Creating a Band - Part VIII, the Press Kit

So, your band has started gigging seriously. You've started earning money for your performances, and you've begun establishing a fan base. What's next? In part eight of the "Creating a Band" series, we're going to kick things up a notch by developing and distributing a press kit, which will hopefully bring in bigger shows, better placements on billings, and more marketing that will spread word about the group.

Wait, back up... what the heck is a press kit? Simply put, a press kit (also sometimes referred to as a "media kit") is a package of promotional items which is designed to expose another person or party to a band, its accomplishments, its sound, and more. In essence, your band's press kit will show the world what you're made of. It tells others why working with your band would be a wise business move on their part by showing them your true potential, and why you're someone they want to involve themselves with.

Your press kit will consist of a wide variety of contents, packaged together for easy shipping and handling. We'll discuss the packaging in a bit, but for now, let's focus on the contents of the press kit:

The cover letter should be unique and personalized for each individual or company you're sending your press kit to, addressed specifically to whomever it is aimed at reaching. Explain why you're sending them a press kit, and if you were asked to send one, make sure you bring that up as well. The cover letter should briefly introduce the band, and briefly touch on the subject of why you think the person whose reviewing the press kit might take interest in it. Make sure the cover letter has a "letterhead," with the band's logo and name, as well as contact information and website information, so the person receiving the press kit can easily contact you. Be sure to mention any previous communications you may have had with the person or party receiving the press kit, so that they know you aren't blindly sending it to them.

The Press Book: The most complicated aspect of the press kit is the press book. Not everyone uses one of these, though... you could take all of this information and send them in individual units, but putting together a press book is more professional, more organized, and helps prevent the kit's receiver from making a mess of their desk or dropping your bio in tarter sauce during their lunch break. The press book should be bound and professional in appearance, like a booklet or pamphlet. It helps if it's in color, though this isn't entirely necessary (and it's much cheaper to go black and white). It should have a cover, front and back, like a book or a magazine would have, with the contents of the press book contained within. Because the press book consists of several different segments (and because not everyone who reads this will create one), I'm going to list its components individually.

The Band's Biography: The first page of the press book should be a biography of the band. You should introduce the name of the band, the individual members of the group (and the instruments they play), and what genre of music the group belongs to, citing examples of famous bands that share a similar sound to your group. Next (preferably in a new paragraph), give a brief run-through of the band's history, from it's creation to today. Don't list every show you've ever performed, or what you ate for breakfast the day of your third jam session. Explain how the band met, mention noteworthy accomplishments (sell-out shows, performances with popular acts, press coverage, etc.), and try to show your band's personality and flair, without exaggerating your abilities or popularity, or otherwise going over the top. Last but not least, (preferably in a third paragraph) talk about what the band is up to now. Are you gigging? Touring? Recording an album or a new demo? Try not to be too vague in the biography, but don't go overboard with lengthy, long winded, Tolstoy-esque speeches.

Photo Sheet: The second page of the press book, a photo sheet is a single page (front, or front and back) that shows what your band looks like. Minimally, you should have at least one high-quality photograph of the band performing on stage, but if you can, it doesn't hurt to include several others: a live, color photo of the band on stage, a photo of the band working in your rehearsal space, "head shot" photos of each individual member of the band, and at least one photo of the group posing together, with or without instruments, but not playing. All of these photos should be presented in the highest resolution available to you, and try to avoid getting too "artsy" with them, too. You can take the pictures yourself, or ask around/ post on Craig's List to find a professional photographer. Oftentimes you can find an amateur photographer who will do your band photos for free, as they're working toward building a portfolio. Try to present each photos with some free space between each one, in as neat, clean, and orderly a fashion as you can. Even a grungy metal band needs to keep up appearances!

Press Sheet(s): The third page of the press book is the press sheet. This might not be applicable to your band, but read anyway because you might need to know this later. The press sheet is made up of noteworthy press clippings about your band, as well as quotes/ testimonials from noteworthy individuals about the group. If your band has been featured in the newspaper, or your school paper did an article on you, this would be a great place to show that off. If you have more press than you can fit on one page, front and back -- if that's the case, then way to go! -- then you should pick the most flattering press from your collection to include. If the original media was presented in color, then you'll want a color copy for the press sheet. Otherwise, black and white should work fine. If you don't have any press, try contacting venue managers/ owners and noteworthy bands you've worked with in the past and ask them if they'd be willing to provide you with a testimonial quote about your group.

Accomplishment Sheet: The fourth page of the press book, the accomplishment sheet lists noteworthy accomplishments that your band has pulled off. It should be presented in bullet format, listing anything noteworthy that you can think of. Examples of noteworthy events worth mentioning include, but aren't limited to, sell-out shows in large venues, performances with famous or regionally-popular acts, radio airplay you've received, interviews and press coverage in notable publications (or on television or the radio), etc.

