If you want to publicize yourself, a music release, the latest album, or an upcoming tour, but don’t have the cash to hire a top music publicist or PR professional, then you’ll need to write your own music press release to get the word out.
Publicizing yourself is not easy, so here are our best top tips for how to write a killer music press release that will get you noticed.
We recommend you get a pen & paper or somewhere to make notes, so you can create your music press release template, like an easy-to-do checklist for future reference.
What Is A Press Release?
In the music industry, a press release is a common tool used to bring an artist or business “free” publicity.
A press release is a simple, neat-looking sheet that provides news to reporters, editors, and other media people.
Any publication you get from your press release will be free, so it’s easy to see why writing a good press release is a valuable skill.
How To Write A Music Press Release
With all of that being said, let’s dive into how you can write a killer press release. Let’s get started!
1. Make It Newsworthy
First rule! Never send out press releases for no particular reason. So, before you read on, be sure that what you’re sending is newsworthy.
What’s the hook? This is hard, so ask for help from your mates, family, or colleagues. They can be objective and give you a genuine steer on what’s great about you and your work and what’s genuinely interesting.
2. Keep It Short & To The Point
To write a music press release well, one page is ideal; two pages max if you’ve got a bit more to say. But don’t try to be over-descriptive and effusive in your release.
Journalists don’t have time to read your gushing essays; they just need the facts!
Creating a music press release template can help you keep it short and sweet. So to help further your music career and if a major label, public relations firm, or media outlet gets hold of it they have all the relevant contact information.
3. Write In The Third Person
It’s tempting to write something in the first person, but press releases should ALWAYS be in the third person i.e. write about yourself as if you are an outsider writing about an artist.
“he/she/they”, not “I, me, we”. Keep it factual and informative. You are not writing a feature. You are giving the journalists key facts so that they can write a feature in their own style.
4. Music Press Release – Readability
Just like writing this blog, readability is key!
Make sure your music press release is easy to read. Short sentences, ideally no more than 20 words. Your paragraphs should be short with relevant subheadings.
5. Make It Visual, But Not Flashy
Add one key image after your first para, e.g. the best image of album artwork or if you’re writing a band press release include an artist’s photo.
6. Music Press Release – Title, Not ‘Headline’
Don’t spend hours trying to come up with a catchy “headline” worthy of NME’s front cover.
That’s the job of the journalist or sub-editor. You need to give your press release a title that clearly states exactly what you’re promoting, so the recipient gets it straight away.
7. Ensure Your First Paragraph Gives The Key Info
You MUST get all the relevant info into the first few lines of an intro paragraph. You have about 5 seconds to get down the ‘who, where, what, when and why’.
Give the journalist a reason to read on in about 3 short sentences.
8. Second / Third Paragraphs Provide The Meat
Your second paragraph should give more detail about you, your project, album, tour – whatever it is you’re trying to promote. To convey your personality or promote a positive reaction to your work, use a couple of quotes. E.g.
“This is by far and away from the best album Jon Skinner has released to date,” said Fatboy Slim. “He’s an amazing talent and I’m genuinely excited about this artist’s future.”
NB: Punctuation should always be inside quotation marks.
9. The Final Paragraph – Now What?
The final paragraph of your music press release should give the ‘what next’ for your audience or a call to action, e.g. where your music can be bought/downloaded, how much, where they can find more info about you, etc.
Make sure that you only put information here that you are happy to be made public and replicated online or in print, e.g. links to your website, social media, an upcoming tour, or a music video link. Do not include personal info.
10. Notes To A Music Business Editor
Always end the ‘public’ part of music industry press releases with ‘Ends’.
Everything after that is in the Notes to editor section (some people write “Note to editors” – either is fine). This is where you write something like:
“For more information, album artwork, photography or to request interviews with the artist, please contact [name] on [tel number] or [email].”
11. Music Press Release – Always Proofread
It’s easy to get lost in what you’ve written. We love Grammarly, it’s an amazing software tool to help with spelling and grammar.
So, get a third party to proofread your release before you send it. This is crucial to make sure that, to the outsider, you’ve made your point clearly, concisely and without typos and errors.
12. Now PDF It!
Always save and send your music press release in PDF format. It looks a lot better, cuts down file size, looks more professional, can be opened by all, and can’t be tampered with!
Our Final Thoughts On Music Press Release
So, there you have it! That was our guide on how to write a music press release.
You can get some great free publicity by learning to write effective music 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.
We hope that you found this article helpful! Let us know how you get on with your music press release in the comments!
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