Effective Email Communication
(For Artists And Creative Human Beings.)
Intro
The Facebook Add (& a realistic lesson)
Attention: The ‘star’ of the following story happens to be a man. It has been written, however, with both sexes in mind. If you’re a woman, simply replace ‘her’ with ‘him’ etc.
Some call it ‘a sin’. Some call it ‘stalking’. Not everybody admits to it. — but almost everybody does it…
Once upon a time… in a modern city, in the modern world, there is an interesting guy, browsing Facebook. You.
You’re having a look at the ‘friends of your friends’, who happen to be females. You check their pictures out and, if you see one you fancy, you drop her an ‘unsolicited add’ (as one of my friends likes to call it).
There is one specific girl, though, that has driven you crazy.
She’s pretty, she seems to have a nice body (or, at least, the angles in the photos flatter her), she seems popular, you share the same music tastes, and she follows Tommy Darker. Deep in your male brain you are somehow convinced to ‘take action’. You click ‘Add Friend’.
Nevertheless, we all know that, had the very same girl sat next to you in the train, it’s highly unlikely that you’d have done or said anything. Most likely, the majority of us (me included) would have chickened out.
What’s the lesson behind this story then?
Let me go on and we’ll find out. Moving on.
…and she probably won’t respond to your Facebook friend request or message. She will just let it be.
No, it’s not that you’re not interesting enough for her. It’s not that you’re not handsome enough. On the contrary, you’re probably way better than many of the guys in her ‘real’ life.
Why is she ignoring you, then? A few suggestions:
- She is busy and cannot immediately respond to every single message or request she gets (you’re not the only one out there, pal),
- 99% of what she receives daily is mere noise (so ‘ignore’ is her default reaction),
- She’s been disappointed so many times in the past, that she now ranks most interactions with strangers as ‘low priority’,
- Her attention span online is limited (and she has an ‘offline’ life as well).
Despite these reasons (which you’ve thought of), you’re still wondering:
C’mon, aren’t I handsome?
Can’t she see that I play for the band XYZ?
Isn’t it obvious we share the same interests?
Didn’t she see that I’m also wearing gothic make-up in my bloody profile picture?!?
Well…
She hasn’t gone that far because, oh well, she probably hasn’t actually noticed the incoming notification.
Most probably, the guys who’ve messaged her are part of the 99% of people who produce ‘noise’ — and who create barriers to the one guy who’s really worth checking out.
Bad for her anyway. You’re still awesome.
As a principle, this ‘online noise’ is inevitable and to be expected, since communication online is ‘an easy and cheap thing to do’.
In fact, it’s so easy to make noise that the web is now saturated with it. It’s difficult for most of us to stand out.
The aforementioned story is visualised in the following video. It’s very well written and narrated by Derek Sivers, the creator of popular CDBaby.com.
It’s part of his book, which you can buy here: http://sivers.org/a (And I highly suggest that you do).
But enough with the stories, let’s talk seriously for a moment.
This is real life
The same thing happens whenever you send your band’s bio, mp3, press kit — whatever this might be — to a major label, a popular blogger, a radio producer, any such person who you haven’t been in touch with before. And it has the same fate (like your friend request in the previous story): the trash bin.
(Do you see the connection now?)
Don’t expect these influencers to recognise your talent and your music through an unsolicited email. Why?
There are two major barriers:
1. Volume
The average blogger receives masses of content every day. Yes, they will promote you to their audience (if they like you), but they need to actually open your email or listen to your music first. With the volume of such messages, the influencer needs to filter a lot — which means you might just get filtered out.
2. Priorities
As showcased in Sivers’ video, the producer, the blogger and the label executive have something in common: they’re human beings. Excited about the potential publicity as we are, we forget that the receivers of our messages are super-busy people with many daily problems to solve. They’re not answering machines.
At this point, we spot the biggest difference between professional and amateur musicians: the former know how to angle their messages (to the receiver’s interests), how to solve the receiver’s problems, and how to bring value. The latter simply add more noise (the 99% we were talking about) and ask for things.
