Press Release

[Ashura]

Does anyone have any good advice or samples on effective/standard press releases? I've been asked to submit a few and really have no clue where to begin....thanx...

[jonhall5446]

Do you mean a press kit?

[reel buzzer]

A press release should be
one page,
double space,
type "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" at the top
the body should give just the story, no fluff
and put contact info at the bottom.


A press kit can be anything you want, any type of material, any medium, the wackier the better.
Make your press kit visually stand out from a stack of others.
You can go into deep detail with interviews of the band members,
copies of press clippings, back stage passes that show the venue and your band's name,

You can divide it into sections so that you can use the same kit for different applications. In other words make it easy for the
club owner, radio DJ, media publisher, producer, agent or whomever receives the press kit to find the information they need.
Step cutting is one way to do this.
You use the right side of the folder,
the first section (bio or whatever) is on paper size 8.5"x7" with a one inch title at the top.
The next group of papers size 8.5"x8" with another title.

So you keep doing this till you reach full letter size and you can see 5 sections at a glance and quickly go to the information needed.

[Ashura]

thanx reel, i was mistakenly doing a combo of a press kit and a press release together as a single document. thanx for the clarification...

[Ashura]

how's this look for a press release? (of course, the real one will be double-spaced)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ASHURA: LOGIKRHYMEREZON

Album Released: April 2004


Summary:

New debut album from Philadelphia-born producer, ASHURA (Ashok M. Kailath) featuring original and live hip-hop music. Production features lyricists and artists performing over a variety of tracks.

Contact:
Ashok M. Kailath
(###) ### - ####
contact@ahtakproductions.com
www.ahtakproductions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
does this look to sparse to you?

[reel buzzer]

Say more about you, like your style or your history, just a couple of lines.
Sat something about the album.
And who are some if the artists?
Any quotes?
Studio incidents?
Could these artists perform at a CD release gig?

A slight angle, sound bite, or to-the-point headliner will help to pitch a story.

[glynb]

I used to work for a local politician so I have some experience with press releases in general, though not for the music biz.
However, the principles are the same:

Do tell a story, beginning, middle end.
Do make it interesting
Don't give all the details in the first line(s). Tease the reader by getting their interest and adding more as the release goes on
Do make it as close as possible to a printable newspaper story that you might read (look at any paper and notice journalists never give it to you straight in the opening paragraph, to get the whole story you must read ALL the article).
Do remember, journalists are lazy. if you give them a printable story 'as is' preferably in electronic format, they are quite likely to print it word for word (this happened to my stories several times - I was amazed the first time)
Do send in your press release by a variety of methods , fax, email, by hand, snail mail.
Do include an interesting photo (a picture is worth a thousand words!) if it's a great image they may well print it.
Don't get down hearted if your release is not used. Expect this to start with. Do another one and try again. Eventualy they will get curious (assuming your press release is any good and you have a story to tell).
Local papers/media want local news, they thrive on it, remember that and use it to your advantage. If you have a story which is not directly about your band but of local interest, contact the media and try to ensure your band somehow gets a mention (be creative here).
Do add your contact details, so the journalist can follow up on any points of interest.
Do remember to include your band's web site address and squeeze it into the text of your story (don't assume the journalist will automaticaly plug your site, they won't!) but if it's in the narrative they are more likely to leave it in.
Do make it topical if possible, if your story has a connection (no matter how tenuous) to the big story of the day then it's more likely to be used. For example, I got my band in the local rag by associating it with The Queen's recent golden jubilee (50 years on the throne) - my story was '50 Glorious Gigs' and I said my band was about to play it's 50th gig, blah blah.... it was bull, but because I associated it with something topical it got printed. Get the idea?
Be enthusiastic and 'talk up' your achievements - if YOU don't think it's important that you're playing a gig next week why should the journalist bother to publicise it for you?
Do send them in regularly, so that the journalist gets to recognise your PR and looks out for it (make it distinctive).
Do, try to get a relationaship going with one contact at the local paper/radio station so you end up on first name terms
Do make it short and sweat with every line meaningfull. No more than 1 A4 sheet if possible (remember, if they want more they have your contact details right?).

Finaly, be prepared to spend (invest) some time on this if you want results, but that time will pay great dividends in the long term.

Just my thoughts, others may have more specific suggestions for the US market?

