How do I write a proper PRESS RELEASE???

[girasoledonna]

Ok. So i got a great story to tell the mass media of my town and surrounding cities. I got signed to compose for a major production company, and also had my CD just released on a major label compilation CD release ( in Europe). Question: How do I write a press release? How do I get this story out to media? I wanted to contact local news TV, radio in NJ, and of course all papers in the tri-state area, but what about other outlets like music connection, or songwriters mag, etc? Do they accept press releases from unknowns? I guess I am asking two things - Who should I send it to? And how do i write it? Lastly - when writing the release, should i NOT mention the name of the company? Is this handled so that the company is protected, or does the mag/newspaper/tv station need to know in order for it to be legitimized to them? So they don't think I just made it up?HELP! I want to get on this right away, as soon as the holidays are over! Grace and peace,Anj

[wta]

best way is to use another artist's as a template and use similar wording and phrases. Nothing new under the sun... I have many saved I could forward to you if you'd like. Just send me a pm and your email address, I'd be pleased to help... wta

[mojobone]

WTA's approach will work, and is probably the most common, but common can kill, when you're trying to stand out in a crowd. It's good to read a bunch of these things to get a feel for the style, though, if you decide to do it yourself. The best way to get your stuff in print is to basically just write the article for them, cuz the average journalist is busier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs and is basically about as lazy as the average musician. Jes' remember a story needs a hook just as much as a song does, and "Musician Finds Work" doesn't make for much of a headline, so you'll need to come up with an angle. For example, I have an acquaintance that used to host Karaoke 'til he turned forty and got cancer; after beatin' the big C, he decided to change his life, went to Nashville and made a record. This garnered more press attention in a few months than he'd gotten the entire first forty years. Another friend managed to light himself on fire, (not on purpose; he was helping a friend work on a car and some gasoline fumes got ignited) leave the hospital in a wheelchair with burns over thirty percent of his body and STILL played his gig that night. This, too, made the local papers; I still remember the tagline: "whiskey and Vicodin can get you through almost anything".I can't recommend injuring yourself or coming down with something potentially fatal, natch, but this is what worked for some folks I know.

[girasoledonna]

Cool! That is good advice. What about including information about who I work for? Is that a bad idea? I mean, should you include the company name that you got signed to? Or will that make the company, if trhe article is published, angry that you have put there name out there and opened the door to many others? What I'm tryng to say is, If i use TAXI as my story and explain what happened, won't that leave the company I was signed too wide open for lots of spam from hungry musicians?

[anne]

I mean, should you include the company name that you got signed to? I wouldn't, for the reason you stated, and also because your "template" for your release will change over time. You may find this helpful:http://www.ehow.com/how_8793_write-prop ... se.htmlAnd this is one of many on the taxi site:http://taxi.com/faq/promo/press-releases.html

[girasoledonna]

Thanks for all the info! Do you all agree that I should write the article myself? Or should I write the press release and just send it out? Is it ok to email it? Or should I snail mail it?

[mazz]

I did a search on Amazon for books about self promotion in the music business. Here's the results, there's tons of them:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url....siness&x=0& y=0Some of the info you seek is probably in one of these books, all in one place.Good luck!Mazz

[ragani]

Dec 27, 2008, 8:22am, girasoledonna wrote:Thanks for all the info! Do you all agree that I should write the article myself? Or should I write the press release and just send it out? Is it ok to email it? Or should I snail mail it? It's always good to write the article yourself-- IF you are a good and publisher-savvy writer. I have worked in the past (on the side) with publishers and press companies, and stuff that's not written well got tossed right into the trash. It's like listening to music-- if you were at the Rally, for most of the stuff you hear, you can tell what's worth listening to after a few moments, and it's the same with writing. Get a good writer! Get a good angle and pitch it well to the news!As far as writing a press release (vs. news release story or article), it's plenty important to know what you're doing-- not that you can't write it, but if a PR shows up on a press desk and it's missing the expected format for a PR, you'll already be starting with one strike against you. So be sure to get a few samples (wta's suggestion is worth doing-- no need to reinvent the wheel for format).I also like to keep a list of "warm" media contacts, and to periodically keep in touch with them. There's always a way to pitch your news with a new angle a few months down the road too! Good luck to you!