Taking your art seriously means that:
- You don’t just spam people with unsolicited emails, hoping that they’ll get opened.
- You plan your attack before networking online.
- You segment your contacts and only communicate with the ones that fit your current angle.
- You know that you will bring real value to the others.
- You know who you are talking to and genuinely appreciate their work.
- You refrain from acting with desperation, no matter what the circumstances might be.
- Finally, you can accept ‘no’ as an answer, since losing a battle doesn’t mean you lost the war. Effective communication is all about long-term results.
If you’ve started to realise that you could do better with your outreach, do not fret; I also begun my journey with much poorer communication skills, sending unsolicited messages and believing that this would accelerate the growth of my contact list. After numerous messages and ‘no luck’, I decided to take a step back and contemplate what could have been wrong: other people, my approach or my mindset?
Guess what? it was definitely not other people.
Before we begin the main body of the essay (which talks about approaching influencers online), I thought I should add one last thing:
Treat all interpersonal relationships with the same gravity. We are all humans. This is the only long-term ‘strategy’: A human being genuinely interested in another human being.
The Essay
How to write emails that important people will respond to.
Recently I ran some unofficial, small-scale research in London, and asked musicians what things they were struggling with on their way to a successful career.
I wanted to test how deeply they’d thought about their career, what they defined as ‘a problem’, and whether they’d realised what the real problems are.
Guess what? I don’t want to disappoint you, but most ‘problems’ were self-centered and mundane, compared with those to follow. They involved the band or artists themselves, and not other individuals. Which is bad and also worrying. Why?
If you haven’t solved your basic internal problems, which are within your own capacity and can be solved by your own effort, then how do you expect to seamlessly share your art with the world? How do you expect to involve more people in what you do?
Building up a nice and solid b(r)and is one side of the coin. It’s an in-house job and you can (or have to) do it by yourself.
The other side, though, is all about how you connect your art with others. That is: creating a competent team around your music, growing a community of fans, and connecting with the influencers who may become your long-term ambassadors.
If you don’t know already, then you’re lying to yourself:
You will not stand out unless you build a strong network/community of people around your art.
And building a network or community requires great communication skills. So, if you don’t know how to network, then why don’t you start learning now?
Profoundly, it’s the Alpha and Omega — and maybe the only way — to accelerate success in your career. You know well the vision that hides in your head. But do other people see it too?
“Your network is your net-worth”, says Mykaell Riley. I couldn’t agree more.
In this essay, we’ll focus on how you communicate online with important people (influencers, A-Listers, professors, authors, label/radio executives etc.) via email.
As I said before, they are humans with flaws, like everybody else. Consequently, they have their own intrinsic needs, such as to be respected, to be treated as distinct personalities, and to have their achievements acknowledged by the public.
Sounds like ‘duh?’ It is obvious, I know.
Still, many of us say ‘duh’, but still suck at contacting influencers.
I’m not implying that you’re one of them. I’m not saying you have bad social skills and I’m not claiming to be perfect either.
However, if you need a helping hand from someone who’s learnt over time how to get practical results when it comes to networking — i.e getting his message across, and making real and long-lasting connections, then read on. This is for you.
Who they are
The influencers you want to connect with have some common characteristics. Let’s discuss them for a second.
1) They’re busy.
Here’s THE thing about the important people you hope to connect with: they’re not at home lying on a couch.
They’re busy people, usually pursuing things that will make them or their businesses more successful (or… their bosses happy).
If you expect them to get back to you in a few hours or minutes, well… reconsider.
And, because they’re busy, respecting their time is the best thing you can do.
2) They hate drawbacks.
Don’t embrace the attitude of a whiner.
Influencers certainly don’t wake up in the morning with the urge to solve problems for people they’ve never met. Yeah, they might feel sympathy for you. But if they have to choose between a few thousands of people whining constantly about their ‘misfortunes’ or a dozen of positive people trying to make a difference in the world, they’re probably going to pick the latter.
