How to write first messages to artists

Verse sends the messages for you. But artists reply to the text itself. These rules help your first message look like a personal note from a producer.

No text can promise a reply. But a bad text will surely hurt your list of artists. They stop replying, and the risk of limits on your account goes up.

First, learn one thing about the artist

Before you write, find one real detail. You will build the message around it. For example:

• the latest release, or the track the artist is promoting now;
• a line in their bio: "looking for beats", "open for collabs", an email for work;
• their sound: what beats they usually rap or sing on, the tempo and mood;
• how often they release music. An artist who puts out a track every month needs beats more often than one who has been quiet for a year.

One detail is enough. Do not list everything you found. If you do, the message will look like a report.

If you have a lot of artists, you cannot check each one by hand. Then choose the right people before you start. You can use:

• small, focused sources in ReachVerse (finding artists);
• AI artist filter and Followers range in the campaign rules.

This way, even a general text reaches people it fits.

One offer, one next step

A good first message answers three questions: who you are, why you write to this artist, and what they should do next.

1. Who you are: one line. "Producer, I make dark trap and drill."
2. Why them: that one detail. "Heard your last track, I make the same kind of sound."
3. One step: a simple question that is easy to answer. "Do you want me to send a couple of beats like that?"

Offer one thing. Beats, mixing, beat packs and exclusives in one message look like a price list. You can offer the rest after the artist replies.

Keep it short

A person should read your first message in a few seconds on a phone. That is two to four short sentences. One paragraph is usually enough.

Example (the artist is not real):

Hey! Listened to "Night Flight", I really like the bass in the hook. I'm a producer, I make dark trap at about that tempo. Do you want me to send a couple of beats for your style?

A weak version of the same message:

Hello!!! I am a professional beatmaker with 10 years of experience, worked with many artists, I make beats in any genre, mixing, mastering, exclusives at a discount. DM me and we'll talk!

What is wrong with the second one? It says nothing about the artist. It makes five offers at once. And it does not end with a simple question.

Links and files

In Instagram Direct, Verse sends text only. You cannot attach files.

• In the first message, a question usually works better than a link. A short, natural text without a link looks less like a mass message.
• Send the link to your beats or pack after the artist replies. When you are already talking, they expect a link.
• If the artist shows an email, it is easier to send a beat pack by email. In Verse email campaigns, large files are split into parts of up to 25 MB. They go as several emails in one thread.

Message versions

In Outreach, each artist gets one of your versions, picked at random. Write three to five versions. Change the idea in each one, not just one word:

An example of the second version (the artist is not real):

Yo! Saw you put out a single last month. Already working on the next one? I'm a producer, I make beats with a similar sound, I can send a couple for you to pick from.

To use the artist's username, put {username} in the text. Verse replaces it with the username. But check how it reads. "Hey {username}" becomes "Hey beatz_by_kid_official". A greeting like this shows that it is a mass message. Often a simple "Hey" is better.

Reminders

If an artist does not reply, it does not always mean no. Your message may be lost among many others. One reminder a few days later is normal.

• First reminder: a few days after the first message. Make it shorter and simpler than the first one: "About my last message: the pack is still available if you're interested."
• A second reminder, if you need it: not earlier than one week later. Then stop. A third reminder with no reply feels like too much pressure.
• Do not send a reminder to people who replied. Verse does not check replies. You make the list yourself. How to do it: Instagram follow-ups.

What to avoid

• Promises nobody can check: "I promise your song will come out on my beat", "a beat worth a million streams".
• Fake friendship: "Remember we talked?" when you did not.
• All caps, many exclamation marks and lots of emoji.
• The same text for everyone. Even if you have several versions, change your texts from one campaign to the next.

When an artist replies, it is best to talk to them yourself. Not sure how to answer "how much?"? Or the artist went quiet after you sent a pack? Paste a screenshot of the chat into the Deals mode of the assistant. It suggests a reply and sets a reminder in your contact list (CRM).