How to write the perfect press release for musicians

Press releases are an important advertisement for all musicians. Whether you want to promote your music through blogs, want to offer online media a première of your video or are pitching your newest project to a magazine, you will always need a piece of writing about yourself and your current work. This should be as concise, yet informative, as possible and be appropriate to you and what you are doing. This can sometimes be quite tricky. So we have summarised here what goes into a good press release and how many of them you will need.

Different projects, different texts!

Let’s start off by saying that one single text is definitely not enough. Depending on what type of project you are starting, you can vary the texts that you send to media or agencies. In addition to a piece about your current project, e.g. the current single, the upcoming album or the next EP, you should also always have an up-to-date text about yourself. The combination of these two press releases allows, for example, editors, to get both an insight into your current releases and ideas, but also to get to know you as an artist without needing to do much of their own research. The less of their own research they have to do, the more likely it is that media will report about you, especially if you are not currently on trend. In addition, you can also retain some degree of control over what they learn about you. If people are always having to do their own research, you have less control over which substantive aspect of you or your project the focus is on.

So you need: a short biography about yourself and then further pieces about your music. This can be a text for the album or EP, but also for a single or the latest music video. We have summarised for you what basic information should be included in the respective texts and how long each text should be on average. You can of course also add any additional fact you find important.

(Short) Bio (0.5 to 1.5 pages):

• Who are you?
• Where do you come from?
• Where does your connection to music come from, how has it developed?
• What inspires you?
• What are your musical influences?
• What do you call your music style?
• What distinguishes you and your music?
• What differentiates you from other artists?
• What have you learnt about yourself or your music in your career so far?
• What have been your successes?

Single (maximum one page):

• What’s it all about?
• Where does the inspiration come from?
• Where and how did the track come about?
• What does the song mean to you personally?
• What distinguishes the sound?

Album/EP (one to two pages):

• Where and how did the album/EP come about?
• What has inspired you?
• What is it about, is there a common theme?
• Is there a concept behind the track list?
• Where does the title come from, what does it mean?
• What is your personal connection to the title and content?
• Is there a track with a special story?
• Does one (or several) of the songs have a special significance for you personally?

Video (maximum one page):

• Where and how did the video come about?
• What makes the video special?
• What is the message behind it?
• What connects the message and the song?
• What is your personal connection to the theme?
• Whose idea was the video?
• Do you have any special relationship with (members of) the film crew?

It’s all about the style!

What belongs in your text is now clear. A good piece of writing is a solid foundation. However, you should pay special attention to one particular aspect: the way your press releases are written should fit your CI, that is, how you present yourself as an artist. What does this mean practically? It means that if you present yourself as a joker on social media and hide a gag or two in your music, the text should be quite funny, for example. Or perhaps there are certain pictures that you often use in your music and your public appearance, in which case they should also be used in your press releases. These releases describe you and indicate who you are; they belong to your overall concept and should fit into it logically. This makes it easier for outsiders to understand your ideas and their implementation.

Please be careful!

Have you had a brilliant idea and found the text very easy to write? Great! Nevertheless, it is important that you go through the text a couple of times; check for grammar and spelling mistakes and, perhaps after leaving it for one or two days, have another look at the structure. If possible, let others – best of all good writers, who know you read the texts and make corrections and suggestions for improvement. Remember: a press release is always an advertisement and thus an indicator of the quality of a project. If there’s any doubt, your music will not be given a chance; for example, a press release filled with grammar errors will quash any interest immediately. If you have written press releases in a language that is not your native language (for example, it is recommended for some genres that material is also produced in English, etc.), then it is essential to have it read through by a linguistically talented native speaker.

All clear? Then off to the keyboard (or pen)! Your next project is already waiting to be sent off into the world with a snazzy, new press release. The wonderful thing is that your new press release can be included directly in your EPK (electronic press kit). Click here to find out how best to create your EPK and what it should include.