Music Press Release – The Basics

It seems like everybody’s a musician these days. You get a message, it’s your friend asking you to listen to his ‘fire’ mixtape. Hop on SoundCloud or BandCamp, and you’ve dozens of people with ‘up and coming’ in their bio. We are surrounded by artists and rappers. But a few make it to the coveted place. A few get signed to a big label and only a select few get to display their artistic talents in front of the world.  However, while everybody may have talent, not all get to ‘go out there’. Going out there requires publicity and sponsors. While you can’t take out a full-page ad in the next issue of Rolling Stones, you can get a music press release out on the internet. And that’s pretty close.

What is a music press release? Well, it’s for artists who want the world to listen to what they have to offer through the internet. Aside from SoundCloud and asking your friend to promote the music, you can simply enlist bloggers and internet influencers to do your product’s marketing for you. A music press release is therefore more cost-efficient than any other method.

How do you write a good press release that could potentially launch your career and throw you in the big leagues? Following are five pointers that you need to remember and follow while writing a music press release. The actual marketing will be done by the release and the bloggers, so you can focus on making some of that good beats.

How to Write a Music Press Release?

A music press release is different from all the other variants because of one simple matter: distribution. While other press releases find their way in on the print media, music press releases are exclusively handled by music bloggers, websites and influencers. They tend to be pretty lax about what kind of written stuff gets to them, provided the music sample with it is fire.

However, one point to keep in mind is that like journalists, music bloggers and influencers don’t have a lot of time on their hands. They can’t sift through every music press release and audio, so it’s up to the release itself to catch the eye of the person and make them pick it up. With that mentioned, let’s get into it,

Do the Blogger’s Job for them:

As mentioned beforehand, a music blogger or a media influencer hasn’t got a lot of time on their hands. They can’t go through every music press release and songs all day long. So, it’d be a pro move on your behalf to do their job for them. So why enlist them if you’re going to do their job for them? For one, not everybody does that. Doing your homework and your part will make you stand out from the rest of the people, who leave it to the blogger. Just make sure the relevant information is easy to view, accessible and properly arranged. This will make it easier for the influencer to pick up the crux of your release and spread it out.

Also Read: Distinguishing Between Press Releases and Advertising

Attention Grabbing and Catchy Matter:

Everything from your headline to the text and the email cover should be attention-grabbing and catchy enough to ensure that what you wrote stands out in the sea of other music press releases. Creativity is key in a music press release, and the more it is eye-grabbing and creative, the more chances it has of making it to the top pick of the blogger.

Don’t Include Attachments with the Release:

A rookie mistake that most people do. A music press release isn’t supposed to have an attachment with it, let alone an mp3 file. Attachments already scare many tech-savvy people off as potential malicious and hacker-ware stuff is rife on the internet. Plus no blogger will download the audio off the email just to listen to an unknown’s person’s song. The smart move here would be to include links to popular music streaming platforms (SoundCloud, BandCamp, YouTube) where your audio piece is already uploaded. This creates an impression of professionalism, removes all hazards of file attaching and gives the blogger an introduction to your page on YouTube or SoundCloud. Two birds, one stone.

Include Website / Socials in the Press Release:

Including any such outside links that take the blogger or the influencer to a website where you have already amassed a following or have your pieces ready will help them get an idea of your skill set and reach. Plus, it’ll make it easier for them to reach you should your song blow up.

Read More: Mistakes to Avoid in Writing a Press Release

Add Something Personal:

Like regular press releases include quotes from industry high-ups, you can include a personal quote or an account of your struggle or music journey to further create a sort of intimacy with the website or blogger. It isn’t usually recommended, but a personal touch will be a great addition to the music press release and will help get the blogger get in touch with your personal side.