We’re living in a short attention span society. I get it and this shouldn’t be coming as news to any of you. Consider why short form videos are so en vogue. For that matter, post Reels on Instagram and then look at your analytics for the average watch time. Eight seconds maybe? There’s your proof that people just aren’t staying focused on much for very long.
That’s precisely the reason that you might be missing out on opportunities. You’re not sticking around long enough to get the details right and it’s hurting you right out of the gate.
I had someone send me an email about their client’s new song, asking if I was the person to send it to because they wanted me to write about it here on my weekly blog. If they spent just a little extra time going through the Blog section, they’d see the One Submit banner at the top of the page as well as within each post and get the hint that they should try sending it through that service.
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Nowadays people want things quick, though, and so they just buy an email list and hope and assume that it’s accurate and then they blast out to the contacts on there.
Scrolling through the numerous blog entries here on this site you would see my name as the author the overwhelming majority of the time. Similarly, the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast is extremely easy to find and should be the signpost that alerts you to not write in and ask about getting your song on my “station.”
Again, short attention spans.
Looking in your spam/junk folder is a good habit to get into. Sometimes legitimate, important emails end up in there. I try to look at mine with some degree of regularity. One came in early this morning with a subject line of “Any Update on this?” (Why they capitalized Update is beyond me, by the way.) And in the preview in Outlook all I could see is, “Hey, Do you need any of these services?” Had that sender put in just a little time they’d easily turn up my name instead of starting with, “Hey,” and they might even be able to figure out if Now Hear This does need (or at least use) whatever services they’re peddling or not. Oh well, it deserves to be in Spam.
It's not unlike songs that get sent to me for review that are in a genre that I don’t like and thus don’t write about. Pay attention, people. I know there’s something more exciting going on on your phone that you want to look at instead but read what’s there while it’s in front of you so you don’t waste your time and reduce the chances of a potential opportunity.
A colleague of mine has talked on the phone two or three times with someone who he’s waiting to receive something from via email. Clearly that person’s attention is divided – maybe even while in the conversation! – that still the information hasn’t been provided in the requested follow up email.
Safety is important when you’re driving, which is why you concentrate when you’re out on the road. But what about the career path you’re trying to travel down? Doesn’t it deserve the same level of attention, focus, and commitment so that you don’t end up on the side of Vocation Blvd., wondering how you missed the turn to Success Street?
Put yourself in position to get ahead with what you’re trying to do – in the indie music world, as an author, as an entrepreneur, with podcasting, or sometimes a combination thereof. Call me on the Owwll app and let’s have an actual voice conversation to address your challenges, your questions, your frustrations, and keep you moving up. I welcome the opportunity to bring my almost 20 years running Now Hear This to a private, one-on-one chat with you.