We get a lot of hits on our website and calls
from bands who are not yet ready to hire a publicist. For those of you in
this situation, I have written this guide to follow. Publicity is time consuming
and detail oriented. With a bit of planning and focus, you can spin your own
publicity wheel -- all it takes is foresight and organization. A band that
plans well is a band that receives the most PR.
I have worked hundreds of bands during my six years in this business. Bands
that generate a strong buzz, release their own CDs and tour prove every day
that bands can and will survive the road (no pun intended) ahead.
The publicity process for any band, no matter how big or small, is exactly
the same. Of course the size of publications in which you place articles can
vary dramatically (based on record sales and label status).
For this article, I interviewed several entertainment writers from across
the country. Their comments and advice are included throughout. I also included
several helpful links to help you along.
Writers who will come up throughout are:
Mike Roberts - The Denver Westword
Jae Kim - The Chicago Sun Times
Silke Tudor - The SF Weekly
It was fun to interview writers who usually interview my artists. It was insightful
to get their opinions on what they like to see (and what they don't) from
bands.
Enjoy this article, print it out, copy it, give it to your friends and if
you want to put your two cents in on your own PR experience, I would love
to hear from you. . .
Running Your Own PR Department - A Step by Step Guide
MYTH: A big fat press kit will impress a writer.
TRUTH: Writers will only become exasperated by a press kit that is
not succinct and to the point. A bio, a photo and 6-8 articles double-sided
on white paper is a good sized kit. If a writer wants to read more than that
he will contact you for further information. If you don't have any articles,
don't worry, this will soon change.
The first step in your journey is to create a press kit, which consists of
four parts -- the Bio, the Photo, the Articles and the CD.
Jae Kim: "The ultimate press kit is a very basic press kit which includes:
a CD, a photo with band members' names labeled on it -- not a fuzzy, arty
photo -- a clear black and white, a bio, and press clips -- 10 at most, one
or two at least. 40 is way too much."
Part 1: The Bio
Write a one page band bio that is succinct and interesting to read. I strongly
advise avoiding vague cliches such as: melodic, brilliant harmonies, masterful
guitar playing, tight rhythm section, etc. These are terms that can be used
to describe any type of music. Try to make your description stand out.
Create an introduction that sums up your sound, style and attitude in a few
brief sentences. This way if a writer is pressed for time she can simply take
a sentence or two from your bio and place it directly in the newspaper. If
you try to make a writer dig deeply for the gist, that writer will most likely
put your press kit aside and look to one of the other 30 press kits that arrived
that week.
* tip - Try to create a bio with the assumption that a vast majority of music
writers may never get around to listening to your CD (500 new releases come
out in the United States each week). Also, writers are usually under tight
deadlines to produce copy -- so many CD's fall by the wayside.
Q. Whose press materials stand out in your head ?
A. Jae Kim: "Action shots of bands. Blur has had a few great photos,
and Mariah's are always very pretty. Also, Mary Cutrufello on Mercury has
a great photo -- enigmatic with a mysterious quality. Her picture was honest
and intelligent, just like her music."
A. Silke Tudor: "The Slow Poisoners -- a local SF band who are very devoted
to their presentation. They have a distinct style and everything leads in
to something else. Photos are dangerous. . .If the band looks young and they're
mugging you have a pretty safe idea of what they're gonna sound like."
Part 2: The Photo
It is very tough to create a great band photo. In the thousands that I have
encountered only a few have had creativity and depth. I know it can seem cheesy
to arrange a photo shoot but if you take this part seriously you will deeply
benefit from it in the long run.
Create a photo that is clear, light, and attention grabbing. Five musicians
sitting on a couch is not interesting. If you have a friend who knows how
to use PhotoShop, I highly recommend you enroll him or her to help you do
some funky editing.
Mike Roberts tends to gravitate towards: "Any photos that are not four
guys standing against a wall. Also, a jazz musician doesn't always have to
be holding a horn."
MYTH: Photos cost a fortune to process in 8X10 format.
TRUTH: Photos do not have to be expensive. There a few places to have
photos printed for a great price. My personal favorite is ABC Pictures in
Springfield, MO. They will print 500 photos (with layout and all shipping)
for $80. Click the link to check out their web site or telephone 888.526.5336.
