10 Quick (and powerful) Emails you can send to Fans right now!

These ten email ideas will only take you minutes, but can do NUMBERS for your fan engagement. Let’s get into it…

by Chris Robley from Reverbnation Blog

Here’s the sad reality: Most musicians neglect their email list.

Even though email subscribers are your MOST reliable fans (and customers!)

Sure, it’s easy to remember the big announcements — new album, an upcoming tour, the latest video launch. But then we ignore our lists the rest of the time.

You can write an email in minutes

How can we keep our audience engaged year-round? Simple: Send more emails!

“But it takes forever,” you say?

Well, remember: Emails don’t have to be long. A few sentences can be enough. In fact, sometimes the shorter the better.

Stumped on WHAT to write about when you don’t have an upcoming release, concert, or video? Let me give you prompts for inspiration.

Evergreen email ideas for musicians:

1. Say thanks!

Your customers give you their money, and your listeners give you their time.

That’s something to be truly thankful for, and if you can express gratitude in a sincere or clever way, your fans will appreciate the recognition.

2. A tiny story about your song

Are you proud of one particular track from a previous release? A favorite lyric from an original song? Your best guitar solo? A beat that just hits harder than the rest?

Tell your fans the most interesting fact about that music! Then link to the track or video.

3. The most memorable on-stage moment

It could be the euphoria of a packed house singing along. The defeat of an empty room, and how you soldiered through. The time your amplifier exploded. That gig where you opened for your hero.

What concert moment do you remember most, and why? Tell that story!

4. Merch clearance sale!

Only got a few small t-shirts left? Making room for a new vinyl pressing? Don’t wanna haul your CD boxes to your next apartment?

Tell your fans a fun story about why you’re running a sale. Then offer a discount and move some merch! 

5. Ask for a recommendation

Need inspiration? Ask your email subscribers who their favorite songwriters are.

Sick of the same playlist or album in the tour van? Ask fans what they’re listening to.

Heck, it doesn’t even need to be about music. You could ask for cooking recipes, book picks, anything! Just ask.

 6. Share a playlist

You don’t need a new release in order to share your music.

Put together a retrospective, a greatest hits playlist, or a collection of your most obscure tracks.

Then give your fans a reason to listen again.

Just remember not everyone is on Spotify, so provide alternate options (YouTube is an easy playlist destination!)

 7. “I have a confession” 

You don’t want to overuse this hook, obviously, or else it’ll lose its appeal. But it’s okay to get vulnerable every once in a while. You’re human.

Let your audience in on something secret or embarrassing. Tell them how you learned from the experience. And ask them if they ever experienced something similar. 

8. The quick pic

Don’t overthink this one. Just scroll through your camera roll, find your favorite picture, describe it in three sentences, and hit send. 

If it’s music-related, great, but it doesn’t have to be.

9. “We’re going live” 

Musicians do an okay job announcing IRL concerts via email. But they often forget to promote digital events the same way.

If you’re doing a livestream performance or an AMA, don’t just rely on social notifications. Send an email! 

10. The struggle is real

There is a way to acknowledge the difficulties of being an artist without it sounding like a pity party.

As long as you don’t play this card too often, it can be an effective way to tell your story, nurture your relationship with your audience, and motivate them to DO something that helps your music career.

Talk about the emotional, physical, or financial struggles of music-making. The grind of touring. The psychological impact of promoting yourself on social.

Then tell your fans EXACTLY how to support you. 

Conclusion

There it is: 10 quick emails you can send to your fans throughout the year. And this is just a starter list.

As you compose these emails, you’ll probably think of more ideas. Jot them down and add them to your email schedule.

Don’t worry about sending too many emails, because most musicians have the opposite problem; they send too few.

If your subscribers are truly fans, they’ll love to hear from you. 

Tired of paying monthly fees to an email service like Mailchimp, Drip, or ConvertKit? 

This one feature alone makes your ReverbNation membership worth it!