1. Post the unique youbloom URL for your song EVERYWHERE

Post your unique youbloom song URL on Facebook, soundcloud, Twitter, in emails to friends, and anywhere else you can think of. This way people can come directly to your song page and Join/Vote. To find your URL - log in, go to My song entries and click on the song title.

2. Use Twitter for promotion

Get a buzz going about your song by using the integrated plugin on your song page.
Use the Twitter hashtag #ybma and our Tweetchat room to alert your followers/fans, get out the vote, and provide status updates on your progress. Fans want to know how you’re doing, so tell them often (and not just to ask for their votes).

3. Use Facebook for promotion

a. Use Facebook Events to invite friends to join youbloom and vote for your song. Have them invite their friends too. Send out reminders.
b. Ask all your friends on your Facebook account to Like your song page.
c. Upload to Facebook a screenshot of your youbloom song page and tag all your friends in it.
d. Make all of your content shareable outside of Facebook. If you have a website or a blog then have your designer include share and Like buttons.
e. Use Facebook chat. Open a chat window, see who is online and let them know what you’re doing on youbloom. Don’t be shy. Ask if they can help you get the word out.
f. Set up Bandpage, iLike, and YouTube tabs on your Facebook page.
g. Get a buzz going about your song by using the integrated plugin on your song page.

4. Use youbloom graphic badges to grab attention

Use our graphic badges on your blog and Facebook page to let your fans know to find you on youbloom.

5. Create a YouTube channel and upload your songs

Create a video which promotes your song and asks people to vote for you. It should include detailed instructions so they don't have to think or try too hard.

6. Connect with journalists and radio stations

To get more attention at the professional level, identify local journalists and radio stations and ask them to write an article or arrange an interview. Every town and city has a music champion. Find out who they are and contact them.

7. Perform on the street

Bring flyers, business cards, CDs, and an email signup sheet so people can keep track of you.
You'll be surprised by how supportive people are to street musicians.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you get any necessary permits for performing in public.

8. Create incentives for your fans to vote for your song

More people will vote if they have a chance of being rewarded for voting. Offer the following for example: "If you vote, take a screenshot of your vote, post it up on your Facebook and tag our name on it. We will email you a free copy of the song." Not only does that show you they’ve voted, it shows other people that your band is hot stuff. People love to join in when they see people getting attention. Make it easy for them to be a part of that crowd!

If you're playing a gig, use song Dropcards with a free song or two and a link to the contest and your song. Or use CDs with a few free songs. Exchange this freebie for your fan's email address, then you will have met each person on your list personally.

9. Build and send to your email list

Send reminders to your fans on ReverbNation, MySpace, and your email list. Sign up to a free or professional email marketing company (e.g. Constant Contact) and send a professional newsletter asking fans for their votes. Make it funny and engaging.

10. Play gigs

Play at a local college pub or club and generate a buzz that carries over into actual votes during the gig. People feel a stronger bond when they actually see the artist performing in front of them. Identify venues you like in your local area, and get to know who books shows. Reach out to other bands/artists who have performed there to get to know who to talk to, and who to avoid.

11. Hand out cards to everyone you meet

Include your details and the URL for your song entries. Some companies will print hundreds of business cards for free, (they'll just place a little advertisement for themselves on the back). See: Vistaprint, Swift2Print.ie, printing.ie, uprinting.com, among others.

12. Use ReverbNation to promote your song

ReverbNation has a lot of widgets that you can use to get your fans to spread the word, and to help you easily move your songs around the Web. It also allows you to collect email addresses from your fans and send them a newsletter.

13. Keep getting votes

The votes shown on the Current vote leaders page are subject to analysis once voting has finished to remove any improper voting. This means that the number of votes can change before the winners are announced. So regardless of your current rank, keep getting your friends and fans to vote for your song. For more information, see our rules.

14. Enter more than one song

You can enter one song in each heat. By entering more than one song in the Music Awards, you also give the youbloom staff and judges a better picture of you as an artist.

Here's one success story!

Neev: "The worst week and the best week of my life"
Neev Kennedy, the winner of the 2010 youbloom Song Contest (now Music Awards), didn't leave anything to chance. Her father Joe took four days off work and the family campaigned, signing up neighbors, friends, and online buddies to the site. Neev even spent a day in the local supermarket with her laptop and a mobile broadband dongle getting people to vote on the spot.