Fill Your Shows Without Begging the Algorithm

The Email That Still Worked After 8 Years

Ten years ago, I worked as a sound engineer on a documentary. I kept hearing the same composer's music in different films. My curiosity got the better of me, so I looked him up.

His website was simple: "Here's my music. Use it royalty-free. Just give me credit and your email." I signed up. Then didn't hear from him for eight years.

When his email finally arrived, I didn't delete it. I clicked immediately. He announced a new album with limited edition signed CDs. A few months later, another email about a 10th anniversary edition. Sold out.

That list sat unused for eight years. When he was ready, it worked.

How a Broke Radio Station Survived on Relationships

17 years ago, I worked at a radio station in Norway. We were non-commercial. No ads, no sponsors. We survived entirely on donations.

Once a year we held two full donation days. The result was over $20,000 in 48 hours. Best of all, we got several new monthly donors and sealed the deal with most existing donors to keep giving. That's what kept the lights on for another year.

We didn't broadcast into the void. We kept multiple channels open. We knew listeners by name. We celebrated their birthdays. When donation day came, they showed up because we already had a relationship.

As music programmer there, I got dozens of CDs weekly from artists hoping for airplay. Most ended up in a drawer.

Then one arrived from a Swedish group with a story inside. They had gathered in an old house in the woods, living together and recording the album in that space. I got curious and put it on. I could hear the house in the music. Because they shared their story first, I listened differently. We played their music for months.

Millions of Views That Led Nowhere

I consulted for a Norwegian company making wheelchairs that climb mountains. Their first viral video got 15 million views. We grew their social media to hundreds of thousands of followers.

Thousands of comments asked about prices. The problem is that on Instagram and Facebook, you can only reply to messages for seven days. When you go viral, messages overwhelm you. Potential customers disappear with no way to reach them.

We set up a system to collect emails. The company turned it off, worried about annoying people. Next viral moment, I got a late-night text: "Can you turn that flow back on?"

Facebook and Instagram owned that audience, not them.