How to Respond When You Don't Get A Response


You just spent a lot of effort typing out a nice long message to someone you look up to and you hit the send button with delight! 10 minutes later, no response. Hours later, still no response. Days later, still no response. How should you take that? Most people get upset, but I'm going to explain why you shouldn't even let it bother you. Relax!

The number one reason most people get upset is because they think that person is ignoring them. While there are times where ignoring is the case, most times it isn't. Everyone that doesn't respond isn't "hollywood." You have to take into account several things: Who are you contacting? Why are you contacting them? How are you contacting them? 

Who are you contacting?

If the person you're contacting is someone without many obligations, they'll quickly answer every time because they can. Especially younger people who only support themselves. But for people with large platforms that also have families and other heavy obligations, their time expenditure is vastly different. It's impossible to catch every single message. Back when I was single trying to figure this music stuff out, I used to hit up artists and other producers all the time with questions and wonder why people didn't respond. I'd get mad at them and think they were hollywood, then later when I met them in person I saw that wasn't the case. Now that I'm a 30 year old husband and father with a high demand business that I run completely by myself, I completely understand! No matter how hard you try, unfortunately some messages will slip through the cracks. When you're contacting a busy person with a lot of obligations, realize that you are just one of MANY others who are also contacting them. For every 5 people they respond to, there's at least one person that won't get a response. So never assume they're hollywood because most times, that simply isn't the case. 

Why are you contacting them?

You also have to take in consideration why you're contacting them. With so many things in play, busy people have to conduct their life in a prioritized manner in order to remain productive. Time is usually very slim for them so every minute must be accounted for in order to avoid any waste of time. If your message is vague you most likely won't get a response. Don't use open ended statements and questions. Be as detailed and direct as possible in your message and you'll increase your chances of a response. Also make sure that your message is reasonable. If you're asking for something for free or for people to listen to your music, those types of things are going to be lower on the priority list. That doesn't mean that you're not important or that they don't want to listen to your music/help you out. It's just that they have to handle all their high priority obligations first before they can even entertain something like that. Don't send an ugly message if you don't get a response lol! Be patient and you may get exactly what you're looking for! 

How are you contacting them?

Another thing to consider is how you're contacting them. People check and respond to messages faster on some mediums more than others. For instance: If you send someone a message on Facebook but they rarely check their Facebook messages, that's going to be a problem. Find out a person's best form of contact and concentrate on that. I recommend getting emails if you can. Social media inboxes can be a mess and your message will easily get lost among the multitude of other messages. Any other forms of contact may get a delayed response or no response at all. A business email can also be delayed if there's an abundance of incoming mail, but it's usually the best option.


So how should you respond?

Instead of getting upset, just reach out to them again in a professional manner! Your message could have ended up in their spam folder. Maybe they didn't see your message. Maybe they did see your message but just didn't have the time to respond. Simply remind them in a respectful way. Even if you never get a response, you have to respect that. Here's the 100% raw truth: Nobody is obligated to respond to your messages or support what you do. Every response and every piece of support is a gift (not a requirement) and you should treat it as such. Be appreciative when people do respond/support and be respectful when they don't. Nobody is obligated to read my blogs/emails or support my music and I'm 100% ok with that. I'm not concerned about how many do or don't support me. You can't control those types of things. All you can do is keep being excellent at what you do and appreciate any support you receive. 

In closing, if you're so emotionally invested in a response to the point that you actually get upset when you don't get the response, it's time to to look deeper into what you're asking and why you're asking it. Remember that you don't need anyone else to validate or approve of what you bring to the table. Be confident in your craft no matter who does or doesn't give you a stamp of approval. Keep striving for excellence, remain humble, and everything that's destined for you will come. Consider all these things before sending a message and after it's sent, let the chips fall where they may! Be blessed! -Tone

 

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