Putting together a demo reel is a very personal process for a lot of us.
We’re not only showcasing our music to potential clients but we’re showcasing the work that we think BEST represents our writing as a musician! 😅
And because of that, sometimes we lose focus on how much we should be sharing in this mini portfolio.
I know it might sting a little to hear but in the nicest way possible, clients don’t care about you…(not yet anyway.)
They care about how you can help them with their project!
That means it’s almost a guarantee that they’ll listen to the first few seconds of a track before deciding to move on to another!
So we have to keep that in mind when creating our demo reel.
How can you highlight your music in a way that catches their attention while showing off your skill?
First I want to point out that your demo reel is important but it’s likely not the thing that gets you work.
Yes, clients want to hear your music but they also want to know YOU!
And they’ll likely go to your social media profile to learn more about you. So be sure your reel and social accounts link to one another.
Your reel is just one extension of you. But then what exactly do you share to make it effective?
Remember, clients won’t listen to all of your music- Just what sticks out to them!
That means you need to keep your track titles a bit open ended!
It’s easy for us to immediately jump to creating clever track titles that we see in our favorite film scores.
But the key to an effective demo reel is to think like a potential client. What are they looking for?
Instead of coming up with titles that are specific to what YOU envision the music to be, leave them open for interpretation.
🎻 Emotional Strings
🦸 Triumphant Hero
📊 Corporate Ad
🪘 Tense Rhythms
By sharing descriptive words and maybe the type of instruments you’re using, the client will know which tracks to listen to because YOU’RE the one encouraging it!