grow-your-music-studio

03 Dec | 2025

After 180+ episodes, we’re doing something different—zooming out to tackle the big lies studio owners still believe… even with all of the resources available to us in this industry.

This week’s myth? That getting more leads will fix your studio.

It’s tempting to believe that more inquiries = less stress.

This belief is a trap. It’s too simple by half.

The truth is far more nuanced and we give updated marketing advice that you can use as you head into 2026.

You’ll hear what to do before spending on ads or hiring an agency, and how to make sure your marketing actually works.

Click below to listen to the episode.

Or, check out the video version of the podcast:

Here’s what we cover in the episode:

Music school myths that still persist after 10 years of coaching music schools
The most dangerous “marketing myth” that keeps schools stuck
Marketing magnifies what already exists… so you must understand the basics
WARNING about Google Ads (is your agency ripping you off?)
A real-world example of a studio that hired an agency—and what went wrong
The CEO’s most critical job
Delegating tactics doesn’t mean outsourcing vision
Marketing resources to check out (also in show notes)
A smarter way to build marketing projects into your annual plan

We’d love to hear from you… what was your big takeaway this episode? What questions do you have?

We won’t know unless you reach out and tell us!

You can do so by contacting us here.

Show Notes

The marketing resources we mentioned…

The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy | “In the age of e-mail and instant communication, great sales copy is indispensable to closing a deal. But too many sales letters end up in the junk file or the wastebasket. In this new edition of his top-selling book, author Dan Kennedy explains why some sales letters work and most don’t.”

Scale by Jeff Hoffman | “What if you could grow your business without the fear that it would take over your life? Imagine you don’t have to choose between your personal life and the success of your business. What if the best way to scale your company is to reduce its reliance on you?”

The Personal MBA (Marketing Section) | “The best way to observe what your potential competitors are doing is to become a customer.”

Studio Marketing Masterclass by Grow Your Music Studio | Books tend to be a little more general / big picture, while courses tend to get really technical. Daniel recommends this course to nail down specifics.

Marketing Metrics by Grow Your Music Studio (free training) | The most important 4 numbers you need to track to diagnose your studio’s marketing problems.

[NEXT WEEK] SGA Annual Planning Workshop

One of my most important success habits is annual planning.

I have been doing this consistently for my businesses for 10+ years.

It has been a big part of the long-term success I’ve had in business growth (without giving up my personal life).

If you’ve heard me talk about annual planning or you are curious how it could help your business…

I will be hosting the Studio Growth Accelerator Annual Planning Workshop next Friday, December 12th at 11am EST.

Sponsors

SPONSOR – Big Music Games

Big Music Games provides fun with a clear purpose. Ear training and music theory for students ages 4-14.

Level up your student’s ears & ignite their passion and motivation to practice with 15 levels of rhythm, melody, harmony and songwriting games.

Join the tribe of teachers dedicated to improving the way the world educates the next generation of musicians. BigMusicGames.com/7FMS

SPONSOR – Piano Express from GroupLessons.com

Now’s the time of year to consider what programs you are going to be offering in your music studio in 2026…

And if you are looking for a program that will:

Increase student retention…
Increase the number of your beginners that become intermediate students
Help students go through their books faster (Proven! We did a study on this!)…
Increase home practice time (Proven! We have years of data showing that this happens)
And increase the profit in your studio (not just revenue)…

… Then you need to head over to GroupLessons.com, sign up for a free demo, and we’ll show you how hundreds of studios have easily started a new group program (sometimes in just a few weeks)… with little to no difficulty.

You can even begin our owner training for free (download our shopping list, and look through our teacher guides and method).

Click here for more information

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Daniel Patterson

Daniel Patterson is a private teacher, writer, and marketing consultant for music schools. He began teaching in 2004. He co-founded and led marketing operations for a summer music camp that sees over 200 children each summer.