Another great resource is a company called 1-800-POSTCARD, which will print
5000 full-color, double-sided postcards for $250. Extra postcards not used
in press kits can be sent to people on your mailing list, or you can sell
them or give them away at gigs
Part 3: The Articles
Getting that first article written about you can be quite a challenge. Two
great places to start are your local town papers (barring you don't live in
Manhattan or Los Angeles) and any local fanzine (available at your favorite
indie record store). In addition, a few hours of net surfing will reveal the
hundreds of sites that review CD's. Look for reviews of music that is similar
to your band's type of music and then send your CD's to those reviewers. As
your touring and effort swell, so will the amount of articles written about
your band.
Part 4: The CD
I assume that if you are reading this you probably already have your CD printed
and ready to go. If this is not the case, CD's are easy to print up and lots
of manufacturers can guide you in the process. My favorite CD manufacturing
house is AMG CD's. They do a great job, have a quick turn-around time, and
their prices are great. Mention that you found out about them through us and
you will get a discount!!
The CD artwork, like the press kit, must be well thought out. You should customize
your press kits so that they look in sync with your CD. This way when a writer
opens up a package the press kit and the CD look like they go together. Also,
put your phone number and contact info in the CD so if it gets separated from
the press kit, the writer knows how to contact you.
I asked Eric Rosen, the VP of Radical Records, how he oversees the development
of product. He had a few things to say about stickering CD's (placing an extra
sticker on the cover to spark the interest of a writer).
"If you are going to sticker your product, be unique in the way you present
it -- try to be clever about it -- plain white stickers are boring."
He went on to say that "Recommended Tracks" stickers are great for
the press (suggesting no more than two or three selections).
Eric does not think that stickers are too advantageous in CD stores, because
then "You are just covering up your artwork."
Don't waste precious CD's! Keep in mind that 500 new CD's come out every week
in the United States. Unless you are sure a writer actually writes CD reviews
(many are not given the space to run them) don't waste your hard-earned dollars
sending that writer a CD. Again, ask the promoter which writers like to receive
CD's for review and which ones don't need them.
Q. What do writers like ?
A. Silke Tudor: "When people personalize things and use casual words.
If an envelope is hand-addressed, I will notice it right away and I always
open things that people put together themselves. Hand-written stuff gets read
first. . .The bands that do PR for themselves are the ones that stand out
for me."
A. Mike Roberts: "Include the name, show date, time, ticket price, place,
and who you are playing with. . .If I don't see the contact number I have
69 other kits to get to."
Q. What do writers hate ?
A. Jae Kim: "I hate those padded envelopes that get gray flakey stuff
all over you -- I feel like it's asbestos." She also dislikes "When
I get a package with glitter or confetti in it -- it gets all over my desk.
I [also] don't like Q & A sheets." -- She prefers to come up with
questions herself rather than receive answers pre-fabricated for her and spoon-fed.
A. Silke Tudor similarly reports: "I never open anything over my computer."
A. Mike Roberts: "I don't have much interest in gimmicks like hard candy.
If I tried to eat it, it might kill me. Also you can't expect a writer to
shove something in the paper at the last minute. Please give as much lead
time as possible."
Q. What do writers throw in the garbage immediately?
A. Mike Roberts: "Anything past deadline."
A. Jae Kim: "Pictures of women's butts or profanity that is degrading
to women."
A. Silke Tudor: "If I already know the band and I know that I don't like
it."
Getting Your Press Materials Out There:
So, you have a press kit together, now what?
Try to start planning PR for any tour 6-8 weeks before you hit the road.
As soon as a gig is booked, ask the promoter for the club's press list (most
clubs have one). This is a list of all of the publications in the area that
write about music. Promoters are dependent on this local press to help sell
tickets. Have the list faxed or e-mailed to you. Don't be shy -- you are working
with the promoter to make the show happen and promoters love it when the show
is well publicized. Also be sure to ask the promoter who his or her favorite
writers are and which ones will like your style of music. Then, when you call
those writers, don't be afraid to say which promoter recommended them and
invite them to the show.
A lot of clubs have their own in-house publicists. If this is the case let
them do the legwork for you. Send the club's publicist as many press kits
as she requests and make sure you follow up with her. I have been the PR director
for The Fox Theatre for the past three years. The bands who get the biggest
push from me are the ones who care about their PR and who keep in touch with
me before the show.
If the local promoter has a publicist, let that publicist do his job. This
person lives where you only visit a few times a year. He or she will pay for
the postage and send the press kits.