Venue Sheet: The fifth page of the press book should list, in chronological order, every venue you've ever played in, until the front and back of the sheet is filled. Dates would be very helpful here, too! If your band has performed in a large volume of shows, highlight or bold the most noteworthy performances. Also, exclude private events, like weddings or birthday parties, unless you're a cover band who specializes in such events. If the general public couldn't get in (or wouldn't want to), then it isn't worth mentioning here!

Equipment List: The sixth page should list out all of the equipment the band uses while gigging. Don't mention the tuba you used on track two of the demo, or that old crusty Casio keyboard propped in the corner of your studio that no one has touched since antiquity. Only mention the gear that your band would bring on stage. Feel free to get detailed in terms of technical specifications, but not too detailed. I'll use my own drum kit as an example of how much information to include here:

Ludwig Drums: 3 mounted toms (10"x8", 12"x9", 13"x10"), 2 floor toms (16"x16" each), 2 snares (14"x5" Supraphonic, 14"x6.5" Element), 1 bass (22"x18")/ Cymbals: 20" Paiste 3000 ride, 18" Sabian AA medium crash, 15" Sabian AA studio crash, 10" Paiste PST5 splash, 14" Sabian AA medium hats/ Sticks: Pro-Mark 7A Japanese White Oak/ Heads: Aquarian and Remo/ Hardware: DW, Ludwig, Sound Percussion

Note that I didn't explain the models of each drum, or what year the kit was manufactured, or the specific models of each drum head, or the exact angles of each cymbal on their stands, or what sort of bass drum pedal I use. I provided enough information that the essentials were covered, with enough detail that an instrument aficionado could appreciate what I'm using, but no so much information that a non-musician's head would start hurting. Try to find balance, and if you can't fit the whole band's equipment list on a single page (front only), then you're listing too much equipment. Well, unless you're the London Philharmonic, of course.

FAQ Sheet: The seventh page should answer some frequently asked questions (FAQ) about your band. Do venue owners, friends, or fans often express interest in a few things? Use those as sample questions and answer them here. If these questions are common (what does your band's name mean? What's with the smiling goat on the bass drum head?), then you might be saving the recipient of your press kit some valuable time by answering them here.

Contact Information: Last but not least, the final, eighth page of the press kit should consist of contact information for the band. Include the group's website URL, one or two phone numbers where the band can be reached, one email address, and a standard mailing address.well. Make sure the contact information is in a large, clean, visible font, but don't let it take up the entire page. You can include a single photograph on this page if you'd like, to give the recipient something to look at while they're calling or emailing you. Don't provide contact information for everyone in the band, either. One person should be contacted for all things band-related!

Phew! We're finally done with the press book, hooray! But the press kit will have more contents, too, so let's get down to listing those!

Demo CD: The demo should be shipped in a jewel case with inserts, and should be identical to the demo we created back in part six of this series. It may seem redundant to put contact information and whatnot on the demo CD, but the person who has the press kit might not care to tout around the whole package while they're out and about. They might want to throw the CD on in their car during their morning commute, and if you blow them away while they're en-route to the golf course, you better hope they can easily contact you without having to turn around and drive back to the office!

Video Demo: This isn't entirely necessary, and it might be a waste of money and effort depending on who you're sending the press kit to, but a video demo (presented on DVD, if possible) can speak much louder than words or a demo CD by literally showing someone your band while it performs. But these videos can be tricky to produce, and if done improperly, they can make your band look truly awful! A video demo should be professionally produced, showcasing live footage of the songs that you've included on the demo CD (or three other songs, if you'd like, but no more than that). If you've shot music videos, particularly comical or moving ones, feel free to include those as well, after the live footage. Make sure the videos are presented as films, that the cameras aren't shaky or wandering about aimlessly, and that professional-looking introductions are presented during each segment. A brief introduction on the video might not hurt, either. But again, video demos are expensive, difficult to produce, and not entirely necessary. Only submit these when you really want to wow someone!

Business Cards: Simply put, you should put a few business cards in the package. You shouldn't include more or less than three to five cards per package; fewer cards might leave someone short-handed while telling someone else about your group, while too many cards might equate to many of them landing in a recycling bin.

Promotional Items: If your band has developed bumper stickers, t-shirts, pins, and other such merchandise, feel free to include some in your press kit. But keep in mind that these things cost money, and if they aren't cool or of good quality, the person receiving the kit might just toss them, or worse: they might think less of your band!

