5 Free Ways to Get New Students

Hey Music Teachers...

​Are you in desperate need of new students NOW?

​​It's that time of year!

Don't freak out too much if you're losing students right now but having a hard time gaining...

Parents and kids are getting adjusted to their back-to-school schedules right now.
​They want to get situated BEFORE they reach out to you for lessons. 

In the meantime, let's get rolling on getting those who ARE ready in your studio, as well as keep reminding everyone else. :)

These are some of my tried and true methods for consistently bringing in students.

We didn't pay for advertising our studio for the first 4 years we were open (outside of the road signs you’ll read about below) because our organic advertising was so dialed in.

I want to give you a fairly comprehensive list of different ways that you can market your studio and bring in more students for music lessons.

All of these are going to be either FREE or fairly inexpensive.

There are 5 different ideas here ranging from Social Media to Local Marketing and everything in between.
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1. Schedule FB and Instagram posts promoting music lessons at your studio.

Let’s start simple.

You hopefully already have a Facebook and Instagram page and already post on it.

We are going to schedule those posts so that you can focus on other things.

If you can post on your Facebook page, you can schedule posts. There is a little button next to the post button that looks like a clock. Push that and then select the schedule.

If you need help figuring out what to post, grab the Music School Facebook Calendar.
It will tell you exactly what to post on your Facebook Page 365 days a year. 

Scheduled Facebook Posts Quick Tips:

• Start with 3-5 scheduled posts per week.

• One post out of every 3-5 should be a Direct Marketing Post where you talk about what you do and how people can sign up for it. Don’t be cute. Be DIRECT and OBVIOUS.

• Share pics, videos, and testimonials of your students. People want to see what it’s like to be part of your studio!

• Share content and ask questions specifically for engagement on your posts. You want people to interact with you and your posts.

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2. Advertise music lessons in your local FB Community Groups.

While it will depend on your area, most places have Facebook Community Groups that you can post in for free.

You want to search for these groups on Facebook.

Type in your city and then select ‘groups’ from the tabs at the top. But don’t stop there.

Type in surrounding cities. Type in your counties or other areas.

Personally, we have dozens of Facebook groups in our area.

I think there are 60+ that we can post in regularly and they are a great source of regular inquiries!

Almost all of ours are business friendly, but some only allow businesses to post once each week or once each month.

Make sure that you check out the rules and follow them.

If you don’t have Community Groups or they aren’t business friendly, you can either start one for your area or focus on Facebook ads.

If you just starting your studio, a new type of music class, or moving to a new area, this is a GREAT way to get some new contacts! Simply do an "I'm thinking of..." post.

"Hey small town! I am thinking of starting a piano school! What do you think? Would this be something you or someone you know would be interested in?"

"Hey! I'm Maddie from Maddie's Music in Smithtown. Our school is thinking of offering a music class for newborns - 12 month olds! Interested?"

(Don't forget to post pics of yourself in these!)


Facebook Community Group Quick Tips:

• Share new groups and offerings. Be direct and be sure to include a link or phone number to tell them how to sign up.

• Share posts from your page that will boost engagement and get people talking. You want people to see your studio name and start to associate good things with it.

• Try to post and interact in the groups as a normal member too. It helps if people see you as part of the group and not just someone selling stuff.

• Split up your community groups and try to post in a few every day. That way you can constantly be marketing but not doing it to the same people each day.

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3. Put videos of you teaching or showcasing your music school on TikTok.

This one is often overlooked by Music Teachers, but you need to re-think this one! 

TSC Member Matt is a pro at it and did a workshop for Music Teachers back in June.

You can purchase the workbook and replay of the TikTok Workshop here. 

While Facebook and Instagram's older audience is growing (ages 45 - 65) Millenials and Gen Z are scrolling less and relying more on the platforms for the messenger app...

That means if your ideal students are school aged, those kids AND their parents (early 20's - 30's) are on TikTok.


TikTok Quick Tips: 

• Figure out who your ideal student is and post videos you think THEY would like to see. 

• Be quirky, entertaining and approachable. 

• Use your TikTok account strictly for promoting your studio. If you want to use TikTok for personal use and follow different things, make a separate TikTok account for that so the algorithm for your studio's tiktok stays aligned with attracting your ideal students.
  

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4. Email your CURRENT Music Students.

Nothing will EVER beat word of mouth in our business. If you have a studio full of happy and engaged students (and I’m sure that you do, because YOU ARE AWESOME) then you have a network of people ready to help you.

Your students have:

• Parents
• Siblings
• Friends
• People they go to school or church with
• People they play sports with
• Moms that talk to other moms about their kids’ activities

So, it’s time to use this!

On the simplest level you can just send an email letting them know that you are looking to grow your studio and wanted to see if they knew of anyone interested in lessons. Make it easy by extending an offer or flyer for them to give to friends.

Emails to Current Students Quick Tips: 
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• Individual emails work better than group emails, even if they are a little more work. Just copy/paste most of the email and add in some personal details.

• Do this a few times each year. And also follow up in person. People just need to be reminded. They want to help.

• Create an offer or referral program. We just dug out some old referral cards: Free registration for new students ($50 value) and a gift card for the student that refers them. We've had lackluster results with referral programs, but other studios have seen great results. 

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5. Email your FORMER Music Students and ALL of those who have EVER inquired about Music Lessons!

You want me to reach out to the students that quit?

AND those who never responded to my emails or told me they weren't going to sign up?

Absolutely I do.

Students often quit because they plateau and get bored or because something interests them more, like soccer.

Some parents who ghost you after inquiring about lessons are STILL interested too! They just got busy...

But kids change their mind ALL THE TIME, and parents need to be REMINDED that you offer lessons and have availability.

For former students you can send a nice email checking in to see how they're doing, but the "9 Word Email" is GOLD to send all former and potential students...

"Hey Parent! 
Is Student still interested in music lessons?"

Emails to Former and Potential Students Quick Tips: 
​

• Individual emails work better than group emails, even if they are a little more work.

• Do this a few times each year. And also follow up in person. People just need to be reminded. They want to help.

• Don't add anything to the 9 word email! The more you add, the less responses you'll get. 
• You'll get some "no's," and that's ok! Some will be "Not right now," so you'll know to check back in. You'll get some "yes" answers too!​​

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Want more info or help?

1. Start gathering more potential students/parents on your mailing list with this lead magnet.

Students all over the US, Canada, and Europe are getting ready to go back to school. 

If you teach school-aged kids, this is a great done-for-you infographic you can give away in exchange for parent's contact info. 

Help your local parents out now, then email them later about music lessons! 

Give me the Free Guide

2. Grab the TikTok Course and FB Music School Calendar!

Social Media changes so quickly! It can be hard to keep up with what to post, and how to advertise you and your studio. 

Click here to learn how to grow your audience and get new students on TikTok.

Click here to grab the FB Music School Calendar to attract more followers on your FB and Instagram pages, and draw them into lessons. 
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3. Get Personalized coaching for YOUR Music School!

We're now accepting new one-on-one coaching clients and TSC Members! 

Get help growing and simplifying your music school NOW. 

Apply now for a free consultation. 

Apply Now