How To Write A Press Release

The music business has and will always be driven by publicity. Without it you, your band or artisits that you manage have no future or longevity. The press release is your way to draw attention to your act. It is a simple, to the point, attention grabber aimed at reporters, editors and media people in general. The idea is to generate interest in your band/ artist, create and sustain a buzz and build a media presence.

When to write a press release.

There are so many times when a press release should be employed if you are serious about creating a profile. It could be that you are about to release a new CD. It could be that you have a show or tour coming up. What about a label signing or new band member? The key here is that it must be something news worthy, something that will grab the attention of the reader.

Becoming news worthy is something that will take you time to understand and like anything it will take work and research. You can start by checking out stories about bands or artists that you like. See what is written about them and how it is written. This will start to give you an idea of how to format your stories and make what seems just an average event into something special. You also need to do your research as to what kind of press releases or announcements the publication accepts. For instance there is no need sending music related press release to a newspaper or magazine that does not have a music section. Well, unless you can make your story have a human interest angle and therefore a wider appeal.

I can not stress enough the importance of doing homework on the media to find out what kinds of stories get the most coverage. Obviously when you are a major star then even trivia becomes newsworthy so you have to balance it out and make sure you are aware of what is actually news. For instance "sting gives proceeds of his album to the rain forest appeal" is still news and I am sure you could right a press release very much in the same vain if your act supported a good cause. On the other hand, "sting has marathon love making session" is definitely a story based around his fame as a celebrity and if you were to write about your love making prowess it may go on noticed even if you are the Romeo of your band.

The most important thing to bear in mind when writing a press release is to remember that the reporters and editors know their readership and their jobs is to provided news that their readership will consume and buy more papers therefore you must ask your self would the readers of the newspaper or magazine you are targeting want to hear about this?

How to write the release

A press release for the most part follow a formular that is quiet easy and straightforward to learn. It must be clear and concise and the central theme must be to the point that the press release hangs on. You must have in place the 5 W's or the who, what, when, why, and where in your release.

Start on an A4 format. If you have letterhead paper then this is a bonus as it will help to identify you as a professional outfit. Most people will double line space the text. You would be advised to also leave a minimum of 1 inch on all sides of the release. Always use an easy to read font such as Arial or Times New Roman you don't want to draw attention to your press release for the wrong reason.  

Ok its time to start the release. The very first thing you want to include is:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" (or FOR RELEASE MARCH 25, 2007)

"For more information, contact."

You then enter your contact information here. Making sure that numbers are correct and that the number you give out is a direct line to you and will be answered as soon as it rings. The last thing you want is a editor to ring and get a answer machine.

Next comes the all important headline. It is the headline that must grab the attention of the reader and a bad headline could very easily kill a great story. This is where all your creativity should come into play. Read headlines all the time to start to get an idea of how so much can be conveyed with so few words. Try to get a feel of what kind of headlines make you follow through and read an entire article. The skills you will gain by doing so are invaluable and will serve you career as a press release writer well. Many times it is the drama of the headline that stops the reader in their path and makes them pay attention. I have coined a little phrase that helps illustrate this point. "Drama is the key, boredom makes them flea."  A boring headline or a headline that has no imagination will make the reader jump to the next headline or story. For instance a headline that reads LOCAL BAND GETS A NEW LEAD SINGER" is fine but very uninspiring it does say what has happened but it leaves the reader cold and to be honest if I read that headline I would say ‘so what?'. On the other hand a headline like "NEW BLOOD MEANS NEW DAWN FOR LOCAL BAND" has lots more drama and makes the reader want to know what is going on.

After you have created the best headline you can think of (and remember to take your time), you are ready for the main body of the press release. This is where the main information you are trying to get across must be captured. Again, I remind you of the who, what, when, why, and where it must all be here and in the most direct way possible. Many people say that a press release can be two pages long but I am from the school of one page. I think that you must get everything you need to get across in one page.

The first paragraph is also very important because in a way it is a summary of the whole story and be just as powerful as the headline but with more information. You have to think about a busy editor trying to get all the information fast. Also, make sure that you don't leave out any details using full town and city names and include the month, day and year in dates (March 26, 2007)

Writing the press releases in the third person is also a must; this will help it read like a news story. Your job is to transmit a news story with as little elaboration as possible. Quotations, are always good and gives you a chance to add something personal form yourself or a band member. It also gives the idea that people are taking about what is happening.

At the end of you press release add this symbol ########## in a line after the last line it is a indicator to the editor that the release has ended and he or she has the entire release.