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# Why The Press Is Ignoring Your Band’s Outreach
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/why-the-press-is-ignoring-your-bands-outreach/
- Published: 2014-08-14T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2014-08-14T15:00:00.000Z
- Description: By Jhoni Jackson from the Sonicbids Blog. Here’s the scenario: You’ve meticulously crafted the perfect press email and sent it out to various journalists, but you’ve gotten zero replies. Now. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/08/why-the-press-is-ignoring-your-bands-outreach.html
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, Music Business, Music Marketing, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:38

[![Avalanche_of_emails_writer_receives](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201a511f65b62970c-150wi "Avalanche_of_emails_writer_receives")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201a511f65b62970c-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

By [Jhoni Jackson](http://blog.sonicbids.com/author/jhoni-jackson?ref=hypebot.com) from the [Sonicbids Blog](http://blog.sonicbids.com/why-youre-not-hearing-back-from-press-and-what-to-do-about-it?ref=hypebot.com).

Here’s the scenario: You’ve meticulously crafted the [perfect press email](http://blog.sonicbids.com/ask-a-music-journalist-knocking-on-the-right-door?ref=hypebot.com) and sent it out to various journalists, but you’ve gotten zero replies. Now what? Before you send a follow-up, review this list of possible explanations as to why you haven’t scored a story. If you can self-diagnose before trying again, your second attempt will be all the more worthwhile.

## 1\. What did your email look like?

Did you make the most of your subject line? Was it descriptive, but not totally hey-look-at-me in all capital letters and such? **The subject is the first thing a writer sees, so a detailed but quick-hitting chunk of info is what you should shoot for.**

The body of your email should include a [bio](http://blog.sonicbids.com/how-to-draw-in-promoters-and-press-with-your-band-bio?ref=hypebot.com), links to music (via SoundCloud or Bandcamp or another easily accessible mode of listening) and a nice [press image](http://blog.sonicbids.com/what-your-band-photo-says-about-you?ref=hypebot.com). If you’re missing one of those components, a journalist might be too busy with other work to go the extra research mile.

## 2\. You’re not there… yet

If you’re a brand new group and you’ve reached out to someone at *AV Club,* you might be jumping the gun. Start with local papers before going for the big outlets. Before trying national press, try an alt-weekly based in your city or wherever you might be playing. Find smaller, independently run blogs. **Sometimes it’s best to cultivate a following before going for the major players, and getting press from anywhere can help.**

And, of course, once you’ve snagged those snippets, you’ll have them to bolster your emails to all those publications with greater readership.

## 3\. Timing and timeliness

Do you have an album, EP, or 7-inch on the way? If not, writers might find your band’s story untimely. There’s a rule in journalism about timeliness: **There has to be a *reason* behind every story**. If you’re simply announcing your group’s existence, press is much harder to get. Try to time your press emails with a release, be it an LP or a new [video](http://blog.sonicbids.com/how-to-release-a-quality-music-video-as-an-independent-artist?ref=hypebot.com) or a string of [tour dates](http://blog.sonicbids.com/how-to-book-a-diy-tour-like-a-pro?ref=hypebot.com).

## 4\. Your email simply hasn’t been seen

Did you send your query to the right person? Follow [this guide](%28http://blog.sonicbids.com/steal-these-strategies-that-top-pr-firms-use-to-get-press-for-your-band) for help targeting the right writers. Not every journalist will jump at your subject line — if they’re not into hip-hop whatsoever, for example, they might skip you over. **Be sure you’re sending to the right journalist and not just cold emailing all over the place.**

If you did aim appropriately and followed the above steps, there’s a chance your message has gotten lost in an avalanche of emails. Music journalists sometimes receive 30-40 inquiries from bands and publicists per day. You can hit them back if you’re positive you’ve gotten it right — but be sure to double-check this list beforehand to be sure.

**Jhoni Jackson* is an Atlanta-bred music journalist currently based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she juggles owning a venue called Club 77, freelance writing and, of course, going to the beach as often as possible.*

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