One of the great things about being an independent musician is that you get to create music and share it with the world. You can impact someone hundreds of miles away and not even know it. That’s the basic purpose of every creative professional and that’s what drives us to keep making music. However, making music is not the only thing independent musicians are responsible for. In our careers, we are often the website maintenance person, the event planner, the graphic designer, and the PR person among other things. Unfortunately, we don’t always know the best way to handle reaching out to potential business partners and other industry professionals especially when it comes to promoting our music. Well, if you’re about to launch a radio campaign or in the middle of one, you’re in luck! In today’s post, we’re going to share 15 Do’s and Don’t’s to be aware of when submitting your music to radio stations. The truth is, there’s a right way to do it, and there’s a wrong way. If you get it wrong, you could drastically affect your chances of getting responses and getting exposure. If you get it right, you’ll increase your response rate, get quicker responses, and get a lot more exposure for your music. Take a look at these Do’s and Don’t’s and give your radio pitch a makeover.
Want to submit your music to lots of radio stations? We’ve got tons of stations you can search through to save you time and frustration. All of our stations accept submissions from independent artists. Use our Online Radio Directory to quickly find contact info and submission requirements by clicking here.
Don’t’s: Here’s what not to do when submitting your music to radio stations.
Don’t send poor quality or non-radio ready music.
This should be a given, but we put it at the top of the list because it’s extremely important to only send your highest quality music to radio stations. All music should be mastered, properly tagged, and non-explicit. Be sure to use all necessary tags and embed your name and song information into the song if you have a song download available. For more information on how to properly tag your music click here.
Don’t send MP3 files unless asked.
MP3 files are very large and can clog email inboxes eventually taking up way too much space. It’s better etiquette to prepare your music file as a shareable link that they can click on and listen to. Alternatively, some stations may request MP3 files. That’s why it’s very important to check for instructions.
Don’t forget to read instructions.
It’s imperative that you read all instructions before submitting your music to any radio station. Some stations have detailed instructions posted on their website. If you don’t follow these instructions, your email will more than likely get tossed or lost. Take the time to read all instructions and follow them carefully before sending. When you follow instructions, you’ll see an increased rate of responses.
Related: Bare Essentials of a Decent Home Studio
Don’t send blanket emails.
A blanket email is one that is sent to multiple contacts with the same content. Blanket emails are easy to spot because there is no personalized greeting and there are no signs indicating that the artist is speaking specifically to or about the radio station their reaching out to. These types of emails are often not answered because they lack any type of personalization and give off the impression that the artist is really not invested in building a personal relationship with the station.
Don’t send unnecessary information.
Information such as what studio your music was produced, who you’ve performed with, and where you’ve performed is not relevant to the station or their decision to play your music. The only information the station is looking for with an initial music submission is who you are, where you’re from, what type of music you do, and how they can listen to your sound. Any other information or accolades might be fun to add, but it doesn’t add any value to the purpose of your outreach. The DJ will be looking for a reason why you’re a good fit for their show or station.
Don’t misspell any names.
If you’re reaching out to a particular person, getting their name wrong is a sure way to get your music submission sent straight to the trash. The most beautiful thing to a person’s ears is the sound of their own name. However, imagine what it sounds like when you get the person’s name wrong! It’s a disaster and it leaves them with a bad impression of you. It shows that you haven’t paid attention and it gives the impression that you’re not really serious about what you’re asking for. Be sure to get their name right the first time!
Don’t expect immediate responses.
When submitting your music to radio stations, be mindful that DJs and Program Managers are often slammed with work, other music submissions, and their personal lives. Some of them are even volunteering! Don’t expect to hear back from them immediately after you submit your music. This process takes time and you’ll often need to follow up with them 2 or 3 times after your initial music submission in order to get a response.
Related: How to Get Your Music Played on the Radio | Advice from a Radio Program Manager
Don’t be discouraged.
Submitting your music to anyone puts you, the artist, in a very vulnerable place. You’re opening yourself up to rejection and oftentimes no response at all. It can make you think you’re not important, or your music is not making an impact. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You matter, and your music means something. Do not let other people’s behavior define you and your work. Your music is for a certain type of audience. The more you reach out to people about your music, the better chances you have of finding your tribe!
Do’s: Here’s what you should do when submitting your music to radio stations.
Look for specific DJs to send your music to.
