DJ promo email template for labels

What a DJ decides from the inbox

Before anyone opens your email they see three things: who it is from, the subject line and the first line of text (the preview). A DJ who knows your label opens it because of the sender name. Everyone else needs the subject and the preview to say what the release is and whether it fits their sets.

So the useful information goes first: the artist, the title, the label and the catalogue number. Hype words such as "huge", "exclusive" or "bomb" take space without telling the DJ anything, and they make the email look like the bulk mail filters are built to catch.

The template

Here is a complete promo email for an example release. Swap in your own details and keep the order: it is the order in which a DJ looks for things on a phone screen.

If feedback is optional for this promo, the line above the second button says so instead: "Download straight away. Feedback is welcome."

The subject line

Use the same format for every promo, so DJs recognise your emails and can search for them later. A clear format is the one music stores use: artist, title and the catalogue number in brackets.

• "Example Artist - Night Bus [EXL004]" tells the DJ everything in one line and sorts well in an inbox search.
• If the release has a notable remixer, add it to the title as stores do: "Night Bus (Example Remixer Remix)".
• Keep it under about 60 characters, so phones don't cut off the catalogue number.
• Leave out words in capitals, exclamation marks and emoji. They don't help a DJ choose, and some mail filters score them.

The first screen

Most DJs read promos on a phone, often between other things. On a 375 pixel wide screen the cover, the title, the listen button and the start of the track list should all be visible without scrolling. Put the button high, before any notes. A DJ who has to scroll past a biography to find the music often doesn't.

Use one button that opens the promo page, and repeat it at the end of the email for people who read to the bottom. Don't attach files: large attachments bounce or land in spam, and you lose any record of who listened.

The notes

Two or three short lines are enough. Good notes answer the questions a DJ has before pressing play:

• What it sounds like, in words a DJ uses: "rolling, percussive, builds slowly, big break at 3:30".
• Where it works: warm-up, peak time, closing, radio.
• Why now: a debut, a remix package, the artist's return to the label.
• Support so far, only when it is true and the DJ agreed to be named.

Leave the full biography, press quotes and long tracklists of previous releases for the promo page or the label's website.

The release details

DJs file promos and come back to them. Give them what they need to do that: genre, release date, label, catalogue number and the track list with versions and lengths. BPM and key help too. Make sure titles and versions match what the stores will show, so a DJ who downloads the promo finds the same track on release day.

The ask

Say plainly what you would like back. If feedback is required before the download, say so next to the button, so nobody is surprised on the promo page. If feedback is optional, say that too. One sentence is enough; how to get feedback from DJs covers what to ask.

The reminder and the follow-up

A reminder goes to people who haven't opened the promo. It repeats the subject with a short prefix and keeps the email short:

A follow-up goes only to people who listened but left no feedback. It asks for one thing:

Send at most two reminders and one follow-up, and stop as soon as someone opens, downloads or replies with feedback. More emails than that lead to unsubscribes and spam reports, which hurt every promo you send after.

What to leave out

• Attachments and download links to file sharing folders.
• A visible list of other recipients. Never put a promo list in the To or Cc field.
• Long introductions about the label before the music.
• Several different links: one promo page is easier to follow and to measure.
• Claims you can't back up, such as chart positions or support that hasn't happened.
• Tracking pixels as your only measure: email apps that load images automatically record opens nobody made.

The template in Dubsend

Dubsend builds this email for you from the promo's details. The subject is "{artist} - {title} [{catalogue}]" by default, the preview line shows the label, the catalogue number and the artist and title, the first line reads "Hi {first_name}, {label} sent you a promo.", and the button says "Listen and download". Each track in the list opens the promo page on that track. The line above the closing button follows your feedback setting.

On paid plans you can change the subject, the first line and the button text in your brand kit, using the words {artist}, {title}, {label}, {catalogue}, {genre}, {release_date} and {first_name} in the first line. Rounds and sends to more people can have their own subject line. Dubsend sends the reminders and the follow-up for you, with at most 3 emails per person per promo, and you can send yourself a test of the real email before it goes out. See how to send promos to DJs for the steps around the email.

Questions