[Ashura]

glynb and reel, thanx for the insight. i have alot to work with now, im hopin to get this put together by the end of the week...thanx again...

[Ashura]

sorry for bein such a pain in the ass...but here it is again, revised and HOPEFULLY incorporating all of what I need for a press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ASHURA: LOGIKRHYMEREZON

Album Released: April 2004

Summary:

LOGIKRHYMEREZON is the new debut album from Philadelphia-born producer, ASHURA, featuring original and live hip-hop music. The 13 track album is a hybrid of sounds consisting of completely innovative, experimental and live instrumentation. Each composition on the album transcends the typically sampled and predominantly generic productions of most rap units. The music can be described as a fusion of melodic instrumentals and gritty lyrics, showcasing originality in style and definition. All production work and engineering on the album were handled by Ashura, who also lends vocals on a few songs. Each track is unique in its theme and the method behind its production, as is noted on the title’s official website, www.ahtakproductions.com (the site also includes fully downloadable songs for those who might need further convincing on the heavy production behind this album). The album features intricate instrumentals overlaid by vocalists Absolut, Naledge, Aneka, Wickid Stylz, Trav, True & Livin’, Chan and other artists from Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Washington DC. The album was recorded at Ahtak Productions Studio, taking nearly 2 years of continuous work to complete. It is currently receiving strong review and airplay on local and online radio stations.

Testimonials from Customers (www.cdbaby.com/ashura):
“This CD is hot!!!! New kind of music, I like it alot....if you're into hip hop with an enya twist...this is it...im startin to like philly artists again...word peace…”

“You got some good stuff here, very diff sounding material. I especially like the variety in beats and theme. And the cover is cool, still trying to figure out what the hell your standing in front of hehe. Keep doing it…the industry is gettin wack and more wack, we need more style...”

“This is one bangin ass CD keep doin yo thang play boy hot beats, ok lyrics, real originial.”

“Came across your CD and I really like it. "Caged" and the last few songs stands out. And i LOVE your website, especially that red picture u got, really nice. u should definitely add a guestbook. I didn't feel "Grip", the lyrics sounds too raw for my personal taste, but the beat is real hot still. good luck getting this out there, i'll definitely be spreadin the word in HoTlanTa!!! peace...”

“This cd is definitely different - something of a mix between engima, red hot chili peppers, outkast, tupac...check it out. keep it real!”

For more regarding performances or sales, please contact:
Ashok M. Kailath
(###) ### - ####
contact@ahtakproductions.com
www.ahtakproductions.com

[glynb]

There's lots of info about the CD, but there's not too much about you the artist in there, the human side, something to grab their interest. I guess this release would be OK for a music journal, but not so good for general news.

It does a great job of giving all the facts, without telling an interesting story.

How about focusing on what the reviewers have said about the album first, that get's the attention of the reader, then gradualy feed in details about the music and the facts.

The first papragraph is too long. Break it up into smaller ones.

Is this aimed at local media or national? If local, try to put something of local interest in there. If national, they won't be too interested in matters of local interst.

Don't have time to add anymore, good luck with it.

[Ashura]

ok, i think i see what you're getting at...i guess my thinking was that this needed to be to the point/direct and no fluff, and i guess that doesn't mean it cant be interesting. back to the drawin board...haha, thanx for the help...

[reel buzzer]

That looks much better.

Yep, no fluff means no outlandish adjectives in describing the thing being promoted.

But just the facts isn't really a story, so develop something to pitch, an angle.

I see what you did there with the quotes, probably just need one of those. But I was thinking more of a quote from you, the producer. Or a quote from an artist, they could answer an interview question - "how was it working with this producer?" Something that has to do with you being the producer, so that you get maximum exposure if editorial is composed from your release.

[glynb]

Yes, you have to look at it from the 'newsworthy' angle, not the thing that's important form YOUR point of view.

Your priority: "Big news!!! My CD is out, is has so many tracks on it, it was recorded at, blah blah blah, oh, BTW I bumped into a big shot producer and gave him a copy the other day...."

The journalist's priority: "Big shot producer was here in hicksville the other day. Big shot producer had just been shopping in prior to appearing at ...when local boy... bumped into him. By the way, local boy gave him a copy of his new CD which features..."

You get the idea. Feed them with a story then try to get the information you want published in there too. It's a definite art!!