Category: Email MarketingCategory: Email Marketing

If you don’t think you have anything interesting to send an email once a week to your fans, tell me: what are you posting multiple times per day across several social media platforms?

It’s more mullet marketing.

Party in the back: social media is fun and loose!
Business in the front: email is for transactions! Sales!

All that stuff you share on social media (that a fraction of your audience even sees) are all things your fans enjoy and read and share.

You know this by the likes and comments.

And how many times have we seen metal blogs make an entire story about a band member’s social media post?

And who doesn’t love peteY? Business in the email (LOGO, TEXT, BUTTONS), party on the socials:

Yes, I know peteY’s whimsical videos on socials are the marketing for his real-life music which seems to be doing very well (this email was sent via UMG), but… as a fan which feels more familiar? This adorable face on the screen, or… big pre-save buttons?

And while Stray From The Path probably won’t send out an email of Craig’s rants (but shit, I’d subscribe), well… there’s no email list to subscribe to on their website anyways, so what’s any of this even matter?! Hah!

GET TO THE POINT, SETH.

What I mean is this: the audience you’re reaching on social media seems to enjoy your photos and writing and videos and commentary.

Why not share some of that with your email list audience?

Do I want free donuts? Yes.

Do I want rewards? Well wait, what are the rewards? How do I get them?

I went out for a donut and iced coffee today.

The owner and I got talking about websites, social media, and email marketing of course – yes, I’m loads of fun at parties!

The owner told me the challenge of getting people into their reward program (buy enough donuts and coffee, get free donuts).

Her pitch is basically, “do you want to join our rewards program?”

And those go (usually) three ways:

1. Yeah, sure.
2. No, thanks.
3. Wait, what’s the rewards program?

For me, if you ask someone who’s buying donuts if they want free donuts, I think that changes the response a bit, to something like:

1. Uhh, yes.
2. Wait, what?

➡️ Think of this when writing subject lines.

Your “West Coast Tour Dates Announced” subject line is great for fans on the West Coast, but a horrible subject line for everyone else.

For someone like me in Pennsylvania, I have no incentive to open that email. Go have fun, West Coast!

But a subject line that says, “Do you remember when those cowboys got us back on the road when our van broke down?” – that’s for everyone! I want my van-repairing cowboys!

Then, of course (ahem), include your West Coast tour info later in the email, for your West Coast fans.

➡️ Think of this when asking your social media followers to subscribe to your newsletter.

When you say “sign up for updates,” people who’ve been on the internet for more than five seconds can already assume what they’re signing up for; deals, discounts, sales, bargains, big BUY NOW buttons.

Boring.

Make it easy for your fans to say “yes, I want that.”

Do you want free donuts? Yes.

Do you want more of my art? Yes.

Do you want more photos of my travels? Yes.

Do you want more writing? Yes.

Don’t tell me to sign up for updates, tell me what I’m getting.

Make your ask so good I have to say yes.

I’ve heard the mullet described as, “business in the front, party in the back.”

Usually, an artist’s social media feeds is the party.

Loose and free, filled with witty rants, spontaneous photos, and lengthy captions.

The likes pour in, the replies, the engagement.

That’s the “party in the back.”

But then you subscribe to an artist’s email newsletter and get their “email blast.”

Some images, text, a button that says “BUY NOW.”

No lively text. No attitude. No swagger.

That’s “business in the front.”

Please, go ahead and break my inbox and my heart with your sad tales from the road. I can take it.

Show up in my inbox like you do on my social media feeds.

Make me laugh with your snarky videos, and your dry humor.

Include some photos from tour, the studio, and your practice space.

Instead of giving Zuck & Musk your best material for them to monetize, pour your magic into the emails that you send to your fans.

Since social media is burning to the ground, here’s a thought about getting people to sign up for your email newsletter.

Avoid using, “sign up for updates.”

Like, it’s great to say “social media is a hell fire and we can’t reach our fans.”

The the context of that is great, yes. But saying “sign up for updates,” I’m sorry, it’s boring as f*ck.

Think about this – if you have a tour coming up, what are you gonna post on social media?

During your tour it’ll be, “we’re gonna post, exclusive, behind the scenes photos from our tour, and the adventures driving around the country to visit all these different cities and all these places that we eat.”

Oh, wait – that sounds exciting!

Say that.

Say, “follow our adventures as we leave for tour in a month. Sign up so you don’t miss a single photo of our adventures. Sign up so you, you don’t miss out on all our crazy tour stories.”

There’s a reason media outlets ask, “got any crazy tour stories?”

It’s because stories sell. Stories are what make movies!

Tell stories, not updates.

I had a wonderful chat with Laura Kidd, an independent artist whose recent album ‘Obey Robots’ hit #14 on the UK charts. Part of what made that possible was from building a 10,000 person email list since 2009 – watch the video to find out more!

One thing we discuss is how we share what we do on socials, and people still have no idea what we’re doing.

I spoke about my Goodnight, Metal Friend mix series here before. Been doing it since 2020, and sharing on Twitter and Instagram – just like you’re supposed to, right?

So I was out with some friends recently, and mentioned Goodnight, Metal Friend, and my one friend – WHO FOLLOWS ME ON INSTAGRAM – was like, “what’s that?”

They had no idea.

“It’s almost like everyone else has their own life, isn’t it,” said Laura in this clip, “and they’re all really busy with their own thoughts, so when I share mine I’m not actually intruding as much as I might feel like I am.”

Keep posting about your new music. Your new projects. Your new services. It’s likely 80% of your fans don’t see those posts anyways.

So be sure to promote your website and newsletter while you still can, before the whole social media house of cards comes tumbling down.