for a music video. The audio element is key too.

As Amy puts it, “Audio will kill your video. If it’s not good audio or it’s windy, or it’s crackly, no one’s going to watch that video.”

Everything we do to growth farm our audience involves a process of building trust and relationships.

Flash-in-the-pan methods of getting attention are short-lived

They don’t create the connection and growth that we need as creatives to have sustainable careers. For musicians, media feature is a big part of this journey. Because it builds upon the trust that the listener has with the media platform they tune into.

“We want to say things a certain way but our audience is not going to understand it until they know, like, and trust us and want to go down that path with us. I think musicians and radio speak to that because if you see somebody come out on the radio, a lot of times it’s because they’ve been working really hard and finally come out with an album or a single track that’s perfect for radio in a popular nature. That’s the thing that gets them the exposure and the eyeballs and the influence and then the second album comes out and it’s like ‘I want to know who this guy is.’” -Amy Schmittauer

This is a realm of engagement I’m working on too, concerning the video. I’m doing more and more of it, particularly on Youtube and Instagram.

It’s important for us to learn more about what actions we can take to get our messages out to the right people who are wanting and needing us.

Amy’s insights here are a great resource for that. Follow her on Youtube to gain more insights into effective video production for growth and great tips on being successful in this creative space.

What do you think?

Author Bio: Hi, I’m D Grant Smith, the Relationship Growth Farmer.

Professionally I help people grow in confidence, have healthy and strong relationships, and heal from heartbreak to attract True Love.

Grow more in what I’ve presented here with a deeper teaching on what real Love is in this free masterclass.