It’s all a matter of attitude.
If you’re in the mood for complaining, it might not be the best time to try and connect with an influencer. Empathy works as a glue to maintain powerful, lasting relationships. A bad mood can rub off. Make empathy work for you, not against you.
In other words, be positive. Once seen as a whiner, always seen as a whiner.
3) They got the upper hand.
It’s the sad truth, but let’s be realistic: you need them at this point, not vice versa.
The playbook says that you’ll reach out to them, and they may or may not ignore you. You know that (and there’s nothing wrong with it).
Don’t take it personally if they do. It’s your job to figure out what will actually make them want to answer, so you can initiate a conversation (and maybe, eventually get what you want).
The best way?
Do something for them first.
Lead the conversation. Don’t expect them to take initiative and sort things out for you. Give them a reason to await your follow up with excitement. Direct the conversation in a way that kills their major objections and helps them commit with small yesses and noes, gradually building towards a true relationship.
Win their trust, before you ask.
4) Here’s the truth: they want to see somebody who can bloody well stand out amongst all those freaking emails!
Influencers don’t wake up thinking ‘hohoho, let’s see how many emails I will ignore today, woohoo…’
It’s not that they hate receiving emails all the time; they just hate receiving those mediocre, out-of-focus, without-a-clear-direction, template-kind-of emails. Same format, same desperate attitude, same ol’ skool, rusty ideas.
Give them something to pique their interest and that will make them want to get back to you (and maybe collaborate with you in the future).
If they have a pressing problem, an email from a person able to provide the solution might just be the ‘deus ex machina’!
Put the work in, and you can be this person!
The number one rule!
I’ll be brief about this.
Before you contact an important person, there is one thing you should absolutely bear in mind.
Know what you want and be ready to commit to it!
I’m serious; if you cannot do that, then do not hit the send button. It will not lead you (or them) anywhere.
After talking with a lot of influential people and asking them, “What turns you off when a stranger contacts you?”, the conversation usually leads to the same thing:
“I’d responded and they never got back to me!”
That is, the person who contacts them doesn’t commit to the initial expectations (i.e creating a relationship and then sustaining a dialogue). Which consequently means that the influencer doesn’t really know what this person wants.
Here’s a suggestion:
Before I break down my methods and principles, take a step back and use the following questions as a starting point for your transformation… from a good to a great communicator.
- “Why the do I need to contact this person and steal some of their precious time?”
- “Do I know why I’m getting in touch?”
- “If they respond, am I ready to follow up and commit?”
- “Who is leading the conversation, them or me?”
Now. Let’s cut to the chase. How do I write the perfect email?
The email
Let’s say you have attended a symposium and you have met a famous producer. Or you just ran into an A-Lister on a plane. Great news!
The bad news? This might only happen once or twice a year (but, more often than not, never).
Should you spend your whole year hoping? No. You have to plan your attack and reach out to them.
For various reasons I won’t list here, I’ve figured out that the best and most professional (and maybe… the safest?) way to reach out is via email.
Emails are imprinted in most professionals’ brains as their favourite way of being contacted. So let’s go for that, shall we?
The first step might be tracking down the correct email address (I’m not going to show you how), but sending a powerful email that gets opened, communicates your message, and gives them a reason to respond is the most important part of the equation.
Remember: you don’t have much time (or space) to grab their attention and make them actually care — using your words wisely is essential.
Let’s see how we can achieve this.
1. Keep it short (be concise)
You might see me publishing longform essays on my website — it’s obvious that I like talking a lot. But, when it comes to emails, I prefer to keep it short and to the point.
The most common mistake you can make during your first (or second, or third…) contact is to keep talking about stuff they don’t really care about. Your dreams or your ‘amazing’ new project can wait.
They don’t know you (and they probably need a reason to keep on reading), so only the absolutely critical info should make it into the first few exchanges.
