Bio/Fact sheet
Write up an interesting bio about your band that highlights your accomplishments and gives the lowdown on your style and background. Be sure to mention your band’s name, where you’re from, and what kind of music you play early in the bio. Talk about the great things you’ve done, anything from awesome sold out shows to impressive iTunes sales. There’s no reason to be modest, but don’t make anything up! The bio should only be a few paragraphs long–if you’re not an established artist, chances are people won’t spend the time to read a three-page bio. If you’re not a strong writer, have a friend or a professional write it for you. Be sure there are no spelling errors!
In addition to the bio, and if you have enough interesting things to talk about, you might include a “fact sheet,” or a quick bullet list-style rundown of your most interesting accomplishments.
Press Page
The press page should gather all of your most notable media mentions: album reviews, live show reviews, interviews, articles, blog posts, etc. Clip the articles out of the paper/magazine and assemble them on one or two pages to highlight your press coverage. You might not have a whole lot to work with when you’re just starting, but don’t worry–the longer you’re at it, the more you’ll have to choose from. And when you have a lot of press to choose from, you can highlight only the best articles!
Demo
The demo is the single most important thing in any press kit. The slickest, most eye-catching press package won’t mean much if the music is no good. Not only that, but the quality of the demo must be top-notch. A professional-looking press kit won’t impress if the demo isn’t also professional. If you’re not sure whether your demo is up to snuff, chances are it’s not! Call Studio Pros today to get a free music consultation… Because your press kit is only as strong as the demo, and the demo needs to be “radio ready” quality for people to take notice.
The demo should always be a CD with your best three or four songs, strongest song first (some people will include a full album if they have it, particularly when seeking reviews). Take the shrink wrap off before you send it–you don’t want any extra steps between someone receiving your press kit and hearing your music!
Contact Information
Although this isn’t a separate press kit element itself, it gets its own mention because of how important it is. ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION ON EVERY ITEM IN YOUR PRESS KIT. Every page, the demo CD itself, even the folder that you put it all in should have a way to contact you: email and phone number. Include the contact name and your website(s) as well. If someone loses part of your press kit but wants to contact you, you’d better hope your information is on the one part of the kit they do have.