Press releases play a pivotal role in bringing your product to the public. There are countless outlets by which news is broadcast and every one counts as exposure to a new potential market - no matter how small. The secret to maximum exposure lies in creating compelling releases that contain informational value without deviating from your act's image or confusing your audience.

There's also such a thing as too much exposure. You need to exercise some restraint and observe a little etiquette when keeping the public informed about your band and its current events. This doesn't just apply to your fans, but to the media as well.

Foxworthy On Newsworthy

ACK!!! This is the most frustrating part of being a music publication. Once I've published an act's news, they have a tendency to send me day-to-day updates on everything from tonight's gig to which band member is currently in the studio. I've already touched on the evils of adding the media to your mailing lists without permission, but that rant is a whole other column.

The point is that your news is probably not news at all. While these minor events are significant to you, the rest of us could give half a crap. Sound cold? Sorry, but them's the breaks in this business. Sending daily updates to the contacts you've made will most likely cause them to r-u-n-n-o-f-t, leaving you ass out for press outlets.

So what, you may ask, is news? From the top of my head:

1. CD releases or addition to reputable compilations
2. Major tours and appearances (large festivals, Super Bowl half time show, etc.)
3. Signing to a major label (the label will most likely take care of this)
4. Features in major media (Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, People, etc.)
5. Inclusion in feature films and TV appearances
6. Top placement on recognized charts or record CD sales (these two will correlate)

There are probably a few other events you can use as press, but pretty much everything outside of the above list should be reserved for a journal or news section on your web site. Any upcoming calendar events should be sent within a request for show coverage, but only if the publications you approach do show reviews and cover the areas you'll be playing.

I can't stress it enough. DO NOT send us a running commentary on your act's progress. It's annoying and translates to SPAM. The media is not part of your fan base and shouldn't be treated as such.

Achieving Your Chi

Writing an effective press release sounds easier than it actually is. While they should be creative, your announcements need to be clear and in a format people can understand. They need to have a perfect balance of information and entertainment - keeping the public interested while keeping them informed.

It makes no sense to send out press that makes no sense. Furthermore, you should be detailed (without providing too much detail) by covering the "5 Ws" (who, what, when, where and why) in as few paragraphs as possible. It's understandable if this sounds confusing. Press releases can be a double-edged sword of sorts and it's hard to determine what's too much or not enough, but with a little time invested they become a powerful tool.

First of all, figure out what you want to announce. Let's use a CD release as our example, but I'm going to deviate from our subject for a sec. When you have a CD that's ready for release you may want to wait on the announcement until it's a.) Available from a few outlets (i.e. Amazon, Tower, CD Baby, etc.) and/or b.) You've sent copies to the media for review. Here's why: You don't want to publicize a product that can't at least be purchased on the Internet and CD reviews are a killer marketing tool - especially if they're from reputable sources. You can use quotes from these reviews as part of your press release.

With that said, let's break down the components of our press release. There is a standard format for news, but it's not necessary to stay confined to it. As long as the 5 Ws are covered in a coherent fashion, we should be okay. An effective release should include the following:

1. Headline
2. Sub-headline (also known as "description" or "header")
3. Opening paragraph
4. Body
5. Wrap-up
6. Related image (optional)

Keep in mind that these aren't required, but including them will hone your skills as a press writer and provide a global consistency in your media blitz.

Headline: This is what it says it is - a line. Our headline needs to state the subject of the announcement in very few words. It's the title of your release and the first thing anyone sees. Here's an example:

LastDitch Releases Highly Anticipated Debut Album

It's short, but gets a specific message across. Notice the headline is not ALL capitalized. We're not at war, so ALL CAPS is just plain improper. Most publications don't headline their news that way and if they choose to run your release, they'll have to re-type it themselves. Make it easy on this copy-and-paste society and start proper.

This particular headline also features the most poignant parts of our release - the band name (LastDitch) and what they're doing (releasing a highly anticipated debut album). Our audience becomes interested because they know it's a first album and we used marginal sensationalism by calling it "highly anticipated." We could add the album title to the headline, but it's good practice not to be redundant as we'll mention that next.

Sub-headline: This is meant to expand on the headline by adding a bit more detail. If a publication doesn't use our opening paragraph as a segway between the article title and the link to the actual article, they'll use a summarized description. Example:

Felatio Records signs NYC's LastDitch and announces official release of "In Your Face" with support tour to follow

Okay, so there's a lot of info in this segment that isn't mentioned in the headline. But, now we've covered all five Ws by mentioning who (Felatio Records AND LastDitch), what (release of "In Your Face"), when (we assume it's now - for now), where (NYC) and why (loosely interpreted, it's the following support tour). Pay special attention to the lack of punctuation. NYC is presented as a possessive, which should always get an apostrophe and the CD title is wrapped in quotes. Not wrapping a title in quotes may tweek our readers.

Opening Paragraph: The opening paragraph sets the tone for the rest of the article. Our goal is to draw readers to the rest of the story. This is where a creative flare will play its biggest role. Next example:

April 1, 2005 - New York City, NY – Acclaimed rock band, LastDitch, has paid their dues. After 2 years of recording and sold out performances across 6 states, their debut CD, "In Your Face," is finally ready for the masses. The album has been dubbed by the New York Times as "- what the future of rock strives to become," and "F&%#ing incredible," by Who Dat of The Aquarian.

We didn't have to use the date and locale. They're merely an attribute of function rather than form. If you're submitting this to sites via an online form, don't lead with date/location - when your news gets posted from there there'll usually be a time stamp on the page generated by the web site.

