RJ45's WYLFWT.com Recruiting Guide

Oh, wow, RJ45 reveals his secrets! OOOOO!

A few of my Team Members have been curious as if I would check "insert so and so" out. I leave it open to ANY WYLFWT.com Member, whether actual Team Member or not, to recruit anybody for the website.

When you do this kind of recruiting, some people don't know how to approach it. Pretty considering this website has no budget whatsoever, how do you get people to give you freedom to use their works for free. Well, I can say, it wasn't easy, but there are certain things you get down to a science. Some people shoot too high...WAY TOO HIGH.

First of all, the easiest away to approach someone, UNFORTUNATELY, is through MySpace. It is slightly less invasive than actual email. They can block you if they want to...but most people are really just starving artists.

One thing to remember, and this is something I always think of. We are handling someone's...well...life's work. Their whole lives have been poured into this terrific creation they have worked on. We get to help promote it and spread the word. It is very important that we do it with class and style the only way we know how.

Okay, now onto some of the tips I have picked up.

BANDS - Particularly, MySpace Bands

Couple of things you should pay attention to...

[list]Are their mp3s downloadable? If they are, chances are they want you to share them.

Are they signed to a label? This is big. Who knows what kind of contracts they have with these indie labels. The best thing to look for is "NO LABEL." They want the exposure![/list]

Yes, I know that not every band follows this formula and they might kill me reading this because they don't fit the criteria I posted and would love the exposure...but hey, you know what they say about rotten apples. The bottom line is, I've wasted time and energy going against this criteria and burned almost 90% of the time.

This is the typical message I send...

Code:
"Hi, my name is (insert name). I am from (insert town). I (insert flattering comment about music).
I especially liked the song (insert favorite song). I am apart of this website, WYLFWT.com (Would
You Like Fries With That?). I was wanting to know if it would be okay if we added (insert band name)
to our website, in an effort of mine to help spread the word!

Thanks!

(Insert your name)"

There are bots that send out these kinds of messages to people. If you insert the name of a song, they know that you aren't a bot and that you really did check out their music. Of course, put it in your own words, but that is an idea. Its worked for me 98% of the time. Also, I am sure to put what WYLFWT stands for because some people go crazy trying to figure it out

Also, if you know a band member, or a friend of a friend of a cousin whose has a friend of a roommmate...it makes it THAT much easier, seriously.

Don't make it too wordy. That's important. Too the point is what people like. Otherwise, they might think they are geting into a committment...which, at this stage in our growth, is not completely neccessary. The ones that are committed will shine through and have.

WEBCOMICS

When you get into artwork, for some reason, it gets more tricky. The first thing you should know is that you have to find out if WYLFWT.com is bigger than they are. People bigger than we are are pretty selective about where their work goes, and they would rather want royalties. AHHH!

#1 - Are they just apart of a community like MySpace or do they also host a .com? If they are JUST apart of MySpace, go ahead and message them. If they have a .com, go to Alexa.com. Click on "traffic rankings" and search for their .com. Search for WYLFWT's as well. As of 07.30 we are at 1,746,608. If they are ranked lower (or only above us by 100,000)...or you get "No Data Available"...message or email them!

Code:
"Hi, my name is (Insert Name). I am apart of a website called WYLFWT.com (Would You Like Fries With
That?).

I really enjoyed (insert name of WebComic). (Insert Brief Commentary on why you liked it).

WYLFWT.com is a website devoted to creativity with comedy, music, videos, fiction, poetry, and much
more. we run a WebComic daily on the website and are always looking to expand what we offer. I was
wanting to know if they could use (Insert WebComic) once in awhile on the website. we would give
credit, obviously, and a link back to your website.

Either way, thanks for your time, keep up the great work, and I look forward to hearing from you!

(Your Name Here)"

"Expand what we offer"...for some reason it just makes us sound like a brand...which is cool. It is good to seem more important than we are!

ART

With artists trying to gain exposure, they love anything they can get.

You want a close to a guaranteed response?

#1 - Are they selling their art? If they are, message them. That's their living and business...and a business loves free positive advertising.

#2 - 3D artists seem to jump at that opportunity why. WHO KNOWS

Amateur digital artists that just do it for their spare time are a little bit harder, believe it or not. I don't know why! Thus far, any non-3D artist non-selling their art artist has given me the cold shoulder. Who knows, maybe I will get better at it. 8)

In the meantime, small-time professional/3D Hobby artists!

Code:
"Hello, my name is (insert name). I am apart of WYLFWT.com (Would You Like Fries With That?)

I stumbled upon your art through the endless void that is the Internet. I was very impressed and,
with your permission, would like to add a sampling of your art portfolio to my
website's art section. Obviously, credit and a link back would be given. It is my way of helping
spread the word about your art.

Either way, keep up the great work! "

Sampling is the best word. We need to give our visitors a reason to check out their website and possibly purchase their art.

You notice I put the word, "credit given." It seems as if some artists get burned on that pretty easily. I am all about credibility and integrity. Artists should be given the credit they deserve.

FICTION / FAN FICTION

This is the easiest...EASIEST, I TELLS YA!

Pretty much use a combination of the formulas above, and emphasize the words "Archive your fiction"...and if it is fan fiction, I tend to talk about the show/comic/whatever universe they are writing about.

Also, don't go blindly recruting fan fiction author if you aren't familiar with the universe. The reason is because they could be horrible with characterization and references...and you'd never know it until it gets a bad review. The mechanics and story-telling might be good, but everything else just might not...and that is important to the fan fiction community.

POETRY

I haven't done this because I haven't needed to. I have plenty of constant submissions, but I imagine going the same route as above helps. I will probably go ahead and give it a shot and post my results!

Anyway, hope this helps some of you! If you have a few pointers or feedback, I'd love it!