Study the work of successful country songwriters to discover how their songs are structured, and how their commercial appeal is heightened by the arrangements. Pay close attention to how the verses contrast with choruses and how the rhythm and tempo are appropriate to the theme of the songs. While there may be no golden rule for writing country songs, there are certain standard songwriting patterns commonly found in the country genre and becoming familiar with them will give you a basic template to get you started.
Write something every day. Writing a complete song daily may not be practical, but take the time to at least write down a few phrases or work on a new chord progression and melodic idea. Some of these ideas may lead to complete songs, while others might sit as unused song fragments. The key is to get your creativity flowing, and the more you work at your craft, the greater the chance of inspired songwriting.
Place a classified ad to look for a collaborator. All songwriters have their own strengths and weaknesses and, if you find a compatible partner, it could lead to stronger songwriting for both writers. Writing with another writer might feel a little awkward at first, but if you look at it as a team venture with the aim of pooling your respective artistic strengths, your material may well see the benefit.
Edit and polish your songs. After each song is written, let it sit for a while and then listen to it with fresh ears. Try to imagine it's your first time hearing it and critique it honestly. Be brutal in your assessment and rewrite any clumsy lines, awkward chord changes and unsuitable tempos. Ask yourself if the song's chorus or hook happens early enough in the song and make any necessary adjustments. If the song doesn't grab the listener quickly, it's unlikely to make a lasting impression.
Record a demo CD of your three best songs. Look for a studio that offers session musicians for hire so that your demo sounds polished and professional. Pitching country songs is an extremely competitive field so a bare-bones, low-fidelity demo isn't likely to attract much attention. Even if your songs are strong, your demo has to be a full, pro-quality production to stand out from the competition.
Assemble a basic press kit. Include a brief bio, your CD and a one-sheet. The one-sheet should list the song titles, their running times and the writers' names. Include a few words about each song, outlining the song's style, theme and the instrumentation used.
Conduct an online search for song-pitching services and country music labels. Visit their websites and check submission guidelines. Make a note of the contact person's name at each company and send query emails asking if you can submit material. For each positive response, send a copy of your press kit, mark the envelope "Requested Material" and address it to the contact person. Follow up with a polite email to ask if the material has been received and reviewed. If the company passes on it, thank the person you contacted for his or her time and move on.
Upload your songs to online music licensing companies. These companies license music in their catalogs for use in TV, movies, commercials, video games and even retail establishments. Some will require that you pay an upfront fee to be listed, but the majority waive the fee in exchange for a larger cut (usually around 50 percent) of all licensing fees that your music earns. Most of these deals are nonexclusive, so you can still shop your music elsewhere.