Keep your messages short and concise. Important people value brevity more than you might think.
Think about it. When you receive hundreds of emails a day, what do you read — and answer — first? The emails from people you know and all the really short ones. The lengthy ones — especially if they come from strangers — either get deleted or archived in the ‘to answer later’ folder (which is to say that they usually get forgotten).
Through experimentation, I realised that 3 paragraphs with 2–3 sentences each are just perfect. More on that later.
2. Make it personalised (know who you’re talking to)
You know what spam means, right? Sending unsolicited messages without permission, often to a large amount of people. Most spam emails are written generically, so they can appeal to as many people as possible and increase the chance that someone actually opens the message.
They’re not personalized, and because of this, do not appeal individual persons.
This is the main issue with most senders today: they know the influencers they want to get in touch with, but they don’t help said influencers realise that the email has been sent exclusively to them!
Simply start with ‘Hi (their name here)’. It’s been said that ‘the best sound in the world is the sound of your name.’
Still… even if the influencer opens your email, they’ll likely be put off if they have to read a generic, monotonous email that could be a copy-paste template sent to 100s of other contacts,.
Don’t get embarrassed if they murmur ‘ufff… fuckin’ spammers again’. You’ve earned it.
Do your homework.
If you’re planning to contact someone important, spend time researching some notable details of their life and work. This information could include recent facts (which shows that you follow their work) or older ones (which screams ‘I’m a life-long fan of your work’). Ideally, be a real fan of their work.
No matter what, be (or at least look) genuine.
3. It’s all about them, not you
Imagine that you receive an email from a stranger, where they analyse their new idea. At the end, they ask you to be a helping hand or to promote their project.
‘Huh?’, would be your most possible response. ‘What will I get out of this? Will he just use my time and contacts? I don’t even know this person.’
Or, even worse: ‘How dare he?!?’
Can you put yourself in the shoes of the receiver? You’ll probably get what I mean.
Personally, I cannot find anything more repulsive than a person asking for help out of the blue, without building familiarity with me first.
Why?
Because I feel I’m being used.
Remember — every influencer is a human being and he or she wants to feel the human connection first, so they can have a strong reason to justify their actions. Influencers will be more open to the idea of helping a flesh and blood person like them, not some ghost they’ve never heard of.
Us human beings do enjoy helping without getting anything in return. It’s part of our DNA. However, we also do hate being used because we have power, contacts or influence (you name it).
It always helps if you make it clear (with words and actions) that this is a mutual value exchange.
And, since they don’t know you, first providing value that will help them to accomplish their goals and making the conversation all about them is the only way to go. It shows respect and points out that you don’t want to just take advantage of them (and then vanish into thin air).
Show that you intend to build a lasting relationship.
This is not always the rule; sometimes your emails will be answered just because they feel empathy, because they see the spark in your eyes or your desire for progress, which might excite them. This helped me get some projects off the ground and build a good portfolio of contacts when I first started out.
But it’s not a scalable or reliable strategy and it won’t happen often. Don’t just rely on empathy to win people over.
Not everybody has the time to care — make them care.
This is so important that it’s my responsibility to tell you: start by making it all about them and less (or not at all) about you.
4. Give them a little something, before you expect to get
I’ve heard so many complaints from important people, saying
‘This dude contacted me asking for this major favor, saying he’s in an emergency. I don’t even know this guy. How lame is that? If they’re in an emergency, then I’m in an emergency, and EVERYONE’s in an emergency. Things don’t work this way.’
It’s true that we often feel like we know (perhaps intimately) the important people we’re getting in touch with. Their public updates probably have helped us form a ‘persona’ about who they are. We’ve got value from their work and we’ve been following them for a while.
But, guess what? They don’t know you.
This is a major part of the problem; and results in no response: they’re not familiar with who you are.
All they see is a name and an email address. No human-to-human connection is formed. And, consequently, they feel less bad for not answering a stranger’s email rather than of someone they know.
