Category: InternetCategory: Internet

In May, I thought of Ezra Caldwell out of the blue, knowing he passed away some time ago. I did an online search, and it was almost 10 years to the day that he left us.

He was someone I met years ago when I lived in NYC. We met via Flickr. I wrote a little something on my blog, and that was it. I didn’t share it, promote it, or send the link to anyone. It was viewed 18 times.

A few days ago a former neighbor of Ezra’s sent me an email. They, too, thought of Ezra recently. They went online like I did, and they found my post.

Their email was sweet, speaking of the time they spent walking their dogs together. They had some of his photo prints in their office (Ezra was a phenomenal photographer).

Friends – believe that magic can happen without social media. Those spontaneous findings and meetings can still take place on the old-fashioned web, as busted and chaotic as it is.

If you’re struggling to leave social media, I get it.

But if it makes you feel bad, if you lose yourself in comparison or grief or anger, or if you just can’t stop losing 4+ hours a day to scrolling… you’ll find your way at some point, just like so many others are figuring it out for themselves.

• “Reclaiming our mental space to be a wide open field for our imagination to flourish instead of a hoarder’s house with piled up boxes full of trending Reel sounds and fit checks,” is how Jak Major describes it in Leaving Instagram.
• “I’m not even sure why I post on Instagram anymore. Perhaps that’s a sign to…not?”
• “Now that Instagram is made up of half advertisements and you see very few posts from people you actually follow, many are calling quits,” writes Marloes De Vries, “people who once spend hours a day crafting content are opting out, and rightfully so. Why spend time in a place that gives you nothing in return?”

There’s no need to wait for some new platform, some online utopia that will bring back the gold-rush of impressions and clicks. It’s a house of cards, an illusion propped up by pitchdecks and advertising potential promised to early stage investors.

No, thanks.

We’re hosting artist meetups, we’re organizing video calls, we’re engaged in our Discord channels, chats, and email threads. There is power in our communities, our creative networks, our neighborhoods, our online hangouts.

Our art and magic will be around long after they shut out the lights at Meta HQ.

Believe that.

Carter Vail recently had 400 people pre-save a new song.

In a recent Instagram video, he shows how 1,072 unique users clicked through to the pre-save page.

Now, that’s a 37.3% conversion rate, and in the world of “getting anyone to do anything on the internet” that’s a fantastic rate.

The scary part though is that he’s got 211,000 followers, which means just 0.1% of his fans pre-saved his new track.

I’m using Carter Vail to illustrate that a huge following on Instagram doesn’t guarantee huge pre-save numbers or sales or people signing up for your thing.

But, I’ve worked with a client who had “just” 5,000 email subscribers, sent three emails, and sold over $3,000 in vinyl and shirts.

This is all about getting the right people to know what the fuck you’re doing, which is hard when you rely on third party platforms that limit your ability to reach your audience.

Like Rick Rubin says, “make cool things, show it to your friends.”

But it’s hard when those 200K friends are all on Instagram.

This also goes for who’s willing to pay and support your cool things.

Ira Glass lays it out pretty well in an interview with Vulture:

It’s just crazy to me that people are having a hard time earning money making something so many other people clearly want.

Well, part of the problem is that people aren’t paying for it, right?

Right. They’re accustomed to getting it for free.

That’s the hole in the business model.

Artists are having a hard time earning money making something so many people clearly want.

But most people ain’t paying for it.

A few are, though, right?

Do you know who?

Who bought your last album? Do you have their email? Can you let them know you’ve got a new record coming out?

Do you know who your top supporters are? Do you know who spent $1,000 in your store in the last three months?

Are your west coast fans aware of your upcoming west coast tour? Or did 70% of your social media fans miss that one post you made about it two weeks ago?

It won’t get any easier to reach your fans on social media, and all the time you spend building a following there means shit when over half of them never see your posts.

Take your power back.

Start an email list.
Send emails that entertain, with a few less BUY NOW buttons.
Update your website once in awhile.

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 cry when I see a social media post like this:

This might be the only post a fan sees this week. Or month.

And even so, then what?

We can’t stop at just reaching our fans on social media, oh no.

We have to help our fans escape. To unplug from the system.

It’s not easy, though, like Morpheus says in The Matrix:

“You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.”