Time and date aside, let's look at our opening paragraph and see what it consists of. Remember, we're writing this as much for our media outlets as we are for their readers. Again, we sensationalized the release without going overboard. LastDitch is described as "acclaimed" and having "paid their dues," with their CD being "finally ready for the masses." Considering I used 2 years as the example - it may not be widely considered as paying their dues, so we might want to omit how many years unless we expand on what they've done since their formation.

What we did accomplish; however, was summarizing the band's bio and best reviews in one paragraph. We've also told our readers what kind of music LastDitch plays. We've created an avenue, which will entice people to want to know more about the CD. We incorporated quotes from critics into sentences, rather than simply listing them. Also, take note that I replaced the "F word" in the one quote with some cryptic symbols. This is because some press won't reprint profanity and you're always better safe than sorry.

Body: Now for the meat of our press release. We still want to keep it as professional as possible, but this is where it gets into the real message. What can we say that we haven't already said? Let's try this:

Felatio Records signed the band last October. LastDitch has since recorded their 12-song release and has already booked a U.S. Tour in support of the record.

"We're totally stoked that our music has been received so well," said front man Kirk Helmet, "It's a real honor to have a serious label take interest in us - but even more that our music has been accepted at so many levels."

"In Your Face" is a collection of original hard rock tunes in the tradition of Papa Roach and Stone Temple Pilots, with a twist of AC/DC. Derek Riggs, who created Iron Maiden's Eddie character, designed the cover art.

The News And Review called "In Your Face" a "-refreshing new approach to the genre" and All Access Magazine described it as "- Chock-full of hooks and oozing with groove."

It's not a sin to add more detail, but only in moderation. I would've personally written a more expanded version of this release - had it been non-fictional. I may have even used some space to boast more about the band's history, but our example gives us a good foundation to build from.

What have we learned about the band? We've learned that they've played many sold out shows in several states, their sound is a cross between Papa Roach, Stone Temple Pilots, and AC/DC (wonder how that would sound?), and Kirk Helmet is humble enough to be happy with the response so far. Actually, adding a quote from a band member or a label representative adds a human face to the article, so it's a good tactic to use. We also added an interesting piece of info - Derek Riggs designed the album cover. They're also getting some great reviews.

Why wouldn't we want this CD? Because we don't know where to get it. That leads us into our wrap-up:

Tour dates are soon to be announced, but the new album can be purchased at Amazon, Tower, Borders and CD Baby. For more information on LastDitch and a preview of "In Your Face" visit www.lastditch.com.

We don't know where the tour venues are yet, but we can order the CD from any one of several outlets. We also know we can hear samples of the music on their web site. I think we've written a pretty effective mock press release and, as a reader, I'd be inclined to at least check them out.

Related Photo: This can be a band photo or CD cover image. If you're submitting your release through sites that let members post news, make sure the image is on your website. Then, include it in the HTML in your article. This way people can get a visual interpretation - and we all know the Internet is extremely image-driven.

Distributionally Correct

Now that you've got a release that's ready to go out, it's time to think about how you're going to distribute it. If you've done ANY research at all, you know where to post your news and how it should be submitted.

Many web sites offer online forms that allow you to submit news directly. Other outlets will offer contact info for their editor, Press Dept. or whoever you need to submit press to - don't just fire off your release to these people. Find out if their site will be a match for your music by looking it over. Then ask them if they're even interested in receiving your press - now and in the future.

Sites that have online forms for news submissions usually have a preview feature. Never post your press release without previewing it first. The site's software may reformat it and you're the one that looks like a hack if it's posted badly.

Use common sense and manners when you distribute your release via email. Whether you're sending a request or the actual article to a lot of sources at one time, DO NOT use the "To" or "CC" fields in your email program. Use "BCC" to contact a list. Nothing is more annoying than seeing our email addresses lumped in with a bunch we don't recognize.

First Minute Tips

These are some things that really get under my skin. It isn't so much because they annoy me (which they do), but because these behaviors can be seriously detrimental to an act's success. This isn't rocket science people. The fact that I have to mention it tells me there's a need to educate.

Always observe proper spelling, grammar and punctuation when writing your press release. I'm not going to write an article on the subject, so if you need one you shouldn't be doing PR.

Do your homework. This will be a running theme throughout this series. A little research is going to save you from some seriously irritated press outlets. Find out where your particular act fits and which sites are most likely to be interested in your music. For example, don't send Hip-Hop news to Folk music sites - get it?

DO NOT put "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" in your articles or emails to press. I don't know who came up with this one, but I always have to edit it out of releases I get. Unless you specified a desired release date, I assumed you wanted your press posted immediately - I didn't need you to tell me that. Chances are, you won't get an immediate release anyway.

Avoid repeating the same words and/or terms too many times in your release - or in a paragraph, for that matter. Also, be wary of starting your paragraphs off the same way. Mix it up a bit. Get a thesaurus if you don't have one. You don't want your press to read like the equivalent of "are we there yet?"

Remember your audience. You're most likely not writing for the Harvard School of Law, so don't try to sound overly intelligent. I know this seems to fly in the face of what I've been preaching, but there is a delicate balance you should maintain when sounding professional and reaching readers that will be interested in your music.

Sidestep words with too many syllables, even if your main audience is an elitist crowd. If you're trying to reach a wider range of interest, this is the best approach. Keep in mind that other facets of the industry may be picking up on your news, so don't dumb it down too much.

I hope this article sinks in. In the press world (even music press) most publications, both online and in print, carry a certain standard for quality. If your releases require too much thought on the part of the reader or are blatantly ignorant, your window for exposure begins to close incrementally. Don't waste your time or the press' and do it right the first time.