‘Give before asking’ is a phrase that my parents used to say — maybe your parents did too! It makes sense, and I’ve seen it work numerous times before.
Remember, we’re human beings. We form bonds because there is some kind of exchange of value.
But, what do you give to a person that probably has everything they need at the moment?
Well, it’s easier than you think. A few suggestions:
1) Spot a problem they might be facing currently. Offer to be their helping hand.
From time to time they may talk about one of their challenges on social media. People are inclined to do that. Have your eyes open and provide a solution. It will take you a long way.
Important note: under normal circumstances, you doing them a huge favour could bring great results and definitely make them notice you. However, huge favours at an early stage might backfire: it might make them feel suspicious regarding the purity of this stranger’s intentions. Extreme reactions always seem to scare people off.
Thus, consider doing something smaller to begin with, always with genuine interest in helping and building a lasting relationship.
2) Provide valuable information.
Recommend a book, blog, website or other source of trusted information related to their current project/challenge or, if they’re talking about an interesting topic, contribute to the conversation by posting a relevant link. That can keep the discussion going.
Genuinely recommending a book, along with a thoughtful and relevant comment, shows that you’re a considerate, caring individual, not just a time-waster.
3) Be part of their public projects
I definitely don’t mean that you start building tents for their outdoor events!
If they have a blog, be part of the conversation and provide constructive comments.
If they have a community, share your thoughts and help them build value. From my own experience, I’m more likely to ask for feedback from an active and considerate member of my tribe, rather than from an individual that hasn’t personally engaged with me before.
We tend to be attracted by people who provide value. Always remember that.
4) Connect them with someone.
Becoming a connector is the easiest way to bring value.
You filter information for them, saving time, creating value and empathy — all with one simple gesture.
The more contacts you have, the better connector you can become. It snowballs.
5. Mention something they can relate with (a person or an event they know about)
Let’s get back to spamming again.
Spamming means that you send an unsolicited message that is not intended to go to any specific person.
Have you considered that sometimes your emails might accidentally look like spam?
While writing your email, if you fail to mention (early) how you know them or something familiar they can relate to, this omission might work against you. It goes along with #2 (make it personalised).
Go by the quote:
“Your goal is to make them read the first sentence. Then the first paragraph. Then the next one, till the end of your message.”
The first thing the influencer will notice is the length of the message (‘ok, it’s short, I’ll read it now really quick’), and then they will read the first sentence. This sentence needs to build familiarity, in order to grab their attention and keep them interested.
If nothing familiar or notable pops up there, then they’ll probably leave the rest of your message for later (or never).
Use simple sentences like:
“I’ve read your last interview with XY and I loved it, especially the part with…”
or
“Your friend Mario suggested that we talk, as he realised that we’re working on similar projects at the moment.”
(The last one has a bonus: it builds familiarity and mentions a common goal; which is a possible benefit and problem-solver for the influencer.)
If you can make them say ‘Ok, this is not spam. If Mario sent them my way, I should not ignore them,’ then congrats. It’s very likely that they’ll read the rest of the message.
6. Praise them
You like their work. Express it!
Praise (within reason) can help them like you more. Anyone knows that.
Think for yourself. Who do you like more: someone who gets excited about your accomplishments or someone who is always unimpressed?
Nobody hates praise, even people who get complimented all the time. There are psychological factors that boost our egos and how much we like the people that admire us and notice our hard work.
A genuine and thoughtful compliment can make them like you much easier.
It goes along with #2 (again). Knowing whom you’re talking to and praising something specific doesn’t only imply that you’re not spamming. It also shows that you appreciate them as a human and a professional. It creates empathy.
It doesn’t have to be something major. However, the more specific your praise, the better the response you’ll probably get.
“The part of your interview with BBC, where you expressed your theory on … was the biggest revelation for me. I’m now using these principles as guidelines for my work. Thanks.”
