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Knocking on Doors: Reaching the Media in the Pioneer Valley

 Local stories need local outlets. Finding the door is the hard part.

Notes from a Granby songwriter on getting the word out in the Pioneer Valley



These days I write songs about real western Mass stories: a Hadley witch, a fire chief on a gray Percheron, a WWI sergeant from my own family, and a freylekhs for Valley Light Opera's Fiddler on the Roof. Songs like these belong in local papers and on local radio. So this fall I set out to tell the people who cover the Valley about them.

It has been an education. I want to share what I've learned, with respect for the people on the other end, because I think it helps musicians, small businesses, and the outlets themselves.

The newsrooms are stretched thin

When I emailed my Fiddler song to local writers and arts contacts, most of the replies were automatic out-of-office notes. I don't take that personally. Western Mass has fewer reporters covering more towns than it did when I started playing out. The people who are left are juggling a lot, and an email from a fiddler in Granby is one of hundreds.

Contact lists go stale fast

Some of my emails bounced. A station address that worked a few years ago no longer exists. Another was stopped by a spam filter before a person ever saw it. Staff change, stations reorganize, and the "submit your music" address on a website may lead nowhere. If you send something and hear nothing, it may simply never have arrived.

Not every format fits every artist

I'm housebound these days, so home visits, studio sessions, and video calls aren't something I can do. Many outlets understandably need a live conversation, not written answers. I was grateful when a reporter offered a phone interview instead. That small flexibility made all the difference, and I suspect plenty of older and disabled artists in the Valley have stories that never get told for the same reason.

What has worked for me

  • Keep it short and local. One paragraph: who you are, what the story is, and why it matters to this town.
  • Send a link, not a file. A Bandcamp or blog link gets past filters that block attachments.
  • Find the right person. A named reporter or show host beats a general inbox every time.
  • Follow up once, politely. Then let it go and move on to the next story.
  • Say what you can and can't do up front. Offer a phone call, photos, and lyrics so they can work with you.
  • Thank the people who say yes. The Valley is small, and good relationships last.

A thank-you to the people who do this work

None of this is a complaint. Local reporters, college and community radio DJs, and arts editors keep the Pioneer Valley's culture visible, often for little pay and with less help every year. I'm grateful for every one who has opened an email, played a track, or picked up the phone. If you're one of them and a story about a Granby fiddler fits your beat, my door is open, even if I can't walk through it myself.

Local stories deserve local voices. Let's keep finding each other.

Songs from the Valley

Press, radio, or a story to share?

Get in touch through adamrsweet.bio.link

Adam Sweet, Granby, Massachusetts.

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