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<p>Ryan Baustert, <a href="https://kit.com/resources/creator-stories/ryan-baustert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">like most musicians</a>, didn’t think about the business side of music when he first started booking gigs with his band Throw the Fight back in 2003.</p>
<p>Eighteen years later, they’ve sold 40,000 albums, have over 265,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, over 23,000 YouTube subscribers, and regularly sell out shows.</p>
<p><center><iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JaQcvAqFZ-s" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></center><br />
Along the way, Baustert <a href="https://kit.com/partner/ryan-baustert?lmref=6gKI7w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">came to think of himself as a marketer</a> just as much as he’s a songwriter and guitarist. He attributes part of the band’s success to leaning into the business side of music.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p><em>You do it for so long, it ends up becoming a part of your identity and you don&#8217;t even know what you would do without it. There&#8217;s so many talented musicians and so many bands out there that no one will ever hear of because most musicians don&#8217;t realize that it takes so much more than talent to start building a name for yourself. You really have to just hustle hard.</em></p></blockquote>
<div id="attachment_34502" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34502" class="size-medium wp-image-34502" src="https://media.kit.com/post/tZKupIDL-throw-the-fight-photo.jpg?fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=400&w=600" alt="How bands can use email marketing" width="600" height="400" srcset="https://media.kit.com/post/tZKupIDL-throw-the-fight-photo.jpg?fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=400&w=600 600w, https://media.kit.com/post/tZKupIDL-throw-the-fight-photo.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=683&amp;w=1024 1024w, https://media.kit.com/post/tZKupIDL-throw-the-fight-photo.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;w=768 768w, https://media.kit.com/post/tZKupIDL-throw-the-fight-photo.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=240&amp;w=360 360w, https://media.kit.com/post/tZKupIDL-throw-the-fight-photo.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1024&amp;w=1536 1536w, https://media.kit.com/post/tZKupIDL-throw-the-fight-photo.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1365&amp;w=2048 2048w, https://media.kit.com/post/tZKupIDL-throw-the-fight-photo.jpg?fm=pjpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><p id="caption-attachment-34502" class="wp-caption-text">Throw the Fight’s hard rock sound includes guitar, vocals, and drums.</p></div>
<p>His most powerful marketing tool? His email list. With 4,000 subscribers and counting, it’s Baustert’s foundation for <a href="https://kit.com/resources/blog/newsletter-promotion-ideas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoting Throw the Fight to fans</a> old and new.</p>
<div id="attachment_34508" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34508" class="size-medium wp-image-34508" src="https://media.kit.com/post/9GN0XaUi-throw-the-fight-stats.jpg?fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=303&w=600" alt="How bands can use email marketing" width="600" height="303" srcset="https://media.kit.com/post/9GN0XaUi-throw-the-fight-stats.jpg?fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=303&w=600 600w, https://media.kit.com/post/9GN0XaUi-throw-the-fight-stats.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=517&amp;w=1024 1024w, https://media.kit.com/post/9GN0XaUi-throw-the-fight-stats.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=388&amp;w=768 768w, https://media.kit.com/post/9GN0XaUi-throw-the-fight-stats.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=197&amp;w=390 390w, https://media.kit.com/post/9GN0XaUi-throw-the-fight-stats.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=775&amp;w=1536 1536w, https://media.kit.com/post/9GN0XaUi-throw-the-fight-stats.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1034&amp;w=2048 2048w, https://media.kit.com/post/9GN0XaUi-throw-the-fight-stats.jpg?fm=pjpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><p id="caption-attachment-34508" class="wp-caption-text">A snapshot of Throw the Fight’s email list over the past year.</p></div>
<p>“I&#8217;m a big fan of the 80/20 rule—the idea that 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort—and focusing on the stuff that&#8217;s driving the most results. For me, that’s email,” says Baustert. “We love Kit. As soon as I switched to Kit, I started to see immediate results.”</p>
<p>We sat down with Baustert to find out more about how Throw the Fight uses email automations to create diehard fans.</p>
<h2 id="chapter-1">How to use email automations to turn interested people into diehard fans</h2>
<p>The biggest driver of new email list sign-ups Throw the Fight comes from <a href="https://kit.com/features/landing-pages" target="_blank" rel="noopener">targeted landing pages optimized for conversion</a>, paired with a free offer.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p>We get most of the people onto our list through a Kit landing page, and we just give out our latest record for free with a free download. I always get questions about whether that even still works because everyone’s streaming, but it does. It’s less about the medium and more about the value you’re giving them.</p></blockquote>
<div id="attachment_34507" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34507" class="size-medium wp-image-34507" src="https://media.kit.com/post/EYFuGIp4-throw-the-fight-free-download.jpg?fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=384&w=600" alt="How bands can use email marketing" width="600" height="384" srcset="https://media.kit.com/post/EYFuGIp4-throw-the-fight-free-download.jpg?fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=384&w=600 600w, https://media.kit.com/post/EYFuGIp4-throw-the-fight-free-download.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=656&amp;w=1024 1024w, https://media.kit.com/post/EYFuGIp4-throw-the-fight-free-download.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=492&amp;w=768 768w, https://media.kit.com/post/EYFuGIp4-throw-the-fight-free-download.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=240&amp;w=375 375w, https://media.kit.com/post/EYFuGIp4-throw-the-fight-free-download.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=984&amp;w=1536 1536w, https://media.kit.com/post/EYFuGIp4-throw-the-fight-free-download.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1312&amp;w=2048 2048w, https://media.kit.com/post/EYFuGIp4-throw-the-fight-free-download.jpg?fm=pjpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><p id="caption-attachment-34507" class="wp-caption-text">Throw the Fight offers a free download of their most recent single to entice potential subscribers.</p></div>
