What goes in a band's press kit?

So your band is playing some shows, your fanbase is steadily growing. Where to from here? More shows, bigger shows, sponsors and backing? If that's what you want, and I can't see why it wouldn't be, you'll need a press kit. That said, the majority of press kits land up in the garbage and are a waste of time, paper and ink. Only because they aren't done correctly though, it's easy to make one that isn't a waste, one that has all the essential elements included.

So what goes in to a press kit? That depends on who it's for. The core elements will never change, but the press kit for a label is different than one for a club owner. The main components are :-

• Biography
• Pictures
• Press page
• Demo
• Gig sheet

If it's for a label, you might want to include a lyrics sheet. For a potential sponsor, you'll want a cover letter for it, an explanation of why you're sending it.

Let's leave all the detail aside for now though, first, you need to determine the purpose of the press kit. You can do this by asking “Who is it for?” Is it a potential sponsor? Then the purpose of it is to show how you can build their brand. If it's for a club owner, the purpose is to show how many people you can bring to their club by playing there. The press kit needs to show how you can address their needs and help them. When you have that settled, you can actually start on the press kit.

The biography is the central part of the press kit, it needs the most effort put into it. You can't take your facebook or website bio and use that, that's written for the fans, not the business mindset. No flowery language, you can never claim to be the best. The biography here needs to be the cold, hard facts, it doesn't have to be boring though, you can make it read well. It does need to be short though, no more than a single page. As for the facts, when you formed, who your members are, what are their influences. Your genre. That's worthy of it's own sentence. So many bands claim to be unique, that they have no genre and actively resist being classified. That's stupid, don't make that mistake, work it out and put the genre in. Add in your personal strengths and what the band does well.

If you're a small band with limited exposure, you can combine the gig sheet and press page into the biography. A list of the major gigs and festivals you've played, the big bands you've opened for and what the media has had to say about you. If you've got the exposure to justify having them separate, great, make them separate, but again, no more than one page each.

Now you need to choose some pictures to include in the press kit. Only two or three pictures, no more. I'd personally recommend 3 pictures, each one addressing something specific. First picture is the band in a proper photoshoot. It shows the desired brand of the band and it demonstrates a degree of professionalism, the band is serious enough to have paid for the shoot. Second picture is one of the band on stage, just them, but showing what they look like on stage, that answers a lot of generally unasked but important questions. Last picture is a shot of the band at a show and the crowd. The more crowd the better, it shows you have fans and reach, the ability to deliver what the reader of the press kit would want.

Last addition to the press kit is the contact sheet. Who can they speak to and how can they reach them. Name, title, phone number, email address. The best crafted press kit in the world will fail if they can't find out how to get back to you and you need to let them choose how. Fax numbers and postal addresses aren't needed, but the choice between a phone call and an email is required.

That's the substance done and dusted, equally important though is how to present it and who to. Dropping it off with the receptionist at a company, it's unlikely to get where it needs to go. Printing it out on plain white sheets of paper and stuffing them in an envelope almost guarantees failure. Spend some money and get pocket folders. Get the band logo and name printed on the cover. Either full printing on the folder or get stickers that you apply. All of the printed material inside must be done on a band letterhead with the logo at the top. Whatever you're wanting or asking for, projecting a professional image and showing you'll go the extra mile can never hurt.

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Written by Russell Qually
courtesy of  http://www.strum.co.za