Author: Randolph Infinger (@dolphin_finger)
It’s happened a million times in the music industry and it will happen again.
GHOSTED.
You feel, I feel it, we all feel it. Being ghosted sucks.
Instead of focusing on why being “ghosted” is a terrible annoying thing, let’s look at why it happens and how to avoid being ghosted in the future.
Create a Story
I recently attended the panel Marketing Through Media during the Music Business Conference and was surprised to hear some of the responses of top level publicists at NPR, Complex and Rolling Stone. Most stated they only take roughly 30 percent of pitches that come into their inbox, mostly due to the thousands of messages they have to sift through daily.
Instead of being lost in the swamp of emails, get creative. Create a story that fits your brand and really puts a message behind your music. There are plenty of great songs in the world but the ones that stick have an almost “lifestyle” feel to them that will not only engage publicists, but your audience as well.
Your Email Game Needs to Be On Point
This might seem elementary but I see way too many emails that are nothing but big walls of text and generally look unappealing. If you’re cold emailing people and your email slides into their inbox looking unorganized, chances are they don’t want to take the time to decipher it. Paragraphs, people!
Don’t Be Blue
There is absolutely never any reason to take being ghosted seriously. At the end of the day we work in the music BUSINESS and need to continually look forward to the next opportunity (See here: "Look forward, Not Back").
I have a rule I try to live by no matter what job or industry I work in: Never let your job mood affect your personal mood. Ghosted at work? Leave it there! It’s not worth crying over spilt milk after the fact. Instead, be positive that your hardwork will see you through and eventually you will get that email response.