Press Release for Immediate Release
Contact Ric Farrah Photographs
615-773-1702
04-06-07
A Press Kit Primer
A young act in Ohio recently emailed me with some questions regarding press kits. While most on my friends list have publicists in place, chances are you know someone that may benefit by an article on press kits. I decided to reply with a post on the RFP blog. Hopefully this info is helpful to others beginning to generate interest like my friends in Ohio.
Press kits are no real problem and a fact of life for pro talent. However, since we see our self from the inside, we know all of our own little flaws and weaknesses coupled with our natural insecurities found in art professionals, one of the hardest things to do is market one's self. Incidentally this is why most think they take a terrible picture despite reassurance from others that the image is fine. Young acts may find the costs of a publicity contract prohibitive and have to do some of the work on their own.
First and foremost your press kit must appear professional. In the 80's while producing and booking talent I can't tell you the truckloads of junk I received trying to be passed off as a media package. The cruel truth is, unprofessional packages aren't seen from the round file. I wasn't about to risk my reputation on a amateurish or poorly packaged act. Sadly I probably overlooked some great talent who could have done the job but I just didn't have the time to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Your bio should be a well written fun read that gives the reader an insight of who you are and what influences your work. The reader should come away with a friendly feeling of knowing you with a desire to learn more. Remember, your bio is a sales piece and needs to be treated as such. Your goal is to move the reader to act in individual steps that leads to a booking over the mounds of others who've also submitted their press.
Remember, long copy always outsells short copy. The theory is that if somebody is interested in buying what you are selling they will want as much information as they can find. A headline or slug is a good tool to get the ball rolling generating interest in your bio. Use an opening statement that will entice the reader to take the first small step toward booking you by reading your copy. In addition, your press kit should be designed to drive potential employers to your website where you can detail in depth everything about you without the associated printing costs.
Conversely, short copy, even the best crafted three sentence paragraph will not sell to anyone who isn't interested in the first place. Often people will make the mistake of using short copy for fear of people being too busy to read long copy.
Undoubtedly you have noticed the bold type in this article. The use of bold type in this manner is known as creating a dual readership path. I highlight the main points as an aid to those who only want to skim the article. The reader will slow down if the highlighted points generate additional interest or warrants further research.
Your bio should be printed on a quality rag bond containing your logo and contact info. Be sure to include supporting documents that add credibility to your act. Copies of newspapers reviews or magazines articles work best. Part of a publicist's job when you eventually invest in one, is to get you into more newspapers and magazines by writing and distributing well crafted press releases.
Other supporting documents are client lists and testimonials. Potential clients are reassured if others had a good experience booking your act. Don't be afraid to ask for a testimony when past clients are complimentary. Generally they want to help and take partial credit for your success and usually are flattered that you want to quote them. Client testimonials should always contain the first name, last name, company name, and town of the person providing the comments. Its okay to paraphrase client comments accurately but verbatim is always best. You should get their permission to add the comments in your press before shelling out the printing dollars in the rare case they don't want to be mentioned.
Fan testimonies are great too because any booking agents want's to be sure that their audience will enjoy your show. A quick trip to the referral page on my website at http://www.farrahphotos.com will provide an example of how I treat my testimonials.
Include anything that will make the booker's job easier such as an equipment list, play lists, camera ready art, generic marketing materials easily customized to their event, a comp card, (somewhat of a post card to be filed for future reference), professional photography titled with contact information, and a demo CD/DVD.
Ideally you want the person to listen to the entire demo but that's rarely reality. Be sure to place the samples you want to be seen or heard in the first 90 seconds. Your goal is to create enough interest to move the decision maker to take the next step and listen further and make a booking decision. Once again, your demo should look pro. If you plan a large blitz, distributing hundreds of press kits having your CD professionally reproduced is a must. Here in Nashville I get great results with We Make Tapes and Discs.
A cost effective alternative if you are not planning to send large quantities at once is to invest in a DVD burner with LiteScribe technology which burns a label into the non data side of special discs. I use this method with my image discs but the disadvantage is LiteScribe is slow process taking some 17 minutes to burn one label at a time. In any event, labels should be burned or professional printed. Do not use paper labels printed by an ink jet.
Your press kit should be packaged in an attractive folder custom printed or foil stamped with your logo. The inside of the folder should contain pockets to hold the documents. The pockets should be die cut for a business card and CD placement.
After your initial investment of producing your package you will incur the printing and postage costs. Start at your local Kinkos where you can walk in to see what's available and get a ball bark figure. Then do some research on the web. I've had good results with competitive pricing with some online printers.
You can look to invest somewhere between $600.00 and $1200.00 to produce and print your package if you require photography and need help in writing your bio. You can visit the Portfolio Maintenance section on the Musician and Talent pages of my website at http://www.farrahphotos.com to see my price list for a starting point. I also charge $60.00 per hour for digital design, retouching, and copywriting. Be aware that my prices are competitive for this market and actual prices by other qualified professionals could be higher.
Finally, keep in mind that the style of media kit described here is used to generate interest for booking your act. A publicity blitz is a different animal designed by publicists to achieve interest while shopping a label or media attention for a project. You can look to invest up to nine thousand dollars a year or more for a full publicity blitz. The following is one package Capital Management offers their clients:
12-MONTH FULL COLOR PUBLICITY PACKAGE - Artist package includes commercial photo session, full color pictures to all the major media outlets nationally & locally, all the music trade magazines, biography and photo are mailed to all of the major record labels in Nashville, managers, and producers listed in the annual edition of Who's Who in Music in the city of Nashville. One press release per month is sent to all media outlets. Cost is $4,500.00 (Four thousand five hundred dollars) per 6 month period or a total of $9,000.00 (Nine thousand dollars per year.
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Ric Farrah is a 27 year veteran in the entertainment industry. Ric has worked as a nationally recognized talent coordinator in Los Angeles, CA and now makes his home in the Nashville suburb of Mt. Juliet, TN working as a freelance photographer. Visit Ric's website at http://www.farrahphotos.com