Writing An Artist Press Release

Most artist press releases follow a similar format, and it's easy to learn. First, spend some time defining the Main Message you want to get across. You will need to tell the who, what, when, why, and where in your press release.

First lines to include in your artist press releases

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" (or FOR RELEASE JUNE 30, 2001) and

"For more information, contact:"

followed by your contact information. (Make sure the phone number you give will be answered promptly during the period right after the release is sent out. Editor's who are interested in running your story may need to talk to you.)

Then, write your headline, which looks good in all capital letters. The headline is the single most important sentence of your press release - if the headline sounds interesting, it compels people to read further. If not - your release may be passed over quickly. Spend some time and creative thought on the headline. Read other headlines and notice what makes you read an article. This is the same kind of thing you need to accomplish. Don't be afraid to be dramatic, as bold headlines can draw the reader in. Don't make it too boring. "HELPING STOP DEAFNESS: ONE SONG AT A TIME" is a lot more enticing that "LOCAL BAND PLAYS AT DEAF SCHOOL" if you're doing a show at the Deaf School.

After you have crafted the perfect headline, you need to write the body of your release. Here's where you give all the details of your story. Write it in third person (using "He" or "She" instead of "I") and make it read like a news story. Press releases should be, at maximum, two pages long, and one page is better.

Special mention should be given here to the first paragraph. Just like the headline, the first paragraph needs to grab the reader's interest. In fact, many busy editors will only read past the beginning if you have "hooked" them in the first few lines. Make sure you include ALL pertinent details in this paragraph, since often papers will run releases verbatim. Use full city and state descriptions (Seattle, Washington, not just Seattle), and include the month, day, and year in dates (May 4, 2001, not May 4th).

Describe your news without adding flowery adjectives (it's supposed to be NEWS). You can use quotations to add more interest. ("We always wanted to help deaf kids, and this benefit is how we're doing it", said Johnny about the band's gig at the Deal School.)

At the end of the release, summarize your story and add any "About Us" information that is necessary. Follow it up with a contact for further information.

End your press release with the symbol "###" (without the quotation marks) after your last lines of text. This lets the editor know they have successfully received the entire release.

Artist Press Release Sample Format

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Your Name
Your Street
AddressCity,
State, Zip Code
Phone
Fax
Email

HEADLINE

MONTH DAY#, YEAR (CITY, STATE) -- Important information answering the who, what, where, when, and why. Make sure the first paragraph summarizes your news clearly.
Add additional details here.

About The Artist or Band: blah, blah, blah

For further information, contact Your Name at (xxx) xxx-xxxx.

###

Summary: You can get some great free publicity by learning to write effective press releases. The coverage costs you nothing more than time and the paper to write the release on, and can bring invaluable promotion to your music or business.



Abridged by Music Biz Academy