How To Make A Winning Press Kit

Before I talk about what should be included in the press whale, I want you to stop and think something. I want you to put yourself in the shoes of an A-R scout or anyone else in the industry. Try to imagine how many press whales these people get. Keep that in mind.

Now let’s pretend that you’re an A’R Explorer. Imagine standing over a table with stacks of press materials. Finally you have 10 minutes to take the press kit, view it and listen to a few songs. Can you still imagine that? OK, pick a press whale. Imagine you’re doing this. What press whale did you get? Was it someone with a lot of bad handwriting? Or is it someone who has a cool band name? Wait, it was an envelope with all those stickers that required an autopsy. What kind of press whale do you think could catch the scout?

Always remember how many press whales these people get in the industry. When you collect yours, think about what yours will stand out for. He has to get attention. It can stand out for its professional appearance, original serve, clean appearance or even the packaging in which it was received. You have to create a press kit to be selected.

But before you go crazy, keep in mind that you are trying to collaborate with a label, booking agent or manager. Be attractive, but you also have to be professional. These people need to make money for you, but they also have to make money for themselves. Make sure they see individuality, professionalism and competitiveness.

Okay, let’s see what you need in the press kite.

1. Cover letter – must be attached to each press whale. You must send an email to the person you send it to. It should not contain more than two paragraphs explaining why you are sending a press kit. To subscribe, get a notification, hire a booking agent or listen to the radio? Let this person know what you intend and give you a few reasons why you think they would like to work with you. Again, be concise and cute.
2. Biography is one of the most important parts of your press whale. A biography should contain information that someone is interested in listening to your music and collaborating with your band.
3. For me, the first paragraph is the most important part of the biography. This should intrigue the reader. This should arouse the interest of the reader. Make them know more.
4. Make sure that the person reading the biography knows what your group looks like. I always find it useful to record famous bands that sound just like you. This usually helps to specify the genre of music you play. There are a million music genres, so the player can specify a few bands that you like.
5. Make a list of group members, their age and what they do in the group. Explain briefly how the group came about. If the members belonged to more popular groups, specify them.
6. Try to express the uniqueness of the group. It could be your live performance, text, appearance, sound, internet marketing or something else. There are millions of bands that sound like this, but what makes your band different?
7. Tell your reader about upcoming projects and what you’ve done in the past. Briefly discuss the characteristics of your bus.
8. The rule of thumb that I’ve always believed in is that you always want your group to look bigger than they are, don’t lie. Most of the statements you make in your press kite are easy to pick up. If you claim to have sold 5,000 CDs but don’t have a history of touring, and only 20 CDs (SmartPunk, InterPunk, iTunes) have been sold online, then something is wrong. Advertise your group, but make sure you have the facts to prove it.
9. Include quotes from people in the industry. This also applies to your manager, booking agent or producer. Include quotes in the subject of the paragraph. Don’t get carried away, just a few quotes from people who work with you show that you have connections and that people want to work with you.
10. Photography. Always include a photo of your 8 x 10 group. You can use a color or black-and-white image. If you send it to the newspaper, always include a black-and-white photo in case they want to print it out.
11. Don’t forget to include your details in the demo! I can’t tell you how many groups forget about it. You need to understand that your CD is on your desktop along with other demonstrations. Mark everything.
12. Make sure your songs are recorded professionally. If it’s just garage demos, your group isn’t ready to send out press kits.
13. You want your demo to have three of the most popular songs. A good tip for choosing three favorite songs is to ask friends/fans to list their three favorite songs. Groups are terribly selecting their most popular songs. In any case, your material is bought by fans, not by you. Fans are the best scouts of the A’R. They know what they want. After all, they’re your fans because of your music.
14. Get the first track to get the listener’s attention in seconds. No one has time to listen to the 30-second introduction. So many groups are making this mistake.
15. Another way to save time is to remove plastic from the CD. People looking at press whales don’t have much time. Save time by opening a CD and preparing it for use. I love it.
16. The newsletter is a new addition to modern press kits. The newsletter gives the reader a brief note about your group’s performance. It includes tours, album sales, major shows, festivals and radio performances (Internet, College, FM). Bullets should be used. Don’t lie about your information. Also laminate the information sheet to make it stand out.
17. the information sheet is optional and should only be used if you are an experienced group. Otherwise, because of the empty space, your tire will look green.
18. Press – add any press (newspaper, magazine, Internet) received by your group. But don’t add more than three clippings. Always include the whole article. Also, make sure the articles are copied in high resolution so that they are easy to read. If you have more than three newspaper clippings, include clippings from the most important and recent publications. If more than one sheet of paper is required, put the press sheets together.