We are at war, and our mission is to reach our fans without appeasing algorithms, making dance videos, or hopping from one new social media platform to the next. No.

So, the next time you’re thinking about posting something to get your fans talking, figure out a way to get those fans subscribed.

Once they are subscribed, you have a direct line of communication with them.

First, set up a landing page. This is where people go when you ask them to sign up for your email list.

🚫 Don’t ask people to DM you their email address
🚫 Don’t ask them to email you, and you’ll add them to your list later

Set up a landing page. Trust me on this.

Using Mailchimp? Read up here, here, and here.

Using Substack? Read here.

Using Squarespace? Read here and here.

Still no clue? Get in touch.

Once you have that sorted, make a social media post like this:

Once you’re ready to release your magic to the world, you send it to your email list first, and skip the rigged game of attention roulette that you play when you post on social media.

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Oh yeah, here are 25 things you can post to get people to click the link to your shiny new landing page:

1. New track is done, who wants to hear a snippet?
2. New product coming to the shop next week – get on my email list and I’ll send YOU the link first!
3. I’m writing a new piece on something near and dear to my heart – subscribe to my email list and I’ll send you my hand-written notes.
4. Working on a new photo project with a friend, and it involves a ladder and 30 gallons of red paint. Get on my email list for a sneak peek.
5. Shooting a music video next week. Want to see all the behind the scenes photos and silliness? Click to get on our email list.
6. Someone stole my guitar two months ago at a gig. Want to know how I recovered it? Sign up for my email list.
7. We’ve got like 20 ideas for the name of our next album. Help us narrow it down.
8. My writing isn’t just about opening the laptop and tapping on the keyboard for several hours. Let me show you my writing space, and how I maintain my creativity.
9. Love nu-metal? Our drummer has a shrine to nu-metal, complete with sealed vinyl, signed posters, and, well… get on our email list to see it!
10. I visited some creative friends this past weekend, and we had such an ah-hah moment, that we nearly cried. I’ll tell you all about it in my next newsletter.
11. We hit 23 cities on our last tour. 17 diners. 12 truck stops. 10 motels. And five… well, subscribe to our newsletter. Next week we’re gonna send out a big tour wrap up.
12. Thanks for all the love and support! Next week I’m hosting a Zoom call with you, my amazing fans. Get on the email list and I’ll send you the details.
13. Next week will be the two year anniversary of the release of my first book. Sign up for my newsletter because next week I’m sharing everything I’ve learned about releasing a book in those two years.
14. Over the last four years of running my podcast, I’ve asked every guest their biggest piece of advice for anyone just getting started, and I’m sharing my favorite bits in my newsletter next week.
15. I was 17 when I played my first show, and I told the sound man “fuck you” on the mic. Yeah, don’t ever do that. I’ll explain in my next newsletter what he told me after the show.
16. I’ve got over 200 effects pedals, and every week in my newsletter I talk about one with a quick video.
17. I found a store that sells horror movies on VHS, and I’m in love. Full story in my newsletter next week.
18. Did you know I broke two bass drum pedals on my first tour? It’s true. Sign up for my email list and I’ll explain how to not break all your gear when you’re on the road.
19. I’m halfway down with my new book, and want to celebrate the milestone with a rough draft reading. Get on my email list and I’ll send you an audio snippet.
20. The theme of my radio show this week was sad songs, and I had a hard time limiting it to one hour, so next week’s newsletter will have the songs I left off the show.
21. My favorite poet just celebrated their 60th birthday! Subscribe to my newsletter because I’ll be talking about my favorite pieces from them over the years.
22. Summer is coming up and that means SUMMER TOUR SEASON. In my next newsletter I’m sharing the story about the time I got left at a truck stop (without my phone).
23. When I was a kid I worked this summer job and made friends with this older kid who played in bands, and he gave me a worn out copy of Slayer’s ‘Hell Awaits.’ Ten years later I ran into him and you won’t believe what band he’s in.
24. I’m visiting my favorite record shop next week when I visit NYC. Make sure you’re on my email list, because I’m planning on spending lots of money there, and I want to tell you all about it.
25. I make sleepy time metal mixes every week. For some people it puts them to sleep, others say they’re great for working or studying. Subscribe and listen for yourself!

Use these as inspiration, or copy and paste them as you see fit. These ideas are your now.