7. Clear call to action
This is the part of the email that most people mess up.
Say the influencer has read your short email ‘til the end (which means you’ve kept their interest), and now they’re ready to read the last few words, before the final greeting.
What should they read? Should you ask for something? Should you let them figure out for themselves? Should you play shy and retreat to your cave, without mentioning anything?
Before the final greeting is where you have to place a specific and concise Call-To-Action (CTA).
What is a CTA? It’s what you want them to do next.
Remember? You lead the conversation, not them. Being shy and leaving it up to them to figure out what next is a no-go.
Always be cautious: it’s human nature to always wonder ‘what can I do next’ and look for any obvious instructions/signs. If we see some, we can stop thinking so hard and relax. Following the obvious and default suggestion is a relief, since it removes the burden of us having to come up with a solution by ourselves.
You’ve cooked a meal that they’ll appreciate, and now all they have to do is sit back and enjoy. Why wouldn’t they?
In my opinion, emails with no clear Call-To-Action should not have been sent in the first place.
Important note: ask them for something trivial, which, ideally, gives THEM value. This will create a conversation, which is your first goal. If you ask them to remix your music for free, or connect you with XYZ executive, it won’t take you anywhere!
As a rule of thumb, what you give should be more than what you expect to get.
Want an example?
“…If you are free during these dates, here’s what you can do:
Go to www.mywebsite.com/privateshow and write your email in the opt-in form, so I can include you +1 in the VIP list of the show.”
Pretty straightforward. You can make it as short as
‘Please go to www.competition.com/myband and vote for my song by clicking the red button.’
No ambiguous instructions. The simpler & the ‘dumber’, the higher the conversion & the more likely they are to do what you want them to do.
What if there are many things you want to ask of them?
In this case, please read the last bullet point. It will clear things up.
7+1. Don’t approach the message as a one-off conversation.
The famous and rather charismatic owner of WineLibrary.com, Gary Vaynerchuk, once said:
“Most entrepreneurs try to get a deal set in their first message. They act like 19-year-old boys. They try to fuck on the first date. Don’t do that, it’s ugly.”
Why rush, if you have a genuine interest on that person? Why look desperate, trying to get something as fast as possible?
Asking them for multiple things or telling them the story of your life in one email is ugly. You’re being that 19-year-old boy.
Trust me, it indicates that you don’t believe you’ll have another chance to talk to them. Sending a brief and well-constructed email with a clear call-to-action demonstrates your confidence and creates a favourable image about who you are. It shows focus and a relaxed attitude, which increases the chance that they’ll engage with you.
Everything starts with a confident person who wants to provide value. Who could resist that?
Think of it as a conversation at a party. You wouldn’t try and unload the story of your life on someone you met a few minutes ago. That wouldn’t seem natural and they would probably try to avoid you for the rest of the night. Instead, you would initiate a balanced conversation with flow and mutual value for both sides.As an initial CTA, sum up the single most important thing for them to do.
Let’s write the perfect email together
After writing (literally) thousands of emails to people that most of us chicken out of getting in touch with, I can proudly say that I’ve found one form of message that outperforms the rest.
Let’s break it down in sections.
1) Greeting
This would be something as simple as
‘Hi Steve,’
Nothing more, nothing less.
2) How you know them, praise (personalised)
‘I’ve been following your blog for almost a year now, since Jacob Smith sent me a link; great stuff. I mostly enjoy your rock reviews — you’re always so passionate!’
That’s it. Of course you can be very flexible in this part, but you shouldn’t write too much here. 1–2 sentences is enough. You’ll spill the beans later in the message.
At this point, you just want to address any potential objections to whether you’re a spammer or not, and make them want to like you by providing them with genuine and specific praise.
Bonus points if you mention somebody they know in person.
3) What you are doing (a few details about you)
‘My name is Tommy, and I create theatrical rock experiences with my band in London. We’ve been gaining a lot of traction lately — even Time Out has featured us.’
