Does it feel harder than ever to get reviews of your gigs, projects, or albums?
You’d love to get good press. Afterall, reviews help legitimize who you are as an artist.
And if you’re looking to tour, many presenters and venues prefer to work with artists who have a proven track record of success, and reviews make them feel safer about saying yes to you.
So how do you get more reviews of your music?
Just ask!
Yes, it’s that simple….
BUT (you knew that was coming!)
…You have to ask the right way.
Here’s how to to request a music review (plus, a free, copy-and-paste email template you can use).
Before You Make the Request
Here at iCadenza we’re about giving you more than templates and blueprints. We want to get you in the right frame of mind to take action so that your efforts pay off AND you can actually enjoy making your dreams happen.
Here’s how to set yourself up for success before reaching out to music critics, bloggers, and influencers.
Choose the right people: Pick people who you’ve seen review or write about music or projects similar to yours. Choose at least 20 people if you can.
Test the efficacy of your email: Send your first email to about 20 people, then wait to see what kind of response you get. For every 20 emails, you can expect one or two to lead to a review.
If you don’t get at least two responses, tweak your email content and send it out to another set of 20 people. Continue to do this until you get a response rate of 2-3 people per batch of 20 sent.
Follow up: If you don’t hear back within three to four weeks, write a follow-up email. Keep it short and to the point. (If you’re unsure about what to say, scroll down to sign up for 3 more free email scripts, including a follow-up template.)
When you send your follow-up email, make sure you reply to the original email you sent so that your contact remembers who you are and has all of your information at their fingertips.
Don’t take it personally: If you don’t hear back, stay positive. People are busy and you might have caught them at a bad time. It doesn’t mean that you or your project are horrible. Continue to reach out to other people, tweaking your emails as you go.
Copy-and-Paste Sample Email
Sometimes, the hardest part is just knowing what to write.
You want to be assertive but not aggressive, professional but not overly formal. And you want to make sure you include the most important information.
Here’s an example of an email you can send when reaching out to someone requesting a review:
Subject: Review Request: [Your Name] – [Album/Project Name]
Hi [Person’s Name],
Opening
I noticed that you like to cover [these types of works]. I especially enjoyed [refer to a specific piece of writing that you liked]. [Explain why you liked it].
Option 1
I thought you might be interested in my [upcoming album]. It’s [a brief summary].
Would you be interested in reviewing it?
You can stream the album here and download it here [include a link]. The release date is [date].
Option 2
I’ll be playing a show in your area in [month]. I thought you might be interested in attending. It’s [a brief summary].
Would you be interested in reviewing it? If so, I’d love to put you on the guest list.
The available dates are [dates & times]. If you’d like to attend, let me know and I’ll make sure you’re added to the list.
Closing
I’ve also attached a one-sheet with more information about the [album/show].
Best wishes,
[Your name]
Snippet
[Your name]: [Paste in what we call a snippet, a few compelling sentences of your bio. Below that, organize important links.]
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