On Writing Awesome Press Releases for the Music Industry

Over the last several months, Lauren and I, as new public relation practitioners, have been offering our readers tips on social media outlets that work best for promoting bands and musical groups. In this final post, we want to review just how you write a great press (or news) release for this industry. The press release is the “gold standard” in PR writing. It’s the best and most often used tool for getting a message out there.

            So how do you start a release for a band? First, you MUST follow the same formatting as for any standard press release. The rules for writing for public relations promise that if the format is not followed, the story is sure to go right into the trash before it can be read. Second, make sure that whatever "angle" you’re going for is newsworthy and can catch the attention of the media gatekeeper - and readers. No one will read past the lead if it does not garner attention.

           If this sounds familiar, you're correct in assuming that these tips work for any release regardless of industry or topic. What's so different? You must interview the band or artist and get all of the information you can gather from them. You want to know most importantly the name of the band, the names of the members, what kind of music do they play and the date and time of their next show. You want to make sure you double or even triple check this information and the spelling of the names. Yourself as a writer and the publication that runs your story will lose credit faster than you can blink if there are misspellings or incorrect information in your press release.

            It’s really not that hard to write a press release concerning a band, you just have to find the right angle you want to incorporate into your story. You also want to make sure that the angle is something that readers want to know about, something compelling, interesting and will grab the reader’s attention. With press releases for bands you can also be slightly more laid back in what you write about because the music industry is more laid back than say if you’re writing a press release about St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital. The information in those press releases are extremely serious and not to be taken lightly in any way shape or form. With music it’s about having fun, things are not as stuffy and 100% by the book. Just keep in mind these few tips for writing the press release for a band or artist and you will do just fine.

              If you still have questions about writing a press release for a band or artist check out this great article at eHow.

              Keep on Rockin',             Lauren and Brittany

Avoid the Plague of Bad Content

Warning: this week's post topic is bad ... very, very bad.

A few weeks ago, Zach and I wrote about good content and how to create it. This week, we are compelled to discuss bad content - and how you can avoid it.

“Content is king” is a familiar saying for those of us in the communications field.  It's nothing we haven't heard before and yet it is truer than ever before. Good content is not only engaging and interesting but it is also intelligent.

After 10 years of upheaval, the public relations industry is still smack dab in the middle of re-inventing itself. It is no longer enough to tell people that your product is best. Consumers are so much smarter these days. They are through with advertising and PR campaigns that they find insulting. Today's publics demand reality. They want the real story.

Next Stop? Snoozeville

3 Quick Tips to Help Your Avoid Bad Content

•  Do not place search engine optimization above quality: Make sure you aren’t just stuffing a bunch of keywords in a blog or website and calling it content. Don't be boring, be engaging!

•  Follow the 4-second rule: People should know the purpose of your site/blog within four seconds of visiting it. If not, why would they stay there??

•  Keep it simple: Your status, tweet, web copy or blog post must have a clearly defined objective and be easy to navigate. Use fewer words and more powerful imagery.  It's that simple.

We look forward to discussing all the awesome stuff we’re learning this semester. Let's "engage" next week when Mr. Peacock plans to tickle your mind with some grammatical stylings!

Love in content,

-Austin and Zach 

Austin Wildmann

Zach Peacock

 

Release the Content!

Hello, content lovers...

Zach and I are back and rested after a much needed Spring Break.

This week's exciting installment about "content" will delve into the very heart and soul of the public relations industry - and the press release. Press (or news) releases are one of the oldest, most common and most effective forms of PR practice. The thing we've noticed among our classmates is a general sense of fear when it comes to being assigned a press release writing project. The only cure for this, of course, is practice. However, the "content" of any press release is what makes or breaks it.

Tips for crafting great press release content:

1. Remember that your goal is to inform, not sell or promote. This actually takes some of the pressure off the writer.
2. Be sure your news is actually newsworthy. Be certain that you have a real subject to write about. A new offer? An event? A new product or service? Relevance is key.
3. Start strong. Remember to engage the reader within the lead paragraph - the crucial first few sentences must make an impression.
4. End strong. Press releases don't have to be long to be super effective. Write well and give all the necessary information in a clear, concise manner.

Beyond these few simple tips, we can only say PRACTICE, practice and then practice some more. That's how we learn best.

If you're a beginning writer, click here for a link to the basic contents of the press release.  

See you next week right here!

-Austin and Zach

4 Reasons Your Press Release Is Terrible

                                            
Good Morning Friends,

It’s a beautiful day in Murray, Kentucky. Campus is electric as the #6 seeded Murray State Racers kick off the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at 11:15 a.m. (CST).

As excited as I am, I am at work with a press release deadline looming over my head. And, we’ve all heard the disheartening fact that the majority of press releases sent to the media today wind up in the Recycle Bin. 

According to this article by Mickie Kennedy, there are four reasons most press releases are terrible:

1) Too many links: Writers are too focused on overloading their news releases with links; they end up lacking real content.

2) Too much detail: Every little detail is not necessary. You provide the reporter with your contact information, so they can contact you for more detail.  Only include the most important facts in your release.

3) Industry jargon: Every industry has its own buzzwords, but reporters don’t want to decipher them for readers. Cut the jargon.

4) Fit the mold: Worry less about producing a news release that fits the traditional business mold, and instead, get creative.

          Keep these tips in mind the next time you sit down to write a press release. And keep me in mind too, I still have this deadline!

Love in PR,

Lizzy

P.S. Look for a great post from Robin next week!