Hi, it’s Caitlin.
A lot of campaigns start the same way: the announcement date’s set, the excitement’s high, and somewhere in the chaos you realise you’re missing half the basics. Photos scattered across text threads. No working link in bio until two weeks out. Ads running with no pixel, so you can’t see what’s actually working.
Once you’ve been through it a few times, you start to see the pattern – it’s not that the marketing didn’t work, it’s that the foundation wasn’t there. Without the right setup, even the best creative and biggest budget is fighting uphill.
Here’s the baseline I think every project – artist, venue, festival, whatever – should have in place before you put money or time into promotion.
1. Centralised assets
An easy-to-find folder with your current bio, press shots, logo, and key links. No digging through emails or group chats.
2. One channel you own
A mailing list, SMS list, or both. Somewhere you can reach your audience directly without relying on algorithms.
3. Ad account + tracking
A Meta Ads Manager (not just boosting posts) and a working pixel or equivalent tracking set up on your site, ticketing, or store. Even if you’re not running ads yet, you’re collecting data for when you do.
4. Link hub
A Linktree, website, or other single, updateable link with everything people need – tickets, music, merch – live from day one.
5. Clear timeline
Key dates mapped out: announce, on-sale, reminders, content drops. If multiple people are involved, share it.
6. Shared access
Make sure the right people have the logins and permissions they need. Nothing slows a launch faster than being locked out.
This isn’t the exciting part of marketing – but it’s the part that makes everything else easier. It stops you from wasting time (and budget) on last-minute fixes and lets you focus on the stuff that actually moves the needle.
What would you add to this list? Or, if you’ve been caught without one of these before, what’s the one thing you wish you’d set up earlier?
Yours in groundwork,
Caitlin xx