E urope - Parent Directory

monthly publications — if you are not at least six weeks out, don’t bother
sending to them.
Call the writers
Most of the time you will be leaving messages on voice mail. Be polite, get
right to the point, and be brief!! 9 times out of 10 writers will not call you
b a c k .
P e r s e v e r e
If you are a totally new band and you are worried because a paper did not
cover you the first time around, keep sending that paper information every
time you play in the area. I have never met a writer that ignores several
press kits from the same band sent over and over again. It may take a few
passes through in each market, but the more a writer sees over time, the
more likely he will be to write about you.
Don’t let all that all that voice mail discourage you
I have placed hundreds of articles, mentions, and photos without ever
speaking to the writer.
Writers are more responsive to e-mail
I t ’s free for them and does not take too long to respond to. If you are
sending e-mail follow-ups, put a link to your site, or the club’s site if you
d o n ’t have one. You can also send a sound clip if you have the capability.
I M P O RTA N T NOTE: Don’t bother sending out materials a few days
before the gig. Writers are usually way past their deadlines by then and
they won’t be able to place your band.
P o s t e r s
Posters are a great form of PR and they don’t have to cost you a fortune.
The most cost-effective way to make posters is to buy 11x17 colored paper
from your local paper store (approx. $7 per ream of 500) and run off copies
at the copy shop (approx. 7 cents each). Make several white copies and
include these with your colored posters — this way the promoter can make
extras, if needed. For higher quality posters, I recommend a copy process
called docutech. These cost a penny or so more apiece, but they are
c o m p u t e r-generated and look better than regular copies. Have whoever
designed your poster also design small lay-ups to send out as fliers and admats.
Make sure your logo is included on them so the promoter can use
them for strip or display advertising.
Have patience
The first few times you play a market, you may not get any press. PR is a
slow moving vehicle that can take time to get results. I have worked with
some bands that have needed to go through a market 3-4 times before any
results started showing up in the press. When sending materials on repeated
occasions, include a refresher blurb to remind the writer of your style.
Always include the following information: date, show time, ages, ticket
price, club name and address, time, and who is on the bill. Don’t make
writers hunt around for the event info. Make their job as easy as possible
by providing as much information. Also keep in mind that some writers
will probably not write about you over and over again. If you hit the same
markets continually, a great tactic is to change your photo every few
months and write “New Band Photo” on the outside of the envelope.
Field staff
Try to enroll a fan to be on your field staff in each market you visit. In
exchange for a few tickets to your show, have this person put up posters,
hand out fliers, and talk to the college newspaper about writing a feature or
the local radio station about spinning your CD. To get a field staff started,
include a sign up column on your mailing list and on your web site. If they
sign up, they are the people for you! With a bit of planning and focus, you
can spin your own publicity wheel. All it takes is foresight and
o rganization. A band that plans well is a band that receives the most PR.
Your website
If you don’t already have one — get on it!! Websites can be easy and
inexpensive to design — you can buy software that can take you through it
step by step. Better yet, have a friend or a fan help you design a site. Yo u r
site should include your upcoming tour dates, as most people will visit it to
find out when you are coming through town. Another great place to post all
of your dates is tourdates.com it’s free, and you can also put your bio and
photo up as well. More advanced sites include merch as well as CD sales.
This is a great idea if you are at the point where you’re selling a lot of
merchandise. If you’re for your own site, at least be sure to link your site to
a place where fans can order your CD.
Ariel Hyatt is the President of Ariel Publicity, A rtist Relations, and Cyber
P romotions, in NYC. For the past five years she has worked closely
publicizing a diverse family of touring and developing indie bands
including Sally Ta y l o r, Leftover Salmon, K-Floor, and The Stone Coyotes.
Contact: www. a r i e l p u b l i c i t y. c o m
TO P 10 MUSIC PR TIPS
by Mona Loring, MLC PR
© 2009 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
♦
Publicity is a huge driving force when you’re looking at success in the
music industry. Although it’s definitely beneficial to retain a publicist once
you have your music career in gear, you can still manage to create a little
buzz on your own in the meantime. Below are the top ten tips for
generating your own publicity as a music artist.
1. Make sure you have a press kit that includes a well-written bio, an
8X10 photo, CD and contact info.
2. Go local. Local press is by far the easiest press to get. Let them know
your story and send in a CD. Shoot for the music editor or columnist
and if they don’t have one assigned specifically, contact the
entertainment editor.
3. Social networking sites are all about music these days. For example,
M y S p a c e ’s reach is incredible for gaining new fans. Where else can
you find people to listen to your music in the convenience of their
own home? Make sure you are updating your music, adding friends,
keeping them all posted, and updating the tour dates. There are
magazines on MySpace looking for music to feature all the time.
4. Radio is a great way to share your music with the masses. You don’t
have to approach the big ones-you can see success with air play on
smaller stations as well. Send in your CD to local DJs and look up
college radio shows nationally and see if they’ll spin your music.
Online radio is picking up these days too… USA4Real.com is a great
option… it doesn’t cost much and it gets your music heard.
5. Music licensing is a great way to make money and get publicity. Tr y
contacting some music supervisors on T V shows for a start. Send
them an inquiry with your information and a link to your music. If
you get placed, you can use it for press-and it becomes a story!
6. Music websites and e-zines are always looking for music to review.
Look up their websites and send emails to their editors. Tell them why
you’re a fit for their magazine and ask if you can send in a CD. A g a i n ,
try to make contact first… sending in a random package may be
u s e l e s s .
7. Youtube.com and Stickam.com are wonderful outlets to share your
music. When done right, you can really start gaining a fan base. Try to
do something charismatic and original. Reaching out to people online
can do wonders. Create a music video, a video blog, sing an acoustic
set, take a stab at some comedy— anything… Just remember, first
impressions are everything.
8. Be philanthropic. Charity does wonders for publicity outreach. Find
something you believe in and offer to play at their event or donate
proceeds to their cause. Not only does it get you out there and give
you a story angle… but it feels good to help out.
9. Send your CDs to appropriate magazines for your music’s genre.
Make sure you call ahead and find out the right contact, unsolicited
packages get lost in the shuffle. A good rule of thumb is to look up
specific writers you feel would enjoy your music and find out how to
reach them.
10. Try to book shows in different towns, that way you can easily label
the cluster of shows as a tour and contact local newspapers and radio
stations and offer them merch in exchange for promotions/articles.
www.indiebible.com The Indie Bible – 10 th Edition