No fancy stuff here. It’s the only part where you’ll talk about yourself. Keep it simple and comprehensive. Make sure you know how to pitch your project, add all the important information, and provide social proof that demonstrates your credibility.
4) Clear call to action (what you want them to do)
‘Since rock n’ roll is your life, I thought we should include you +1 in our VIP list for our show in Barbican in 2 months. Would you accept our invitation?’
‘Would you accept our invitation?’ might seem very short, but this is an effective call-to-action! The thing you ask for has to be very simple, ideally in one line.
Remember: the more ketchup you add to your food, the less you taste the food (and the more you taste the ketchup). It can be the same with text: the more words you add, the less clear what you’re saying becomes. Try to ‘say the same with less’.
5) Closing message
‘Positive energy and love,
// Tommy
www.TommyDarker.com’
Don’t be too formal here. Just be kind. ‘Positive energy and love’ is my signature closing, so I never change this one. I always include a link to my work after my name (more on that later).
Some quick-fix tips
1. Short headline that grabs attention.
Two suggestions for an effective headline:
- Use their name and a little praise.
Example: ‘Andrew — that was a great talk!’
This has always worked for me, as it looks non-spammy and people open emails with praise; it doesn’t look like something that might potentially cause your reader more trouble.
- 1-word subject/headline.
This works simply because of one important function of all email clients: they preview the first few lines of your email.
Now, please follow me for a minute. If you write the subject line ‘Perfection’ and then include a name they know (or something familiar) in the beginning of the email, such as:
‘Hi George,
Great to attend your talk. I’m so glad Mike Laugher brought us in touch…’
Their email client will show something like this:
Perfection. Hi George, Great to attend your talk. I’m so glad Mike Laugher brought…
See why? This hack works, because they see a sneak peek of the email body, which primes them to open it.
2) Use email, or a medium that is less saturated.
Email is the most common means for professional contact. However, a less saturated medium, such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter could also be an option. See whether your influencers are active on these platforms and determine (if possible) the volume of messages they get daily.
Remember, you’re not the only one sending them messages. The more they receive, the fewer chances that they notice yours among them.
3) Include a link in your signature, so they can find more about you.
This is a cool hack. Go to your email service and set up a simple signature with your name (or motto) and a link back to your site. If the person is curious to know more before getting back to you, they should be one click away. Bonus: this way you can also control what they see about you (ideally something that demonstrates the credibility of your work).
Derek Sivers says it, so it must be right.
4) Do not use ‘I’ in your sentences too much.
This brings negative repercussions. It’s all about them, remember?
5) Don’t be afraid to ask!
If you never ask, the answer is always no. Be confident in your Call To Action.
Now it’s your turn!
What is your experience with emails? Do you get replies from influencers? What are you struggling with the most?
Let me know if I can help by emailing me at tommy@tommydarker.com. Remember the principles ☺
Tommy Darker is the writing alter ego of an imaginative independent musician and thinker about the future of the music industry. His vision is to simplify scalable concepts and make them work for independent musicians.
He is a writer about the movement of the #Musicpreneur and founder of Darker Music Talks, a global series of discussions between experts and musicians. He and his work have been featured in Berklee, TEDx, Berlin Music Week, ReThink Music, Midem, SAE Institute, University of Westminster, Hypebot and Topspin Media.
Proofread and edited by Koukouvaya.
A small team of 46 passionate patrons supported this essay. Thanks: Guilherme, Tobi, Jens, Kay, Michael, Caroline, Marco, Sarah, Héllena, John, Turan, Kleopatra, Laszlo, Ilpo, Linda, Corinne, Axel, Yossi, Timothy, Igor, Christophe, Lydia, Lily, Eric, Corey, Masa, Cachin, Nate, Alessandro, Lorraine, Christos, Darren, Wendy, Chris, Tom, Argiris, Meghan, Murray, Ross, Elisa, Solveig, Andrew, Christopher, Romeo, Atul, and Neal.
