Top 10 Music Press Release Tips

When you are an independent artist, you become your own promotional department and press. One of the best promotional tools for indie artists, such as yourself, is the music press release. When you make any moves in your music career, make it known to the media with a press release. Any tour information, a concert for a charitable cause, a new song, LP, or CD release can be made newsworthy and it’s imperative to announce it to the world. This publicity strategy can give you a great response rate and increase the likelihood you will be heard by the right people.

Music Press Release Writing Tips

A press release needs to be eye catching, but factual, and have a unique spin to it. It is important you represent yourself as a band or solo artist, in way that makes you stand out. Essentially you, the musician, must have something to offer the discriminating reader. You want to have something relatable, yet factual about your music going out to people who are specialized in dealing with music industry at large.

Below are tips that can help you write your press release.

1. Make sure the information is newsworthy.
2. Write in third person so that media outlets can use your text as-is.
3. Deal with only the facts. Avoid hype.
4. Avoid excessive use of adjectives and fancy language.
5. DO NOT use exclamation marks. Exclamation marks (“!”) convey that your release is advertising, not news.
6. First impressions matter. Make your headline memorable, attention grabbing and eye-catching
7. Make sure the first 10 words of your release are effective, as they are the most important. Start with a brief description of the news, then distinguish who announced it, and not the other way around.
8. Tell the audience that the information is intended for them and WHY they should care; WHERE they can find it; WHEN it will happen.
9. Add a personal touch. Mention a quote or 2 from yourself, your fans, press, etc.
10. Include a call to action. Invite readers to learn more, download a free track, buy your album, visit your website, etc.

Music Press Release Formatting Tips

Proper formatting and structure of your press release is critical. This makes it as easy as possible for media representatives to choose your article for publication because it’s ready to go. Here are the top formatting must-haves:

1. Keep the total length under 2 pages; 1 page is best (ideally 400-500 words).
2. At the top of your press release, include the words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE”
3. Include your location (city, state) and the date in the beginning of the article (just like a news report)
4. Headline: Capitalize the first letter of all words but DO NOT use all upper case letters. Stay within the 80-170 characters and no more than 1 sentence
5. Provide a brief bio and your contact information in separate sections after the article

Make sure you also take a look at some real life examples of artist press releases from our roster of indie musicians.

Music Press Release Writing Service

If writing is not your forte, we offer a Done-For-You Music Press Release service if you would like to have someone from our press department help you. You get a professional press release (written by our in-house, award-winning music writer) that will:

• Pique the curiosity of the media with an attention-grabbing headline.
• Have a unique, compelling, newsworthy spin on your story that generates response.
• Increase your chance to get picked up by the news with the best format and structure.
• Drive more fans to your website and increase album sales by utilizing the optimal keyword density for SEO.

Music Press Release Distribution

Once you’ve got your press release written, you need to distribute it to get the word out about your new album, concert or tour. Below are the top 5 free press release distribution services. Keep in mind that while these are great resources, they are not specifically targeted for indie musicians and bands.

• 24-7 Press Release
• PR Log
• PR Leap
• PR Buzz
• free-press-release.com

To implement this strategy, you could leverage our Done-For-You Music Press Release service, which includes distribution. We blast your information directly to music industry executives that make decisions on what gets listened to and what gets published.  Your press release will be reaching our top 5,607+ music journalists and editors, online music magazines, radio stations, blogs, video blogs, music directories, and e-zines across the nation such as MixMag, The Alternative Music Press (AMP), Billboard Magazine and more. We also promote your music to all of our social networks with over 21,383+ followers.

Get started with our Done-For-You Music Press Release service today.

For more great tips and tricks on press releases for indie musicians check out:

• The Balance: How To Write A Press Release
• Sonic Bids: Dear Bands, Here’s How to Write A Damn Press Release
• Music Biz Academy: How to Write and Send a Press Release

You can also download this article as a pdf on SlideShare.

Source: ArtistPR Music Press Release