How to "cold call" a musical gatekeeper
Musicians need to know how to sell themselves. It’s something I know well having had experience both as a pianist and a blogger. When I was a working musician, I spent a great deal of time contacting strangers to book gigs and gain publicity. Now, as a blogger, I’ve transitioned into being one of the gatekeepers. The sad fact is that even though nearly all musicians need marketing and sales training, few of us receive it. In too many universities and conservatories, students are taught (directly or indirectly) that all they need to do is play their instrument really well and that will be enough to create a career in music. Any working musician will tell you that playing well is just the ticket to entry, and that success in the arts requires us to learn self-promotion as well.
In today’s world, musicians need an online presence in order to be taken seriously. This goes beyond a website and social media. Confirmation from outside sources (reviews, interviews, podcasts, etc.) show fans and potential employers that others find a musician worthy of consideration. Some musicians hire publicists to do this work, but those who either can’t afford to (or choose not to) use one must learn the fine art of “cold calling.”
Cold calling, a phrase that comes from the corporate world, means contacting someone you’ve never spoken to before to try and make a sale. Everyone—even seasoned sales reps—hates it. Sadly, it’s necessary. The only way to reach people who offer something that you want is to contact them and ask. For musicians, these “gatekeepers” range from agents to reviewers; concert promoters to bloggers. Given how important it can be to make a favorable impression on these people, it is imperative that musicians learn how to contact—aka cold call—people in a professional manner.
I’ve made a lot of cold calling mistakes and I’ve seen quite a few as well. As such, my suggestions spring from my experience. I offer them here in the hope that they might help musicians avoid some of the self-sabotage I inflicted on myself and see being done by others when they contact me through my blog.
Do your homework
If what you’re selling doesn’t match the gatekeeper’s market, don’t waste their time by contacting them. It’s amateurish and unprofessional and it smacks of a mass mailing. On No Dead Guys, my focus is piano music by living composers, and I don’t offer reviews. Yet even though I put this in writing on my blog, I receive pitches that clearly don’t fit what I’m doing. Not only will I not say yes to whatever the request is, I gain a negative impression of the musician who sent it to me.
Take the time to research every potential contact. Dig deeply into what they offer. If they’re concert promoters, what kinds of acts have they booked before? If bloggers or publishers, what is their focus? If what you do doesn’t match, move on.
Make sure you’re newsworthy
A sure way to bore a potential gatekeeper is to offer them nothing newsworthy. If you have no musical track record, no online presence, and no interesting story, gatekeepers are unlikely to be interested in you. I learned this the painful way. I was very eager when I was a young musician and more than once I contacted gatekeepers before I had anything to offer them. It took a few harsh rejections for me to understand that it was up to me to show them why I was of interest to them.
Before you cold call anyone, make sure you’ve done these three things: created a body of work, created an online presence, and identified why your story is unique. Ask yourself, “why should they care?” If you don’t have a good answer, don’t contact them.
Have a solid online presence
You may have thousands of followers on TikTok or some other social media platform, but if your gatekeeper isn’t active on these sites, it means little to them. It may be old fashioned, but every musician needs a professional website. Your fans may not access it, but gatekeepers will. This is your proverbial front door, your introduction to the world. Spend the time (and the money) to create a top-notch site.
Great sites should be easy to navigate and easy to read. As someone who spends a great deal of time online, for instance, I despise the black backgrounds with white lettering because they’re harsh on the eyes. I also dislike having to fish around looking for information that should be easy to find, such as your bio, recordings, etc.
In addition to your website, take care to maintain a professional image on all sites that carry your name, i.e., YouTube and other social media. If you want to feature videos or reels of cat fails, party antics, or political screeds, do so on accounts not containing your name. Set up your social accounts to alert you if someone tags you in a video or photo (this was something I learned the hard way when some of my college students found pictures of me reveling with friends—and a whole lot of champagne—on a cruise ship…).
Learn how to write a good cold call email
Since 90% of a musician’s cold calling efforts are likely to take place via email, it’s critical to learn how to write a good one. Some cultures and age groups are more reserved than others. Thus it’s wise to adopt a formal, professional tone and to avoid the following: misspellings, poor grammar, profanity, slang, or emojis. Another faux pas? Sending long emails. Keep your pitch to no more than three short paragraphs.
My favorite unsolicited emails always include the following:
A clearly stated reason why the musician is contacting me, usually in the subject line and also in the body of the email.
A personal greeting.Truth: if a musician hasn’t taken the time to research my name and include it in their email, I don’t take the time to read what they send me.
Several sentences telling me a bit about the musician and why I might find them interesting.
Links to places where I can go for more information.
For more on writing great cold call emails, this article by Julia Rogers of Music Consultant website is a good resource.
Excel at great follow-up
If the gatekeeper requests more information, get it to them immediately. If you are to supply something by a certain date, make your deadline (extra credit—get it to the gatekeeper early!). Being busy or excusing yourself from responsibility because you’re an “artist type” will sabotage your efforts. Make the time. And if you’re truly unable to meet a deadline, contact the gatekeeper, explain, and tell them when you’ll be able to do so.
Do your part
If you’ve landed a gig, interview, review, etc., congratulations. Just be aware that savvy musicians know their work doesn’t stop there. It’s also your job to help with publicity. Put it on your socials. Put it on your website. Send it to your mailing list. Not only does this help your career, it validates the gatekeeper’s decision to feature you and your work.
When I’ve spent hours preparing an interview, I’m insulted when the musician doesn’t care enough to tell people about it. The musicians who choose to be this thoughtless are ones I never choose to promote again. And I’m not alone. I have a publicist friend who got so frustrated with a number of irresponsible and ungrateful individuals she represented that she changed her business model and has chosen to work only with organizations.
As the old adage says, the cream always rises to the top. True professionals take the time to present themselves well and to be thoughtful. I find it telling that the more successful a musician is, the more likely they are to communicate professionally. A coincidence? In a profession as difficult and cutthroat as music, I think not.