PSA: If a producer didn’t reply to you, it’s not because they were ‘too busy’
Producers know the pain and frustration of unanswered emails extremely well, so we rarely inflict that on others if we can help it
So if they’re not replying, it’s likely you made one of these mistakes
1: Your email went to their junk folder
Rare, but this can happen with some email providers, especially as Gmail and Yahoo have been getting stricter about sending what they deem spam emails straight to the junk folder
This can happen even with people saved in your contacts. I emailed someone with a Yahoo email address who I’ve emailed roughly a thousand times before (possibly exaggerating but she used to be my assistant so she’s gotten a ton of emails from me in the past)
Four days went by and no response, so I DM’d her. It turned out she hadn’t gotten my email (not even in her junk folder). I discovered an ‘Unable to deliver’ notification in my junk folder, meaning Yahoo had simply rejected my email to her
So double check everything is working before you start emailing producers
Read more: 8 Tips for Emailing Producers
2: You didn’t give them a reason to reply
This one happens a lot. I’m going to be that for most people reading this post, this is why you’re not getting a reply
If all you’re really putting in your email is your name and some sort of compliment (eg. “Your latest film was great, really loved it!”) then there’s no concrete reason for the other person to reply
The most they’ll be able to say is ‘thanks’, which isn’t enough of a reason to reply
Make sure you’re incorporating some kind of call to action, such as asking a question or making an offer (eg. “I’d love to buy you a coffee sometime”)
Read more: 6 steps to get producers asking for your script
3: You were rude, demanding or asked for too much
If you’ve never met this person or spoken with them before, you probably shouldn’t be asking them for anything. Not even advice
Imagine a total stranger emails you to ask what they should do with their script. To begin with you might feel flattered that someone wants your advice, although you quickly realise you can’t give them any advice without actually understanding what their script is about and what they’ve tried so far, and before you know it, this innocent request for advice is taking hours of your day
Now imagine you have 25+ people all asking you for advice. Because producers can be few and far between, this is a common reality for most of us
Producers don’t owe you anything (like everyone else in this industry). I can’t say it any nicer whilst still getting the point across
Remember the rule: don’t say it in an email if you couldn’t say it in person
Read more: 15 Ways to Find a Film Producer
4: You sent unsolicited materials
Producers and companies will generally ignore these for legal reasons, especially if their website specifies ‘no unsolicited submissions’
Recently I opened up submissions for short film scripts at my production company and we deliberately said “Please don’t send us the script until we ask to see it”
Of course, we had a few people who sent the script in the first email anyway, and we rejected them straight away
This can be frustrating if you need a producer to read your script in order to helpfully say yes to producing it, but you can’t send over any materials they haven’t asked for, partly for legal reasons, partly because it’s rude
Read more: What to do when film producers don’t accept unsolicited scripts
5: You emailed at the wrong time
If they’re in pre-production or production, they’re going to be flooded with emails on a daily basis
Do your research before you email to find out if they’re in prep, shooting or just away
Sometimes they’ll be pretty good about responding to you once they’re back or things have calmed down, but that might be 2-3 months later
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Producers are usually great at responding to all emails (unless they’re super busy or your email landed in their junk folder). So if you’re not getting a reply, reconsider your emails and make sure you’re not making any of these mistakes
Happy emailing!
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post
If you want me to personally help you get a producer and investors onboard your short film, click here
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