Tips on creating press releases.

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Now that you've got a hot demo and everybody is getting excited, you need to think about marketing yourself or your band. No artist likes to pigeonhole their music, but you have to give the public, the industry and the media a clear idea of who you are of what you sound like...

CREATING A PRESS PACK

When sending CDs to record companies, managers, radio stations or magazines etc.. be sure to follow these simple guidelines which will make your package much more friendly to the recipient:

1. Press Release

There's a fine art to a powerful, concise press release. You have to strike a balance between being provocative and edgy enough to be interesting, but also provide the crucial info. Who are you? What style of music do you play? Why should we care? Don't tell an A&R man that your bass player works in Marks and Spencer's or that you used to be a painter/decorator. He wants to know that you wake up everyday thinking about nothing but writing songs, and that you're so lost in your music that the rest of the world means nothing to you. Be young, be vital, be anything but ordinary.

Include a professional photo that accurately depicts your rock star/pop idol persona. Make sure it's hip and fashionable. If you're dressed like Bon Jovi circa 1986, you're likely to provoke giggles rather than raised brows. Don't send a shot of you in the garden or on a beach with your mates last summer. Talk to a real artist photographer and capture something dynamic and special. Be raw, be spontaneous. Anyone in the industry can spot a smooth, polished cabaret artist at a hundred paces. That's fine for pub gigs, but you are shooting for serious commercial and artistic success.

Place your logo or other high-quality image at the top of the press release and print it on a good branded paper. Make sure it has a date so that people know how recent it is and include contact information clearly at the bottom. Make sure any important dates or contact numbers are bold so he/she doesn't have to hunt for them. Otherwise, they'll give up in about five or ten seconds and move on.

Keep it simple! Include a few of your best press quotes so that they can see the level of success you're having. Don't send reams of newspaper cuttings, insignificant articles from nomark magazines or gimmicks: that includes sweets, gifts, furry animals or money. You want to be taken seriously after all, and the art should speak for itself.


2. The CD

Put your best song first. If you get a 30 second private audience with a big cheese, wouldn't you rather hit them with your best work? The CD should contain 3 songs max. If they want more they'll ask for it. The songs should be about 3 mins long. It may be disheartening when you hear the classic A&R stories about throwing your masterpiece into the bin after the first 30 seconds, because after all, you've spent months on this, and your twelve minute opus might be pure genius. Unfortunately, no-one cares until your successful, so give yourself a chance to get your foot in the door. If you've ever been in the position where 100 rubbish CDs land on your desk every day, you'd soon develop a very sensitive filter too! So be the one disc that day that gets a full play.

3. The Website

An essential ingredient for any press pack is to be able to link to a website where they can find more information, tour dates and pictures. With your website, just be sure to give people the information they need quickly and without any fuss. Take professional advice on this, as homemade sites are always very obvious.

4. Check it!

Check that everything is in order. Then check again! Use a spell checker. Does your CD play ok? It's not like a busy record exec will call you and ask for a replacement. Is your contact info on everything? By that I mean EVERYTHING. The press release, the CD cover, the disc itself, the back of the photo? When Mr A&R pops the CD on in his car and starts to sing along, he may want to call you, but he's probably lost the box. So don't make it hard for him, or the call will never come.


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