How to get feedback from DJs on your promos

Why promos get little feedback

• Volume. A working DJ can receive dozens of promos a week. Anything that takes more than a minute gets put off, and most of it is never picked up again.
• No clear ask. If the email doesn't say what you would like back, many DJs download and move on.
• Long forms. Ten questions get fewer answers than three.
• The wrong people. A techno DJ sent a drum and bass promo has nothing useful to say, so says nothing.
• No reason to answer. DJs answer labels they trust to listen: labels whose promos fit them and who act on what they hear.

Ask before the download

The most common way labels collect feedback is to ask for it before the download unlocks. The DJ can stream the promo freely, but gets the files only after rating it and writing a short comment. It is standard practice in electronic music and most DJs expect it.

It has a cost. Some DJs, often the busiest ones, skip promos that require feedback. If a few people on your list matter more than their comments, make feedback optional for that promo, or send them a separate private link. Decide per promo rather than once for all of them.

The questions to ask

Four short answers tell you most of what you need:

1. A rating, on a short scale such as 1 to 5 stars. It lets you compare promos and DJs over time.
2. A favourite track, when the promo has more than one mix or track. It tells you which version to push.
3. How they will support it: in their sets, on a radio show, in a playlist, or not sure yet. Artists often want to know this first.
4. A comment of a sentence or two, with a minimum length so it can't be a single word.

Give DJs who don't want the promo a way to say so, such as a Pass button. A pass is useful information: it tells you the promo wasn't for that person, which helps you narrow the next send.

Leave out questions about the artwork, the mixdown in general, or long lists of tick boxes. If you need detailed notes from a few trusted DJs, ask them directly.

Timing

• Send early enough that DJs can play the track out before release day: several weeks is common for club music. Feedback after a gig is worth more than feedback from headphones. See how far before release to send promos.
• Avoid sending on Friday evening and at the weekend, when many DJs are travelling or playing.
• With a large list, send to your closest DJs first and to everyone else a few days later. Early answers from people you trust help you write the notes for the second round.

Reminders that help

A reminder to people who haven't opened the promo brings in a second wave of listens. One or two are enough. After that, each extra email brings more unsubscribes than answers.

People who listened but left no feedback are a different group: they were interested enough to play it. One short follow-up asking only for feedback often gets answers from them. Send it once, and only to them.

Stop all reminders for anyone who has already given feedback, downloaded or passed.

Reading the feedback

• Look at listening time next to each comment. A comment written after twenty seconds of the first track carries less weight than one written after a full play of two mixes.
• Look at who said it. A 3 star rating from a DJ who plays your genre every week can matter more than a 5 from someone outside it.
• Look at the favourite track. If most DJs pick the same version, that is the one to lead with on release.
• Look at passes by genre or country. Many passes from one group means the promo shouldn't go to that group next time.

Close the loop

DJs keep answering labels that show they read the answers. Thank the people who supported a release when it comes out, tell them when the next one is coming, and send them the promos that fit them first. Remove people who never open or always pass, instead of emailing them every time: it improves delivery for everyone else.

When you report to the artist, share the comments without contact email addresses, and name DJs only if they are happy to be named. How to report promo results to your artist covers this step.

For DJs: what useful feedback looks like

If you receive promos, short and specific feedback is what labels can use:

• Where you would play it: warm-up, peak time, closing, radio.
• Which mix you prefer, and why in a few words.
• Anything that stopped you playing it: the intro is too short to mix, the break is too long, the low end is heavy on a club system.
• If it isn't for you, say so or press Pass. It tells the label more than silence.

Feedback in Dubsend

Each promo has a feedback setting: required (the default), optional or off. When it is required, the DJ gives 1 to 5 stars, picks a favourite track when there is more than one, picks how they will support it (In my sets, Radio show, Playlist or Not sure yet) and writes a comment of at least 15 characters before the downloads unlock. A Pass button lets DJs decline, and you see who passed.

Dubsend sends up to two reminders to people who haven't opened the promo page, downloaded or given feedback, and a Nudge button emails people who listened and left no feedback, once each, with at most 3 emails per person per promo. Next to every comment you see how long that person listened first. See the FAQ for the details.

Questions