5 COMMUNICATION TIPS FOR ARTISTS
I feel strongly about this subject because I get all kinds of messages from all kinds of people related to music all the time. I also remember what it was like not having a clue what I was doing and trying the best I could. I wish I had the time to reply to every message with instructions on how they should be communicating because...in all honesty, MOST of these messages are bad. They are the very definition of spam. “Hey checkout my music video!” Or “Pre-save my song on Spotify!” Since most of the time I don’t know who this artist is that just messaged me, even if I follow them, there has to be something to compel me to want to listen. So, I thought it was time to put together my thoughts about how an artist should be communicating with anyone in the music business and why it is so important.
Let’s say the scenario is that you have a new single coming out and you want people to pre-save it.
Before you send a message to someone, take a few minutes to research their profile, go to their website, learn what they do. More importantly, decide if asking them for a few minutes of their time is actually beneficial to either of you. I get messages that say something like "Yo, I see your killing it on your page (yes, usually with grammatical and spelling errors 🙄) hit me up if your (again…) looking for some fire beats to bring your music to the next level 🔥" I'm like, did you even look at who I am and what I do? Obviously not.
Use their name in the greeting. Make the greeting casual yet proper. “Hey Becky! Hi Becky! Hello Becky!” Any of those work. Don't start the greeting with “yo what's up?” Or “hey girl!” (Unless you know me personally of course) Or worse….no greeting at all just jump right into "presave my new single" or “be sure to watch my new music video”. To me, that feels the same as an annoying ad on a YouTube video that I’m going to skip or those crazy, invasive pop ups when I’m trying to read a recipe on Pinterest. If you don’t want to be annoying to people, then don’t be!
Make the message a complete message. Perhaps it is because I come from a pre-text era but I actually hate getting messages that have no introduction, body and closing. You may not think my opinion is important here but remember that many industry peeps you want to message come from the same era as I do. Err on the side of caution and write a complete message. Even a private message on Instagram to someone you don't know should be like an email.
“Hi Becky, I respect your time so don’t want to take too much of it. I would love your opinion on our latest release, if you have a few minutes. The link is here. We will be doing a live stream tomorrow night to answer fan questions and also do a little acoustic set. If you love the song, we’d love it if you would join us. Thanks so much! *Your name*”
**You may not want to approach everyone like this but certainly someone who is on the business side of the industry such as a producer, A&R, Manager, or music blogger, etc. If they are a follower but not necessarily a super fan, find a way to be personal with them. People know when you copy/paste a message. If they were indifferent to you and your music before, sending them spam over and over will turn them from indifferent to annoyed and will most likely unfollow you. In a previous blog, I told the story of Shar and her personal voice message through instagram messenger and how it instantly….I mean INSTANTLY made me lover her as an artist. Be Shar. Be Real. Be Sincere.
Engage your super-fans differently. If you have been engaging with your fans like you are supposed to, then you should know who your super fans are. There may only be 10. Maybe only 5! But engage with them differently. Let them know they are special and that you depend on them to share your music. If they are a super fan, they already love your music and you! They want you to be successful. And they would be on cloud 9 if you asked for their help or their opinion or simply told them how much they mean to you. Be gracious. Be giving.
Respond promptly and always - This is more specifically about correspondence with music business folks, collaborators, co-writers, producers, engineers, etc. I guess I need to say it but don’t ever ghost anyone. I admit that I can be slow responding at times (we all have busy lives, right!?) but the professional thing to do is to reply back within 24 hours if possible, apologize if it takes longer than that and always be polite. If the relationship with a particular person has become dangerous, toxic or otherwise “bad” then yes please, cut all ties. If you simply decide you aren’t interested in working with someone any longer, then tell them so in polite terms. The music industry is small, believe it or not. Word can get around if you have a pattern of ghosting or being rude or letting personal emotions creep into business relationships.
Communication is key in finding success in any business endeavor and even in our personal relationships. The music business is no different. If it’s uncomfortable for you or feels weird, just go with it and see the results you garner from the effort. If you see no difference in how especially industry professionals respond to you after 6 months to a year, then sure, go back to the comfort zone.
