The Email Mistake That Got 460K Views—and Divided the Music Industry

Out of all the tips I’ve shared online, I never expected this one to go viral—but it did. Over 460K views on TikTok later, it turns out the music industry has some serious feelings about email attachments.

Here’s what I said that stirred the pot:  When you’re sending cold emails, don’t attach files.

Let me clarify: I said cold emails—meaning, you're reaching out to someone for the first time. They don’t know you. You’ve never exchanged emails before. It’s your first impression.

And while I never expected attachments to be the hill I’d go viral on, the comments section quickly turned into a battlefield. So let’s talk about it.

Why You Shouldn’t Attach Files in Cold Emails

It’s not that you can’t share anything—it’s that attachments can get your email blocked before it ever hits someone’s inbox.

If you've ever had an email bounce back with a message like "Message Rejected" or "Authentication Required," you’ve seen this in action. Many people (especially industry pros, labels, and orgs) have strict spam filters that block:

• Unknown senders

• Suspicious file types

• Attachments from unrecognized domains...and more.

  
  

Even if not everyone uses filters, many do, and there’s no way for you to know in advance who’s protected and who’s not. So why take the risk—especially when cold emails are already easy to ignore?

Let’s be real: if your EPK or song gets filtered out before it’s even seen, that opportunity is gone.

So What Should You Do Instead?

Easy—turn your materials into links. Instead of attaching your EPK, bio, or track file, use:

• A public Dropbox or Google Drive folder

• A Linktree with your top assets

• Canva’s “share view link” feature

• A custom landing page on your site

  
  

There are tons of tools that will convert your files into links. (Seriously, Google “how to make [file type] a link” if you’re unsure.) It’s quick, professional, and most importantly—it ensures your email actually lands in someone’s inbox.

So yeah, I’m standing firm on this:If it’s that easy to send a link… why risk an attachment killing your first impression?

Check out the TikTok that sparked the whole debate—and let me know:Are you Team Attachment or Team Link?