Band Etiquette: 5 Unspoken Rules of Contacting Press

If you don't have a publicist and you're planning on contacting the press on you own behalf as an artist/musician/band, there are some basic- and some may even say, obvious- rules to follow.  There's a code of etiquette. These give unspoken rules should help you navigate the waters of reaching out to the media.

Say please and thank you

This should be a no brainer that goes without saying. But tact and simple manners are lost arts, especially in the digital age, when everything is impersonal. Therefore, please make sure that anytime you reach out to the press or a member of a media- whether it's to ask for a review, seek out an opinion of music you've sent, or to request any sort of coverage- be sure it starts with a "please" and ends with a "thank you". Basic couresty goes a long, long way. It can also be what sways the pendulum from a yes to a no.


Check your attitude

Don't go into an email exchange with the media, be it a blogger or a high ranking editor, with any sort of attitude. Don't approach the correspondence with the notion that anyone owes you anything, especially a favor. Yes, it's the music media's job to cover music.  But is it their job to cover your music? Therein, lies a critical difference.

No they don't  have to cover your music. That's where the spin and the pitch come in, and the appeal for he joournalist can happen in he education process and/or the follow up.


Don't overdue it (aka: no punishers allowed")

Here's a scenario: you send an email at 10a and then follow up with another email an hour later, and hen follow that up with a phone call before the end of the day about whether or not the email was received, read and what coverage is planned. hat's called bieng a punisher. that's not charming or endearing.

Instead, do this: send the email. Let the email live in the inbox. Give the editor some time to read and process it. Don't expect an immediate response. Wait a week (unless it's time sensitive, like a show invite) and then follow up.


Don't start an email with a "hey"

You're mot BFFs with the media, so don't address them like you are. Use polite languge and vocabulary. Make sure you spell check and give your email a read through for grammatical correctness, punctuation, and that your point of view is clear. Starting an email, with "hey" is unprofessional. This isn't a Tinder hookup. It's the media.


Don't send emails with huge file attachments

Nothing crashes an inbox or annoys an editor like an email with an 18 MB photo attached. That may lead to instant deletion. Instead, provide a Dropbox or WeTransfer link. Or link to a page where there's an easily downloadable photo. Huge attachments aren't professional. Keep the correspondence streamlined.

These may seem like "obvious" instructions, but you'd be surprised at how many people don't follow these basic tenets. Get in the habit of doing so now..


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