Finding songwriter jobs has become increasingly difficult in our technology-obsessed, connectivity-crazy society. It’s harder than ever to find someone who doesn’t have access to the internet or cell phones.

As more people use the web for everything from banking to shopping to staying connected with family, it becomes less common to find businesses that don’t offer at least one of these services.

This is particularly true when it comes to music. Almost everyone now has access to music making software like GarageBand or Spotify, as well as an online store account where they can purchase songs or album bundles.

It was once considered normal to write your own lyrics and then hire a musician to help you put them into sound! Now, almost anyone can pick up the phone and make their own song, if they feel so inclined.

The rise of the musical amateur has made it much tougher for professionals to earn a living doing what they love. This article will go over some ways to keep yourself busy while looking for work as a songwriter.

Build a good reputation

As mentioned before, being a great writer does not make you rich. Becoming well-known as a songwriter comes more from how people perceive you than your own talent. Your success depends mostly on what other people think of you!

How can you get others to believe in you? By posting quality writing online or publishing your work where others will see it. Create free accounts on all sorts of sites like YouTube, SoundCloud, and VUStor so that everyone has access to you.

Maintaining these profiles is also important since most online communities have their own guidelines for writers. Make sure to keep yourself organized by using an easy to remember username and password.

Making friends who are involved in music is another way to boost your name. Finding people in the industry is much easier done than done, but there are many ways to do this. You could start with social media, forums, and meetups.

Find the right place to submit to

Finding the right music industry site to pitch your songs is very important. Most sites have different submission types for artists to try out as writers or producers. Some may even offer you a spot as an intern, or full writer positions!

It’s hard to know which sites are going to be friendly to independent songwriters, so don’t waste your time submitting to those that aren’t.

Instead, focus on establishing solid writing relationships first by contributing to their blogs and social media pages. By offering them content they can use, you will gain access to their audience, which is key for getting heard.

Once you do get into the music business, there are several ways to approach pitching. You can do it via email, in person, through social channels, or even using a third-party tool.

But no matter what method you choose, always be sure to put effort into your presentation.

Submit to a lot of places

As we have discussed before, being published is one of the most important things you can do as a songwriter. But while publishing your work is great way to get exposure for your songs, it is not the only way to earn money from your music.

In fact, there are several other ways to make money writing songs! These include submitting your material to be covered by another artist, producing your own songs, and performing them yourself.

All of these require you to write new songs, but some less so than others. For example, recording your own songs or producing your own tracks requires just an adequate knowledge of music technology.

As does singing – if you’re comfortable with that!

Submitting your work also does not necessarily mean paid work. Many artists need content they can use for their YouTube channel or Spotify playlist. Yours might be their next big hit!

So how can you find more opportunities to put your pen to paper (or computer keyboard)? There are many websites and applications which offer up rewards for writers. Some pay per review while others have rounds where participants are compensated according to a set budget per task completed.

Follow up after submitting

The next step in getting exposure for your song writing is following through with what you submitted. Once you send out an application, it’s hard to forget about it. So make sure you follow up within a couple days- even if you don’t get accepted into anything!

Calling back or sending an email can be done via their website or form as well. If you are contacted by another producer, agency, or label, they might ask you to do some work for them or to contribute towards creating their new album.

Producers, A&Rs, and other music industry professionals will almost always welcome you with a call or message, so stay engaged.

If you got no response, there’s not much more you can do than move onto the next person. Don’t take it personally — most people get lots of applications and hardly anyone ever replies.

Tell your friends about it

Now that you have done some of the hard work by developing your writing skills, it’s time to get those words out there! While all writers should definitely market themselves, songwriters can make an even bigger splash.

Some people may feel that music is just so beautiful or infectious that they cannot help but want to listen to it. Others might associate how well musicians write their songs with how well they self-publish their own material.

So, why not go one step further? Why don’t you take what you know and put it into practice by offering your services as a songwriter? You could offer your services for free (or very little money) if you wanted to gain exposure, or you could charge nominal fees per piece. It really comes down to your personal goals and what kind of feedback you desire.

Connect on social media

One of the best ways to get into song writing is by networking! There are so many opportunities for you to connect with other writers through different mediums like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more.

By interacting with others in the music industry, you will be exposed to different styles of songs as well as tips and tricks that professional writers have.

Do not lie

As mentioned before, writing your own songs is hard! If you are trying to get into songwriting by creating your own songs, then lying about what you know or what skill level you have in music will cost you.

Many aspiring writers start out as “facilitators” of the creative process. They edit other people’s material and help them polish their lyrics or work with publishers to write new material. This can be very helpful if you are both skilled at editing others’ material and knowing how to bring out the best in someone else’s.

However, it is important to remember that talent does not come easily for most people. It takes years to develop your skills and talents, so while you may want to facilitate the creative process for someone, you must make sure that you do not being taking advantage of the person.

If you are ever asked to write a poem or lyric yourself, read this article first to ensure that you are not plagiarizing or using inappropriate language. You do not need to tell anyone that you are self-taught, but making up stories about having an advanced degree in art or literature will hurt your chances of getting hired.

Be honest

As mentioned before, being authentic is one of the most important things for your songwriter career to thrive. If you are not putting in the effort into developing your music talent, then why should people give you money for your work?

You must believe in yourself first if no one else does. Plus, it can be hard to trust someone who isn’t fully invested in their own success. It may even make them feel insecure which could negatively affect their productivity.

So, be confident in what you know and be straightforward with how you want to achieve your goals. Don’t try to impress others with how talented you are unless you really are!

Another way to be more successful as a musician is to learn from other artists and get education or certification in music theory, performance, recording, etc. While none of us will ever truly understand all there is to know about music, having at least some knowledge under our belts makes us seem more professional-looking.

And while it might cost a little money, investing in your musical growth now will save you time and money later.