We got a new CD in the mail this past week here at Prescription Bluegrass and along with it came the record label's “One-Sheet” which is at least a page and in some cases two or three pages of pertinent data so that we in the media can be informed about the ins and outs of the new album.
Many times someone from the band or the label may also include a small personal note, handwritten on the bottom or back side. I always find the personal touch rewarding. It's a simple gesture that helps to cement the bond between the artist and the media on a personal level. It takes it out of the corporate world and right down to the family table.
Dobro wiz Phil Leadbetter just sent a postcard the other day with some simple text saying thanks for the support on his last album – another way to stay in touch even when it's not sent out as part of the original package.
One thing that rings out as uncharacteristic about the CD that came this past week was the lack of any personal note from the artist. These are people with whom I've spent many hours on the phone. We have a friendship developed with bluegrass as a base, but also one that goes beyond those boundaries and into family and philosophical beliefs. So to get a package from them without a personal note is pretty much akin to hearing the front doorbell ring and then when answering the call, finding no one there.
To be fair, and not to put myself up on a pedestal though, the band may have had no idea the CD and One-Sheets were going out naked, sans a handwritten note. It may have been handled completely by a label intern who has no idea of who's who on the mail out list.
As much as we have counseled for up-and-coming bands to graduate up to using more and more professional help where and when they can, this is one of the pitfalls of becoming too big, too fast.
I've heard others say that it's a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. In any organization, no matter how big or small, that is just a point where it's time to put on the brakes and re-map the strategy, reroute the course, or redetermine the goal.
I once worked as the office manager for a veterinarian, and each month after I'd run the computerized statements for his billing, he would spend time going over them. Hundreds of bills. A lot of what he was doing was double checking his own records from his field notes. But mostly, he wanted the opportunity to let his patients know that he was a real doctor - that he cared about them and their animals. At the bottom of each statement was a handwritten note with some comment about the specific circumstances. Like, “Hope Snoopy is healing up properly, don't forget to stop in anytime next week for removal of his stitches” or, “Sugar was a real special pet out here in our horse pen, none of us will ever forget her.”
If the account was seriously past due, the note would be in red ink instead of blue. But the message would still be something personal about the animal with a reminder that the office was open and awaiting payment.
Once “Doc” completed his review and comments, I'd get the stack of statements back on my desk for folding and mailing. I always “reviewed” his review so that I could read his comments on each one and I was always fascinated by the genuine compassion that transmitted through those few words scrawled at the bottom of a computerized statement. Perhaps it was the contrast of the dot matix style print of the statement with the flow of the penmanship. Perhaps it was Doc's uncanny ability to recall just the right sentiment for the occasion, but it always seemed to get his message across. Even his hardest cases would show up with payment in hand saying, “Tell Doc thanks!”
The lesson I learned was that you can never be too busy to stop and let people know you're real. Doc learned that it benefited him to take that time just before the statements were sent. Each business may find that they have other times more beneficial to them and their specific industry.
In the case of a bluegrass band, what better time is there to say hello than when you're asking for a favor, like, “Give my new CD some attention”?
In the case of the band used here as our example, a good idea would have been for a meeting of all involved … band members, label personnel, managers, press agents, etc. … anyone who might have connections and influence favorable for the band. Each should go through the mailing list of who will be getting the new CD. Each should then have a chance to write a comment where a special connection has been made with someone on that list. Something like:
Hey Brian,
Glad we had that nice long phone call … hope you like the new CD … let's talk again!
For those where no real connection has already been made, you could try something like:
Hey Brian,
I hope you like our new CD, we'd like to call you - just to get acquainted – next week if that would be OK with you!
The next step would be to then start making those connections with anyone on the list where there are connections to be made, so that the next time around you'll be able to write something more personable.
Remember, it's just a small deposit of your time for a huge dividend on your success. Everyone likes to feel they're special and a personal note – no matter how short – accomplishes that so well.
With all due respect, as much as we publicists would love to be able to include personal notes to all the journalists we work with, it would be exceedingly difficult to do so for most of us. We have to allocate our resources wisely, and most of us simply don't have the time to devote to a task such as that, as much as we might like to. This isn't indicative of a lack of caring, or a desire to engage personally with journalists and editors: it's simply a reality of our work schedules, which require us to do more with less help, and less time. I hope you understand that we care very deeply about the journalists who support the artists we represent, and we are grateful for all that you do.
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