| 1. Read the publication. When a promoter for a mainstream cheesy event chided me for not giving it a cover story, I asked her, "Do you read the magazine?" We are not a fit for every event or band.
2. Phone a month before you want press. We’re a weekly – if you read it Thursday, it was assigned at least two weeks earlier, probably three.
Have your CD ready, hopefully with the artwork and credits completed. Keep the bio brief.
3. Personalize it. Here’s a trick. If it has a writer’s name on it, it will get into their hands instead of ending up in a box in the closet. So read carefully (see tip number one) and find out if a writer has a penchant for your style of music. Then drop a note to them along with the CD and bio.
4. Don’t blow your wad. You aren’t getting a story twice a year, so if nothing new (CD, fresh angle) is happening, don’t call. This band is your life – reflect on what you wish to say, but be ready to be flexible (I don’t prepare a list of questions – we’re just gonna chat). I hear quotes like "Well, music is everything to us, it is so important" at least thrice a month and zzzz….
5. Don’t bring your whole effing band to the interview. Figure out who the articulate one (maybe two) is and send them. Otherwise, I can’t break down the notes and the quotes will be wrong. And speak up – I’m nearly deaf from decades of loud concerts, or maybe it’s self-defence…
6. If I got it right, tell me. "Thank you" is always appropriate and appreciated by all. If I got it wrong, tell me. I need to know so I can improve what I do. ‘Cause for all this sarcasm, I’m here to go to bat for your music. It sure ain’t about the money. |
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