bknot1
Hustle Magic!! We Got It.
from http://www.starpolish.com
Presentation Materials: Press Kits, Cover Letters, And Packaging
Vivek J. Tiwary
A strong presentation kit is critical because it will usually make the first solid impression on a potential supporter. The materials included and their design must firmly reflect your act’s image. The basic rules with your presentation materials are less is more, and keep it simple. Be brief but detailed, and send as little material as possible the first time. If you have cool promotional items, I would generally send them out in the second mailing, as a friendly follow-up or reminder; the first time around, send only the basics. Keep in mind that most music industry folks regularly receive scores of submissions, so you must walk a thin line here: You want your materials to stand out, but overwhelming contacts with too much stuff too quickly will only be annoying.
Essential Elements Of The Press Kit
1. Music Demo – If you have demo music available online, refer to the relevant web address in your cover letter, but always send a physical demo as well. If you have a choice, send CDs instead of tapes. CDs are the standard format these days; even most car stereos have CD players now. Remove the plastic wrap from the CD or cassette to save your contact the few minutes it might take them to unwrap the package (and the potential frustration if they can’t get it open easily). This may seem silly, but if your contact has 20 CDs on their desk to listen through, they’ll probably reach for the already-open ones first.
2. Bio – Keep your bio no longer than one page. Creativity in writing and style is recommended to make your bio memorable, but the most important function of the bio is to disseminate all the vital information about your act and answer the basic questions in an organized fashion: What does your music sound like? How many members are in the band, and how/when did you form? Are there one or more principal songwriters? Etc. If you have any impressive statistics (album sales, radioplay, opening slots for well-respected artists, etc.), list them in your bio. If there is an unusual story or press angle associated with your act, highlight it in the bio. And don’t make anything up-- after you’ve read hundreds of bios, the genuine stuff clearly stands out from the fake. Finally, don’t make your bio cute or goofy unless your act is cute or goofy. In brief, the style of writing should reflect your image.
3. Press Clippings – If you have received some impressive press reviews, include copies of only the best ones in your presentation kit. Neatly cut and paste a copy of each article onto plain paper, and note the name of the press account and the date of publication next to the article. If you’ve received a tremendous amount of great press, instead of including a few articles, you should create a one-page “quote sheet” of all the nicest things that have been said about your band and who said them where and when. If you haven’t received any good press, do not include clippings or quotes.
4. Photos – Include one or two photos of your act. If you are including two photos, one should be in horizontal format and one in vertical, allowing options for potential reprinting: If a paper wants to reprint your photo next to an album or concert review, then depending on the paper’s layout, one format may be preferable/necessary. If you don’t provide that format, they may simply not include your photo. Finally, it is critical that the style of the photos be in line with your act’s image. It’s expected and acceptable for you to have a photographer friend shoot your first photos, but these photos must be a professional representation of your act. Be wary of using a photographer whose primary experience is shooting headshots for the film or modeling industries. Headshots are usually slick affairs that focus on capturing the good looks of the subject. That’s what’s needed for a film/modeling headshot, but it may be exactly the wrong vibe for your act. Your photos should capture the dynamics of your act, and as much as possible, hint toward the sound of your music.
5. Gigs And Venues – If you are a successful touring act, you may want to include a one-page list of impressive shows and places that you’ve played-- but only if these gigs and venues are indeed impressive. Upcoming shows can be included on this page and/or in your cover letter.
The Cover Letter
Basic Guidelines
Keep your cover letter no more than one-page long. While the style of writing should reflect your image to some degree, the cover letter must look and sound professional if your pitch is to be taken seriously. Finally, always find out and include the correct spelling of the first and last names of the person to whom you are writing (a lot of artists don’t bother to get it right).
The Pitch
Start your letter with a few words presenting your request, and then immediately point out why the contact you are writing to should want to support your act and what they will get out of your proposal. For example:
You would like to be booked at their club, and you have a large mailing list and fanbase and will draw a lot of paying customers to the show.
You are writing to request an album/concert review, and have an interesting press angle so they should want to write about you.
You are requesting sponsorship and have a comprehensive marketing plan that they would benefit from.
Of course, you will want to write in your own style and be more eloquent than the above bullet points, but they serve to illustrate the point of detailed brevity. Keep in mind that since many industry folks are extremely busy, your letter may only receive a few moments’ attention. You want to put the basic request and the most pertinent convincing information in the first few sentences.
After you’ve made the pitch, include any key impressive statistics (e.g. good radioplay, album sales, etc.) and relevant information (e.g. upcoming shows or a new album release) that you didn’t already mention as part of the pitch.
Close the letter by asking them to get back to you, and note that you will also follow up in a reasonable period of time. When following up, be careful not to cross the line between being persistent and being annoying.
Contact Information
Include your full contact information on every single page of your kit (on your bio, cover letter, quote sheet, etc.) and on every single presentation item (on your CD, photo, etc.). You never know which items contacts will keep and which they will throw in the trash-- so it’s important that contact info be everywhere. Full contact information includes:
Name of the act
Name of person to contact for business
Phone number
Email address
Website address
For business purposes, it’s important to have an email address and phone number that won’t ever change. If you are the type of person who moves all the time, it’s a good idea to set up a permanent voicemail or use a permanent cellphone or pager with voicemail as your contact number. You don’t want to have scores of presentation materials with outdated information, or wind up in a situation where an important industry contact takes three months before they decide to get back to you (it happens), and then when they pick up the phone to call you, it’s a wrong number.
Packaging And Mailing
On a final note, keep in mind that the very first thing a contact will actually see is the unopened package you mailed them. So package your materials in a clean envelope or jiffy pouch and fill out the addresses neatly. If you’ve made promotional stickers for your act, place one or two on the package. Making the package even more creative (e.g. putting artwork on the outside, using an unusual container, etc.) is only a good idea if everything is in line with your image and the package is still easy to open.