[erandall]

Hi Part of my job is writing press releases...Some things I have learned are:1. Try to write a catchy (hooky!) headline2. Keep it short and to the point3. Release it with a photo or a graphic (gets picked up exponentially more frequently with a photo)4. Work on developing a good working press list (verify that you have the right people, right addresses, etc. When emails bounce back, follow up and get the right address.)If you would like to PM me, I'd be happy to review yours.Congratulations!Ellen

[caedmonrising]

I agree with mojo except for the lazy part. I'm a 24-year newspaper veteran, former reporter, current editor (for now) with the Dallas Morning News. For what it's worth:A. As soon as you begin using terms such as "proper press release" you're in oxymoron territory with respect to newspapers. 2. Most journalists are like all the songwriters I know: They want to be moved or inspired or excited to write something. You MUST get their attention. How?3.14: Think outside the box. Offer something unique and different, and say it in a creative style. That's how you write songs, right? Like an editor used to tell me as he tossed my leads back on deadline: "Show me, John; don't just tell me." Reporters and editors are all drama queens. We live for great stories. However, after awhile, they begin to sound the same, so we may seem unmotivated. But, hell, most of these writers at the big publications just got done covering a presidential election and major sports and entertainment stories, etc. What do you expect? How does YOUR story rate? Make yours "sing," and you'll get your coverage, but have all your reasons lined up when the reporter or editor asks what's in it for the paper. This isn't charity, and in case you haven't noticed, papers aren't doing so well. So, again, why the newspaper? That's a vital question nowadays. Z. OK, if you still think a newspaper story is sooooo valuable these days, try this: -- Decide which section of the paper you want to be in. You could garner just as much attention in the Local section as in the Arts. I believe more people read Local still, anyway. Your story has that local-person-makes-good feel. We run tons of those stories each year in Metro. Why not the Biz section, even? Read you papers, people! Get to know the sections. Everybody still wants to be in the newspaper, but you don't want to buy or read them. -- Once you target a section, don't just reflexively call the section editor. We like emails the best now. Use the phone to follow up. Figure out your "unique" story pitch and say things such as "I think this could be a really fun piece for a reporter to write." Reporters get so tired of the daily grind of crime and education stories, etc. "Fun" and "Creative" sound great in their day. Try sending an mp3 with an email describing your story. I send my own to listen to at the paper, so I'm pretty sure yours could get through to another paper. Send a video clip. Whatever it takes, because, remember, journalists are "lazy" and love an excuse to loaf. Like others suggested, check out Word or online sites for template examples. That's fine for the bones of your presser. I'm just strongly suggesting that you use your own voice for the body. And if you are trying to be your own publicity department, know your targets, i.e. newspapers, radio, Web, etc. I'm giving you the inside dope on papers. Just like song listings, be on target in all things PR! Your presser will be lost or tossed if it ends up on the wrong desk. I could go on, but the point is that we at newspapers live for "stories," but that doesn't mean that yours hasn't been heard a zillion times before. That's not a put-down at all. It's just that we're all not as unique to others as we like to think (except for Mojo). If you've worked for more than 5 minutes in the media, you'd understand. Newspapers are a crazy witches' brew of creativity and information and dysfunction. Like this site, there are a lot of gifted people hanging around, and those types are easily bored if it isn't "different." Of course you must write the release "correctly," but let's not be so low-bar here. Simply mailing a pedestrian press release is a crap-shoot. If you're OK with that, that's cool. But we are very distracted right now, and a boring presser is going nowhere, man. (Beatles Forever)I'd do it, but I'd have to charge you. Sorry. I'm on the Firing Line myself. Good luck!