You Never Know Who’s Looking at You

This morning, I received a phone call from someone who, in the past, on multiple occasions, I have asked to be a guest on my weekly podcast.  As evidenced by having had to ask this person more than once, the answer each time had been “No thanks.”

It raised a bit of an eyebrow with me early today when I saw the caller ID, unsure as to why he might be calling me.  But lo and behold, my Monday started with good news.  He rang me so as to state that he was ready to be a guest if I was still interested in interviewing him.

There hadn’t been any contact between us in quite some time.  During the summer I saw him from a distance, unable to even yell out to him, much less talk to him.  So, the next day I texted him to say that I had seen him, but although he responded, that was that.  As I mentioned, though, that was more than three months ago, so it was not recent enough to nudge him to call me today.

No, instead, after taking some time to reflect on what could’ve possibly moved him to contact me now, it became clear as to what I could chalk it up to.

When I go out and do speaking engagements – largely from my position as a publicist – I often times will tell people that email marketing is still very much a thing.  I encourage audiences to develop an email list and to be sure to send something out with some degree of regularity.  (And then I talk about not putting pressure on yourself to write something extremely lengthy and not feeling the need to always be showing up – too much – in recipient inboxes.)

I tell people that I send out an email newsletter once a week.  That’s it.  In fact, you can set your watch by the fact that it will coincide with the day that a new episode of my weekly podcast releases.  (If you’re new here, “Now Hear This Entertainment” comes out every Wednesday.)  (Well, wait, even if you’re not new here, it still comes out on that day every week.  *wink*)

This morning’s caller?  I know that he is on the list for the email newsletter.  So, even though we haven’t been in contact with each other in a while – specifically about doing a podcast interview – I have stayed on his radar by way of him opening and reading that when I land in his inbox each week.  Thus, he was nudged to cross the finish line with, “I need to call Bruce.”

This is an important ‘win’ for all of us as creators.  I know how real the struggle can be when you’re doing what you do and wondering if anyone is really noticing.

Let me explain further.

All my years in the music business, I’ve been fortunate to have a front row seat to actual stories of “you never know who might be in the audience.”  (In fact, I was on a phone call yesterday with an artist telling me about a massive opportunity they’d gotten because the right people – finally – came to her show the night before, at a venue where she has a residency but otherwise typically doesn’t get that kind of attention.)

Podcasters, YouTubers, I get it.  You post your newest episode and wait (and wait) for someone to notice in a way that gives you that sense of validation.  Yes, accolades from your listeners, your viewers, are great, but it’s the person who’s going to move the needle for you that you wonder (and wonder) if you’re ever going to get noticed by.

You paint, you sew, you write – whatever it is that is your art, you get those darned moments (too often, I know) when you wonder why friends and colleagues around you get the break, the opportunity, the attention, that you just want once.  But I’m here to say, bide your time.

“How much longer do I have to bide my time?” you ask me, tired of having long already been biding your time.  And if I knew the answer I would tell you, but you have to play the long game.  Don’t forget the old expression that it takes ten years to become an overnight sensation.

Heck, on Episode 595 of my “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, listen to the break that recording artist Frankie Raye got that led her to the stage of fabled New York City music venue The Bitter End – as a singer, songwriter, guitar player who is based in west central Florida!

The more you stay with it, eventually the law of averages will catch up with you, and others will be wondering when it’s going to be their turn to get the opportunity someone approached, called, or emailed or private messaged you with!

Now a Member of the Recording Academy, I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more for over twenty years.  What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to?  Connect with me so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.