<p><a class="btn btn-xl btn-primary" role="button" href="https://app.kit.com/pages/preview/park" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Like the look of that landing page? Grab it for yourself</a></p>
<p>Once a fan joins your list, the fun part begins.</p>
<p>Baustert uses <a href="https://kit.com/features/automations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kit&#8217;s Automations</a> to create a simple onboarding flow that showcases the band’s greatest hits, upcoming shows, and more—without needing to lift a finger.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p>Once people download the record and we’ve got them on the email list, we’re sending people to Spotify and YouTube and various videos and pitching merchandise and other news through Kit’s automations. It’s the 80/20 rule again.</p></blockquote>
<p>Onboarding is the opportunity to make a lasting impression—especially for someone who hasn’t seen you play in person. You can give them a sense of who you are and what you stand for and start to <a href="https://kit.com/resources/blog/musicians-and-email-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">build them into superfans</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_37300" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37300" class="size-full wp-image-37300" src="https://media.kit.com/post/xyT1eN2N-throw-the-fight-welcome-2.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="A welcome email from a band" width="1500" height="1160" srcset="https://media.kit.com/post/xyT1eN2N-throw-the-fight-welcome-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=464&amp;w=600 600w, https://media.kit.com/post/xyT1eN2N-throw-the-fight-welcome-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=792&amp;w=1024 1024w, https://media.kit.com/post/xyT1eN2N-throw-the-fight-welcome-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=594&amp;w=768 768w, https://media.kit.com/post/xyT1eN2N-throw-the-fight-welcome-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=240&amp;w=310 310w, https://media.kit.com/post/xyT1eN2N-throw-the-fight-welcome-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1188&amp;w=1536 1536w, https://media.kit.com/post/xyT1eN2N-throw-the-fight-welcome-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1584&amp;w=2048 2048w, https://media.kit.com/post/xyT1eN2N-throw-the-fight-welcome-2.jpg?fm=pjpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><p id="caption-attachment-37300" class="wp-caption-text">Throw the Fight sends this welcome email to every new subscriber.</p></div>
<p>And by <a href="https://kit.com/resources/blog/email-marketing-automation-examples" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automating the process</a>, Ryan is building a lasting audience for the people that are going to come see Throw the Fight again and again. Their casual fans matter, but it’s the diehards—the ones who buy every album, comment on every video, follow the band around for a summer on tour—that are going to make a difference to their bottom line.</p>
<p>Throw the Fight uses a seven-email sequence that looks like this:</p>
<div id="attachment_37298" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37298" class="size-full wp-image-37298" src="https://media.kit.com/post/u6UUQeJr-throw-the-fight-onboarding-sequence-2.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="How bands can use email marketing" width="1500" height="1201" srcset="https://media.kit.com/post/u6UUQeJr-throw-the-fight-onboarding-sequence-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=480&amp;w=600 600w, https://media.kit.com/post/u6UUQeJr-throw-the-fight-onboarding-sequence-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=820&amp;w=1024 1024w, https://media.kit.com/post/u6UUQeJr-throw-the-fight-onboarding-sequence-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=615&amp;w=768 768w, https://media.kit.com/post/u6UUQeJr-throw-the-fight-onboarding-sequence-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=240&amp;w=300 300w, https://media.kit.com/post/u6UUQeJr-throw-the-fight-onboarding-sequence-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1230&amp;w=1536 1536w, https://media.kit.com/post/u6UUQeJr-throw-the-fight-onboarding-sequence-2.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1640&amp;w=2048 2048w, https://media.kit.com/post/u6UUQeJr-throw-the-fight-onboarding-sequence-2.jpg?fm=pjpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><p id="caption-attachment-37298" class="wp-caption-text">A snapshot of Throw the Fight’s onboarding sequence in Kit.</p></div>
<ul>
<li>Email 1 delivers the original offer of a free album or music download, depending on what the band is promoting, and a thank you note.</li>
<li>Email 2 promotes social links and Spotify channels.</li>
<li>Email 3 delivers the latest single.</li>
<li>Email 4 has the most recent music video and promotes their YouTube channel.</li>
<li>Email 5 is all about Spotify, which is one of Throw the Fight’s biggest channels. They use a combination of Kit and FeatureFM for streaming services so fans can pre-save new music and automatically get notifications when anything new drops there.</li>
<li>Emails 6 and 7 showcase merchandise and a few odds and ends before dropping subscribers into their regular newsletter cadence.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="chapter-2">Use Kit email automations to create a lasting fanbase</h2>
<p>Being a talented musician and being a talented business person are two different skill sets, and you can do both. With <a href="https://kit.com/use-cases/musicians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">easy-to-use tools like Kit</a>, anyone can be a marketer.</p>
<blockquote class="blockquote-sm"><p>This stuff does not come naturally to most people. It’s learned. But it really works, for any genre of music, as long as you know who your audience is and why you’re doing this.</p></blockquote>
<p>Kit makes it easy to focus on what matters: your music. Hit the button below and create a <a href="https://app.kit.com/users/signup?plan=1k" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free 14-day trial</a> with Kit to start connecting with your followers and turn them into your diehard fans today!</p>


The 80/20 Rule: How one band uses email automations to turn followers into diehard fans

In this Article

Own the relationship with your audience

Kayla Voigt

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