DJs are my favorite people to reach out to because they are in charge of selecting music for their shows. If you can find a list of DJs and what types of shows they do at the radio stations, you can better position your pitch because you can make a case for why your music is a match for their particular show.
And address specific DJs by name.
When I open up an email from someone asking me for something, it’s always refreshing to see that they are addressing me specifically. That means that they did a small amount of research to find out who I am and how I can help them. It makes me feel quite special. The same goes for a DJ or a Program manager. If you took the time to find out who they are and address them by name, they will more than likely pay more attention to what you have to say. Just make sure their name is spelled correctly!
Keep your email brief.
Brevity can work out in your favor when it comes to music submissions. It’s unimaginable how many music submissions stations get per week. Therefore, making your email pitch short and to the point helps the recipient quickly identify who you are and what you’re asking for without having to sift through unnecessary information. Your music submission email should contain these basic points…
- Your Name, Location, and Genre
- A link to the song you’re pitching
- Why your song is a good fit
- A very brief bio (like 50 words or less)
- The Ask – be specific about what you want (see below)
- Contact information
It would help to include a quick ONE SHEET flyer with your email. Something that provides all of your information at a glance, like this one. If it’s in a PDF format, you could link to it from your email and include clickable links on the PDF that links to downloadable music, your website, and your social handles.
Ask for what you want directly.
There’s an old sales adage that says… “If you don’t ask for the sale, you won’t get it!”
This holds true for musicians looking to get exposure as well. If you’re hoping to get radio airplay, ask for it specifically. Each station is different and they offer different airplay options such as being added to a rotation, interviews, working your song into a specific show, etc. Be upfront about what you want and ask for it directly. That way you’re not leaving anything up to guesswork.
Be prepared to follow-up (three or four times if need be)
As we mentioned earlier, don’t expect to receive responses immediately after submitting your music. You could be waiting as long as a week or even two. Sometimes, you may not even get a response until after following up. Be prepared to follow up with your contacts multiple times. People are extremely busy and I’ve even heard of some people making it a point not to respond unless you follow-up. Be polite every time you follow up and include your initial messages in the email chain to refresh their memory. It can even be something as simple as saying…
”Hi (name). I hope you’ve had a great week. I just wanted to follow up with you on my music submission, see below. Let me know if I can answer any questions and I look forward to hearing from you.”
Give permission to play your song.
This is a really simple line that some radio stations require you to include. They need your permission to play your music.
Provide a link to listen to the song.
As we mentioned earlier in this post, it’s not good etiquette to send MP3 files via email unless otherwise specified. They just take up too much space and can slow an email system down. Alternatively, it’s best to send a link for the recipient to listen to the song. If the link offers a downloadable version of the song, even better! That way they can just download the song without having to reach back out.
Submitting your music for radio airplay is a process. Take your time, follow directions, and stay positive. You may get some rejections. You may have to wait a week or two before getting your responses, and you will have to be persistent with your follow-up game. But it’s all worth it when you hear your music being played on a radio station or even when you get that highly coveted radio station interview. Plus, you’ll get exposure from all those new listening ears and bragging rights.
If you’d like help with preparing your radio pitch, check out our free Radio Pitch Template and Checklist. It provides more detail about what you need to include in your pitch as well as a sample pitch that we use to reach out to radio stations. Download the free Radio Pitch Template and Checklist here.
Also, if you’re looking for a list of radio stations to reach out to, we’ve got you covered! Check out our Radio Directory for a thorough listing of radio stations accepting music submissions from most genres. Our Directory is consistently updated with the latest new radio stations on the market. You’ll be able to quickly find the radio stations that fit your music along with the right contact information for outreach without having to do any time-consuming internet searches. Check out our Radio Directory here.
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This is really helpful Anitra and takes all of the guessing and mystery out of this process. Thank you for sharing these great tips!
Absolutely! A lot of these tips come from my own experiences and what I’ve observed from instructions over the years. There really is a special art to it!
Hi! New artist here. Is it safe to send an mp3 file to a radio if they request it?
Hello! Yes. Absolutely if it’s requested by the radio station.
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Hello Shedret! Thanks so much for your kind words. It really means a lot to hear your feedback and I appreciate you taking the time to share it. Thanks for reading and I’m sending you good vibes and best wishes on your musical journey. Please take full advantage of the resources available here. There are a lot of tools, planning kits, marketing and content calendars available as well as training videos, and Done-For-You Bundles available. Feel free to join the mailing list to start getting weekly tips here and take a look at the resource center here. xoxo