Develop your critical listening skills. Study successful songs in genres similar to yours and pay close attention to their structure and arrangements. Take note of how tempos and moods work in conjunction with the lyrics and melodies. Listen to your own songs with the same critical ear and compare them. Try to divorce yourself from any emotional attachment you have to your own songs, and ask yourself if you'd be won over if you were listening for the first time. This is the time to polish your songs by tinkering with the arrangements and fine-tuning the lyrics so that they are focused and live up to their true potential.
Book studio time in a quality studio and record your three most commercial-sounding songs. If you don't play multiple instruments, pay local professional musicians to come in for the session. Competition is intense in the music business, and if your music doesn't sound polished and professional, you're at an immediate disadvantage. Take your master recording and make CD copies to send out as a demo CD to pitch your songwriting talent. Be sure to type and print lyric sheets for each song on the CD. Feel free to write an additional "one-sheet," which is a single piece of paper with a few notes briefly touching upon the tempo, theme and genre of the songs on the CD.
Conduct an Internet search for "song pitching services" and scour the results for contact information and submission guidelines. If there are no specific guidelines listed, send an email query to any that interest you. Briefly touch upon who you are and ask if you can send a demo CD for review. If you hear nothing back, move on to the next company. If you do get a positive response, thank them and then promptly send your demo CD, one-sheet and lyric sheets in an envelope marked "Requested Material."
Upload your songs to companies specializing in music licensing. These companies offer songs in their catalog for placement in films, television, video games and even for broadcast in retail establishments. Many of them offer nonexclusive deals so you don't have to limit yourself to just one. Some companies charge an upfront fee to list your song titles in their catalog, but the majority of them waive any fees in lieu of a higher cut of any money made from your composition. Some of the bigger and more reputable companies like Pump Audio (now owned by Getty Images) will take a 50 percent to 60 percent cut of all money made from licensing your music. However, they're selective about music they accept and this gives your music a little more credibility.
Enter songwriting contests. These contests and their prizes vary greatly in size and scale, from regional competitions with small cash prizes, to international contests with celebrity judges awarding huge cash prizes. Even landing a consolation prize in a big contest can mean a nice chunk of change and a good addition to your resume.
Contact the management and record labels of artists well suited to your genre and ask if you can submit songs for their consideration. This can be a tough sell, especially in the case of well-established artists and big labels, so picking smaller labels and newer artists will probably be more productive. Even if you just develop a rapport with someone at the label and they eventually pass on your material, they may be able to guide you to another artist or label who may be more receptive to your style.
Break the songwriting rules. Challenge yourself by leaving your comfort zone and writing in a different style or genre. A stylistic change of pace can sometimes help you see your songs more clearly and may encourage you to experiment more with the way you structure your songs, which will help you grow as a writer. On top of that, the more well-rounded you are as a writer, the more markets there are for you to tap into.
Keep writing. Rejection is part of the business, so take every one as a challenge to improve your craft.