Most pitches are ignored for boring reasons: they went to the wrong person, they were too long, or the listening link did not open. None of that is about your music. Fix the boring part and your song finally gets the listen it deserves.
Fewer targets, better chosen
A list of 300 email addresses feels productive. It rarely is. Editors, radio hosts and curators spot a mass mailing in the first line, and they delete it just as quickly.
Start with ten to twenty targets you have actually researched:
- They cover your genre. Read or listen to what they featured in the last few months. If a blog writes about indie folk and you make drill, move on.
- They cover artists at your level. A small local blog or a community radio show is more likely to say yes to a first release than a national station.
- They accept submissions. Many have a contact page or a submission form with rules. Follow them exactly; it is the first test.
- You know who to write to. A name beats "Dear team". Find the editor, host or curator who handles new music.
Keep a simple spreadsheet: name, outlet, what they cover, date contacted, response. It stops you from writing to the same person twice in one week.
And never put a whole list of addresses in the To or CC field of one email. It tells every recipient they are one of many, and it shares their address with strangers without asking.
What a good pitch email contains
Keep it short enough to read on a phone without much scrolling. A useful structure:
- A subject line that says what it is. Artist name, song title, genre and release date. No "You need to hear this".
- One line that shows you know them. Mention a specific article, episode or playlist and why your song would sit well next to it. One honest sentence is enough.
- Two or three lines about the song. What it sounds like, what it is about, one interesting fact. "A Baku synth-pop song written by candlelight during a power cut" is more memorable than "a unique blend of genres".
- The listening link. A private streaming link or a download link that works without signing up. Test it from another device.
- A short sign-off. Your name, where you are based, how to reach you.
Write it yourself, in the language the outlet uses. If you pitch to a French radio show, write in French; if you are not comfortable, keep it simple rather than polished.
What to attach, and what not to
Large attachments often end up in spam or annoy people reading on mobile data. Prefer links.
Have these ready in one shared folder:
- the song (a streaming link before release if possible, and a high-quality download);
- two or three press photos in landscape and portrait;
- the cover art;
- a short bio of 80 to 150 words, plus a one-line version;
- lyrics, if the words matter to the song;
- for radio: a clean version if the song has explicit lines, and the exact duration.
Leave out long PDFs, full discographies and every stream count you have ever had. If they want more, they will ask.
Timing and follow-up
Blogs and curators usually prefer to hear about a song before it comes out, so they can plan. Two to four weeks before release is a reasonable window for most. Radio shows may plan further ahead, so check their schedules.
Avoid sending on a Friday evening or right before a major holiday. Mid-week mornings in their time zone tend to get more attention, though there is no magic hour.
If there is no reply, one follow-up after about a week is fine. Reply in the same thread so they see the context, add one new thing (a video, an upcoming show) and keep it to two lines. After that, let it go. A third and fourth email does not turn a no into a yes; it only makes your next pitch less welcome.
When the answer is silence
Silence is the most common answer, and it is rarely personal. People receive far more music than they can ever play. Note it, move on, and try again with your next release if the fit is still right.
If someone does feature you, thank them, share their post or show, and tag them. That small courtesy is remembered. Nərmin Sahil got her first radio play from a host who had ignored her two previous emails. The third song simply fitted the show better, and she had kept her pitches short and polite all along.