Pack everything up and mail it to the promoters. Make sure you ask the promoters
how many posters they would like and send them along with the press kits.
After a few days, call to verify that the materials were received.
If you can't afford to send kits to everyone, ask the promoters in each area
which three or four writers would most likely cover a band that plays your
style of music. Also, ask the promoters where the clubs run strip ads -- these
ads will be in the papers that cover music and inform people in the area about
club happenings.
If you are servicing press yourself, and the club does not have a press list,
pick up these invaluable guides: The Musician's Atlas, $19.95, (Tel: 973.509.9898)
or The Musician's Guide To Touring, $10.95, (Tel: 800.407.6874). Both of these
guides are packed with a wealth of information on publicity outlets across
the country as well as venues, record stores, labels, etc. I have spotted
both guides in music stores, Barnes & Noble, and at record shops.
I recommend sending materials 4-6 weeks prior to the gig. Beware of monthly
publications -- if you are not at least six weeks out, don't bother sending
to them.
Call the writers -- most of the time you will be leaving messages on voice
mail. Be polite, get right to the point, and be brief!! 9 times out of 10
writers will not call you back.
Persevere
If you are a totally new band and you are worried because a paper did not
cover you the first time around, keep sending that paper information every
time you play in the area. I have never met a writer that ignores several
press kits from the same band sent over and over again. It may take a few
passes through in each market, but the more a writer sees over time, the more
likely he will be to write about you.
Don't let all that voicemail discourage you -- I have placed hundreds of articles,
mentions, and photos without ever speaking to the writer.
Writers usually respond much better to e-mail -- it's free for them and does
not take too long to respond to. If you are sending e-mail follow-ups, put
a link to your site, or the club's site if you don't have one. You can also
send a sound clip if you have the capability.
Important Note: Don't bother sending out materials a few days before the gig.
Writers are usually way past their deadlines by then and they won't be able
to place your band.
Posters
Posters are a great form of PR and they don't have to cost you a fortune.
The most cost-effective way to make posters is to buy 11x17 colored paper
from your local paper store (approx. $7 per ream of 500) and run off copies
at the copy shop (approx. 7 cents each). Make several white copies and include
these with your colored posters -- this way the promoter can make extras,
if needed. For higher quality posters, I recommend a copy process called
docutech. These cost a penny or so more apiece, but they are computer-generated
and look better than regular copies.
Have whomever designed your poster also design small lay-ups to send out as
fliers and ad-mats. Make sure your logo is included on them so the promoter
can use them for strip or display advertising.
Have patience
The first few times you play a market, you may not get any press. PR is a
slow moving vehicle that can take time to get moving. I have worked with some
bands that have needed to go through a market 3-4 times before any results
started showing up in the press.
When sending materials on repeated occasions, include a refresher blurb to
remind the writer of your style. ALWAYS include the following information:
date, show time, ages, ticket price, club name and address, time, and who
is on the bill. Don't make writers hunt around for the event info. Make their
job as easy as possible by providing as much information as possible.
Also keep in mind that some writers will probably not write about you over
and over again. If you hit the same markets continually, try to lay off the
press who have already written about you -- a great tactic is to change your
photo every few months and write "New Band Photo" on the outside
of the envelope so writers know they have something new to work with.
Field Staff
Try to enroll a fan to be on your field staff in each market you visit. In
exchange for a few tickets to your show, have this person put up posters,
hand out fliers, and talk to the college newspaper about writing a feature
or the local radio station about spinning your CD.
To get a field staff started, include a sign up column on your mailing list
and on your web site. If they sign up, they are the people for you!
With a bit of planning and focus, you can spin your own publicity wheel. All
it takes is foresight and organization. A band who plans well is a band that
receives the most PR.
Your Website
If you don't already have one -- get on it!! Websites can be easy and inexpensive
to design -- you can buy software that can take you through it step by step.
Better yet, have a friend or a fan help you design a site. Your site should
include your upcoming tour dates, as most people will visit it to find out
when you are coming through town. Another great place to post all of your
dates is tourdates.com -- it is FREE and you can also put your bio and photo
up as well. More advanced sites include merch as well as CD sales. This is
a great idea if you are at the point where you're selling a lot of merch.
If you are not there yet, at least link your site to a place where fans can
order your CD.
Happy Publicizing and Good Luck!!