Okay, now that we've got all of the contents of the press kit figured out, it's time to work on the packaging. The press kit should be a presentation of the band's character, style, professionalism, and ambition before someone even opens it up. There are two routes you can go with the packaging. The first, and more popular option, is to include everything in a sleek, professional folder, preferably one that has a tab so that it can be easily found in a filing cabinet. With this option, the folder itself should be decorated (we'll get to that in a bit), and the name of the band, as well as contact information, should be presented clearly and largely on the front. Also, it's important to mention the band's name on the tab as well, because if it gets filed, someone can use that to find your press kit quickly and easily. The other option is to include everything in a small box, but this option isn't always a good idea. A box can't be filed, so special concessions might need to be made for storing it. Also, a box might suffer damage in shipping, whereas a folder is less susceptible to such injuries.

After choosing what style of packaging you want, it's time to decorate it. You want the packaging to scream "OPEN ME!," but you don't want to go overboard. Avoid glitter or glued-on elements that might come off and make a mess. And make sure that any and all writing on the packaging is clearly legible and understandable. Cryptic messages and Morse code might be more entertaining to you and your band-mates than it would be to an A&R rep or a venue owner, so try to keep that stuff to a minimum, unless it fits in with the group's style, image, and character.

The press kit is a living document, like the United States Constitution, but less formal and historic. You should update your press kit constantly, with new information being added as soon as it happens or becomes relevant. If your band is active, gigging several times per week and working consistently, then the press kit might change several times per month, let alone in a year. Always make sure the most up-to-date information is included, and keep documents to denote different versions of the press kit so that you don't accidentally send the wrong one to someone. Also, don't rush off to Fed-Ex Kinko's and print up a hundred press kits! Only make as many as you're going to immediately use. You might save some money by creating more copies, but as soon as some of the information in the press kit changes, you'll have wasted a bunch of money.

Let's change gears now, and talk about sending out the press kit. Your first, most natural instinct will be to ship your press kit off to major record labels, MTV, and Madison Square Garden, but don't let your ambitions get the better of you just yet. Most serious, major businesses will instantly reject "unsolicited material." If you've ever tried mailing a demo CD to a record label, then chances are you've seen this phrase before. Unsolicited material is anything that a business didn't ask for or agree to receive, or any material that wasn't presented to them through a recognized agency or company. If you've arranged to have material sent to a company, then chances are they would have asked you to put "Attention (or "ATTN"): Their Name" in the mailing address, and ninety-nine out of a hundred times, they'd ask you to have put a symbol or a code word on the package so that someone in the mail room knows that it's legitimate. If they accept your unsolicited package (albeit a press kit, demo, full album, etc.), they present themselves with legal threats that they wouldn't want to screw around with. So, long story short, make sure you ask for permission before sending something to a record label, radio station, television network/ show, newspaper, or magazine. They most likely receive countless demos and press kits already, and you don't want your package ending up in the "return to sender" pile, or worse... the trash bin!

Contact the companies/ establishments you'd like to send material to, and be sure to include contact information so they can reach you if they're interested. The places you should try contacting are pretty limited, though... venues (be realistic!), local radio stations (especially college and free-format stations), local newspapers, magazines, and other local or regional publications, local TV shows (only applicable in some areas), local or regional music festivals/ outdoor concert venues, Internet blogs/ websites (particularly the sites that deal in unsigned and indie bands), booking agents and management companies (we'll discuss these people later in the series), and smaller record labels that might give you the time of day when you try to contact them. You could try contacting larger labels and bigger venues too -- emails don't cost anything! -- but don't expect a reply, and don't badger them when your phone doesn't ring.

When you find people interested in looking at your press kit, put your package in safe shipping materials (a small box with a layer of bubble-wrap usually does the trick). Avoid packing peanuts and other forms of messy, annoying shipping materials. Send the package first-class or priority, or use a shipping company like Fed Ex or DHL, because you want to make sure your package gets to its destination, and this presents your band as serious and worthy of attention before they've even opened the box. After sending it out, allow a reasonable amount of time to pass (about one or two weeks after the press kit would have arrived for them), and then follow up by calling, emailing, or "snail-mailing" to touch base with them and see if they've given your material a look yet. Don't get pushy, and don't assume they've had a moment of free time to peruse the material yet. Chances are, they've been busy and haven't had an opportunity to contact you back yet, or perhaps they simply haven't gotten around to that stack of materials yet! Be patient, professional, and polite when contacting the recipient, and only contact them with one follow-up. You don't want to come across as desperate or impatient, so avoid contacting them repeatedly, and remember that there are always other fish in the sea!

The press kit is one of the most powerful weapons in a band's arsenal, and when it comes time to set sail for the heavens, you don't want to be stuck on dry land without a paddle. Develop your press kit early, update it often, and offer it to anyone and everyone who seems relevant to your band's ambitions. With a strong presentation and a healthy dose of luck, your band might reach the big time!

Coming Up Next: In part nine of the "Creating a Band" series, the real fun begins as we head back into the recording studio, this time to lay down a full album!