How to Write a Music Press Release

How to Write a Music Press ReleaseHow to Write a Music Press ReleaseThe music is ready for its public debut - now you just need to know how to write a press release. When you write a music press release, you need to get in and get out - in other words you have to communicate all of the necessary information in a clear and engaging manner without overstaying your welcome with the reader. Sure, it may sound like a tall order, but once you get the hang of it, writing press releases will become a breeze. Lets begin. Identify What Youre Promoting Focus is your friend when it comes to press releases, and it helps to have a clear goal in mind. What do you want the people reading your press release to do? Do you want them to write about your new release, your upcoming shows, your Battle of the Bands win...you get the picture? Choose a very specific promotion goal to build your press release around. Beware of being vague. Sure, essentially what you are always trying to promote is yourself - you want to get the word out about what youre doing now, so people will be interested in what youre doing in the future. However, even megastars dont JUST promote themselves. They are the subject of profiles and interviews when they have new projects coming out - and those new projects are the focal point. In other words, sending out a hey, I just started a band press release isnt going to be very useful. Youre looking for a hey, I am playing five shows at these venues in support of my recent album press release. Find Your Hook And you thought you were done narrowing your message. Not quite yet. Once you know what youre promoting, look for the hook that makes your project a good story. So, youre releasing an album. Thats excellent - but so are many, many, many other people. Why is your release (or tour or what have you) the one that should get the press, love? If youre thinking, hmmm, well, Ive got nothing - youre wrong. Youve just got to find it. Did someone on the album pl ay on another release of note? What about the producer? Did you raise money to fund the release by mowing lawns? Did you write all the songs while training for the Iditarod? Did you quit a job at the IMF to record the album? Find your story, so you can then present it as a story worth telling. Write Your Intro Paragraph Much like the first paragraph of a berichterstattung story, the first paragraph of your press release should cover the whos, whats, wheres, hows and ?maybe whys of whatever youre promoting. Look at it like this - you want someone who decides not to read past the first paragraph to still know the basic information they need to know about your project. Of course, your first paragraph should also give someone a reason to WANT to keep reading, but even if they dont, they should still walk away from this intro knowing who you are and what you are promoting. Keep it short and sweet. Go for a few punchy sentences. Write Your Second Paragraph It is where the meat com es in. In your second paragraph, add some color to your project. Obviously, what you include in this paragraph depends very much on what youre promoting, but for instance, describe the music - comparisons are always a little tricky, but a few comparisons to other artists give the reader at least a frame of reference. Highlight the reason why your story is unique. List your tour dates. Use this paragraph to give information that a member of the media could use to tell your story. In other words, your first paragraph tells them Artist X is doing Y. The second paragraph might give them Artist X is doing Y because of Z. Paragraph two will be longer than your intro, but remember to keep it tight and on point. Write Your Closing The final paragraph is the easiest part of your press release to write. Tell the reader how they can get more information and promotional copies (if applicable). That means you should include the email address and phone number of the part in charge of handlin g press inquiries. Also, include links to the website and the social networking platform used most often by the artist (if applicable). Thats it Easy, huh? Keep It Short If at all possible - and in 99.99999% of cases, it IS possible - your press release should not exceed one page. If you seem to be going over while youre writing it, dont sweat it. Just keep writing until you get out all of the information in your head. Then, go back and start cutting. Opt for Telling It Straight Creativity in press releases is to be applauded. However, remember that a press release is essentially a sales pitch. Not only can trying to be too cutesy come off as cheesy to the max but getting caught up in the creative can sometimes obscure your message. If you have to choose between going all Kafka and going all news copy, go for the news copy. Be sure your main points are crystal clear before throwing in those obscure references and the like. Dig Hard for Your Angle If you had any idea how many people write about entertaining their parents by singing into a brush when they were kids in their press releases, you would be shocked. Spend some time thinking about what makes you unique. After all, youre competing for coverage with other musicians. Most of them love music, too, and most of them have a long history of loving music. Loving music is a beautiful thing, but it is not what sets you apart from the other musicians promoting projects. Instead, look for interesting things about the recording process, your work history, your tour plans and so on.