Killer Press kits: the 29 key elements in creating sizzling music publicity materials (IV)

Continuing from last week’s article;

Press Clippings

It’s an amazing thing. Media exposure often leads to more media exposure. Therefore, you want editors and writers to see what other media have already written about you. Plus, you want radio people and nightclub owners to know what kind of exposure you’re getting. The best way to let them know about the growing buzz over your music is through a collection of press clippings. Here are three things to keep in mind when compiling your press clippings:

25) Use photocopies

Don’t make the mistake of sending pages (sometimes called “tear sheets”) from the original publications to send to everyone on your media list. Most importantly, editors won’t be any more impressed by the original than they will by a copy.

Also, basic black and white copies will do just fine. There’s no need to print your press clippings in color, unless you have one or two pages that are particularly striking – and you can justify the extra cost to send color copies to prime media contacts.

26) Arrange your clippings neatly on each page

Every time you get reviewed or featured in the press, take the issue and cut out the section in which your piece appears. If it fits on a standard 8.5” x 11” sheet, great. If not, find a print shop with a good photocopier and reduce or enlarge the section to fit nicely on a page.

It’s also a good idea to take the flag (the publication’s logo and name from the front cover) and place it on the same page along with the date of the issue. This obviously lets people know the origin of each write-up.

And when you have a few shorter blurbs on your band that aren’t substantial enough for their own page, combine them all on one sheet. Just make sure they are all properly labelled by publication and date.

27) Staple your press clipping sheets together

While you want to keep your bio, press release and cover letter as loose sheets, all of your press clippings should be stapled together. Especially if you have a lot of clippings, this makes it easier for the recipient to flip through them without having to juggle reams of loose paper.

Note: With online press kits, you can post short excerpts from reviews and links to the full-length articles, if they’re available online.

Positive Quotes Page

As we already discussed, a media person will rarely listen to your CD all the way through – especially the first time. The same goes for reading all of the articles and reviews included in your press clippings. That’s where the Positive Quotes Page comes into play. Use these two tips to create yours:

28) Pull out highlights from published reviews

You know that sprinkled throughout all of the write-ups you’ve earned are some golden nuggets of praise. I suggest you do what major motion picture marketers do: Pull out the best one- or two-sentence quotes from a variety of media sources, as in “Two thumbs up!” – Roger Ebert.” Go through all of the published write-ups in your collection of press clippings and find the most sparkling endorsements.

Examples: “Acme Rock Band sizzles on its debut CD!” – The Podunk Gazette

“The new disc from Acme Rock Band is chock full of catchy, three-minute pop gems.” – New Music Dispatch

Take these quotes and display them all on a single sheet or web page. You might put a headline at the top that reads: “Here’s what the media are saying about Acme Rock Band…”

I also suggest using this positive quotes sheet as the cover page for your stapled collection of press clippings. That way, someone could get a quick overview of the great things media sources have been saying about you. And the full length articles are in the same package for those who want to read a little deeper.

29) Ask select industry people for a comment to include in your kit.

What if you’re just starting out or have a newly formed band? You may not have many (or any) positive quotes or press clippings. Now what?

Approach people you know in the music business (nightclub owners, studio engineers, disc jockeys) and ask them for a comment you can use. “I can always count on The Porcupines to put on a great show at my club!” – Ted Smith, owner, the Cool Club. That’s a good start when you’re short on traditional media quotes.

Also, when gathering these blurbs, feel free to suggest the wording for the person’s comment. He or she can always change or tweak it, but you may be surprised by how many people will accept the blurb you wrote as is and let you use it on your Positive Quotes Page.

Bottom line: You now have the recipe (29 ingredients, to be exact) for cooking up a sizzling press kit. It’s time to go out there and grab your fair share of publicity!