Music promotion starts with a good press kit (also called promo kit). Make sure to read the guidelines below when creating your music publicty promo kit.
A promo kit is your package to the world. It’s everything about you – your music, your bio, your press clippings, maybe a video even. And as with most things in life, first impressions are everything. Think of how many steps – individual actions – that the booker or writer will have to take from the receipt of your envelope to them finally playing your CD. Every element along the way needs to pave a smooth path because once you make them hesitate well, there are dozens more kits from other bands arriving in the mail right now… You have many ways to fail, so take each element very seriously.
A promo kit should contain the following elements. And probably nothing else but these – don’t get too crazy. The promo kit will NOT make someone like you – it’s only a delivery vehicle for the music on your CD.
* Cover Letter / Press Release – the reason you’re contacting them
* Bio – a description of yourself and your music
* CD – the only thing that really matters! It also helps and is appreciated if you indicate what you think is the top one or two songs on the CD. And be sure to take off the shrink wrap!
* Press Clippings – your critical acclaim, if you have it.
* Couple photos – depending on the resolution, even print 2-3 per page. Saving paper and clutter is considered cool, seriously. It’s nice to balance a posed shot with a live shot, it shows both that you’re artistic and that you actually perform sometimes
Pretty simple, right? But you’d be amazed at the mistakes that can be made along the way. Such as:
Too Fancy
Seriously – you may think a glossy full-color pop-up folder with embedded LED lights might be just the ticket you need to impress a writer. It’s not. It screams “desperation” louder than your CD will ever be played through the writer’s speakers. Stick with a basic manila envelope
Missing Contact Info
Put your contact info on everything, not just the bio or press release. The CD jewelcase, the CD itself – everything. Stuff gets separated and you don’t want to miss out on any opportunity.
Way Too Much Info
That guy at a party who won’t stop talking? Yeah, don’t be that guy. Your extensive life story, how the band met – none of it is relevant unless it directly relates to your music. Even surviving cancer, while wonderful, should only be mentioned if you wrote a song about it.
Remember that music publicity is a constant effort. Make sure your promo kit is always kept up to date with the latest music, photos, and information!