How to Become a Jingle Writer
A jingle writer is a music and lyrics writer who composes for products and services advertised on radio and television. Like the soundtrack for a movie, a jingle must fit the product/service advertised and emphasize its key qualities, style, mood, feeling and overall experience connected with the purchase and use of the product.
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Instructions
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Know your music. You have to be a skilled musician, composer and lyricist. This doesn't mean you must have a musical degree or have studied classical music. It means you have to know how to translate into music (and often words) what the client wants in order to sell the product. Become comfortable with your music and lyrics writing skills so you can think and produce quickly. If the client gives you notes and wants changes, implement them rapidly and with quality, or suggest alternatives and sell the client on them. With today's technology and software, the alternatives to produce a good jingle are many and are more flexible in terms of choices.
If you have a good ear and are gifted when it comes to music but you don't read or write music you will benefit by learning how. There are several courses (online or otherwise) and books that can get you going.
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Know your relationships. A jingle writer is a creative artist to sell a product. Know how to relate to the client who might hire you, and maintain a good relationship so she will continue to hire you. Find your relationship to the product in order to write something that will sell it. Know how to relate to and reach the audience for which the product is destined. Know how to collaborate with the other creatives who will help you create and produce the jingle in time for the deadline.
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Know your lyrics. Often, the music writer is the same person as the lyrics writer. Many times, the lyrics (or a sentence of them) are provided by the client. If you also write the lyrics, you must be able to write them well and to the point, capturing the essence of the product/service, the style, the slogan, the mood, the feeling and the experience while producing the quality that is perfect for the target market.
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Promote yourself. Especially at the beginning, the more people who know about you, the more work you'll get. And work begets work. Write spec jingles for products that you have an affinity for or that you think aren't marketed properly. Then reach the owner of the company or the marketing team and set up an appointment to present your jingle with obligation. Take the meeting and perform the jingle with all the presentation aids you think will the owner see the quality of your jingle. Be tactful but be honest in expressing why you think your jingle will work better than the current one. Be open to hearing his input, and be prepared to improvise on the spot based on his suggestions. Show him you are a creative professional. These steps will help you book work and have a profitable and fulfilling career, blending creativity and business/marketing skills.
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Tips & Warnings
As an artist, a creative person, a writer, continuously nurture your creativity with courses, reading and anything that adds to your skills and feeds your talent.
As a businessperson, understand the market (your clients and the clients of their products) and stay up to date and informed.
