PR is a huge part of the music business. Major acts have an army of publicists that handle all aspects of their public image. Any band or indie label that’s serious about getting exposure, booking gigs or getting signed needs a full and professional looking promo kit. Fortunately you don’t need to hire a PR firm to get one. This is a list of all of the things that you’ll need to put your own kit together.

• Music – Since you’re a musician and you’re trying to promote your music it only makes sense that you’ll need to include your music in your promo kit. This can be done by simply including a demo on CD (DON’T SEND A CASSETTE). This should be professionally pressed and not burned via CD-R and labeled with a paper label or (god forbid) marked with a Sharpie. Your demo should include 2 or 3 of your best songs, starting with your very best song and ending with your second best song; you want to keep them listening. It would be smarter to get feedback from as many people as possible on this than it would be to pick YOUR favorite songs. Your own personal prejudices might influence your decision and you’ll be laying out your hard earned money getting demos pressed.
• Bio – Another staple of the music promo kit is the bio. This is a one page write-up that tells your story. This should be a simply written biography telling who you are, where you’re from, why you play and what you or your band has done. If you or members of your band are or were members of bands that have gained any sort of notoriety, include this as well. Avoid humorous, cute and nostalgic antic dotes (i.e. “when she was a kid…” or “The first time he heard…”); these types of stories may mean a great deal to you, but the people who will be receiving these kits aren’t as interested. If you have a hard time writing a clear and simple bio, check out the bio sections of a few well known bands on Wikipedia and model the style of how they are written.
• Picture(s) – You’ll want to include pictures with any promo kit you send out. Besides letting the receiver of the kit see who they’re dealing with, they may want to use a picture for a mutually beneficial purpose – like in an article about your band or an ad for a gig. If you are sending your kit to a media outlet, a CD with several photos would also help. There are several options as far as printed pictures go, so it’s best to ask your local camera shop about 8 x 10 prints and photocards. If you have a decent printer you could print your own pictures with custom graphics – just remember that it’s better not to send a picture than to send out something that looks amateurish.
• Press Clippings – As we’ve posted, the best way to get people to like your band is to show them that other people like your band. This principle works the same way with the press – if they see that other media outlets are covering your band, they’ll want to as well. Press clippings are generally any good reviews you’ve received, interviews you’ve done, news that you’ve made and profiles that have been done about you. If you don’t have any of these things yet, you will eventually. If you have a lot of clippings, try to narrow them down to 4 or 5 good clippings. Use your judgment here. Cut the title of the publication out and place it over the clipping of the article, then photocopy them so that they’re on the same page. For a mention in a long form article (an article that’s not entirely about you), include the title of the article below the publication’s name and the part of the article that’s about you (highlighted or neatly underlined). If it’s more than one page and it’s about you, consider an excerpt and a transcription (also consider hiring a publicist, Mr. multi-page article).
• - Contact Information – A single sheet of paper should be included so that whoever you’re sending the kit to can contact you. This sheet should include: your phone number, fax number (optional), e-mail address, website address, mailing address and MySpace Music profile address (also optional).

The items above should be kept in stock for easy assembly when needed and changed out when appropriate (like when a member leaves the band). The last few items should also be included and will need to be changed according to the situation:

• Press Release – One of the reasons that you’ll be sending out these kits is to announce something like a new album or a high profile appearance. If you’re at all familiar with the journalistic style of writing it’s pretty much the same thing (reverse pyramid, who what, where, when, why, how, etc.). There are countless articles on press releases, so we won’t go into it – you can find out exactly how to write a good one with a simple Google search.
• Letter of Purpose – If you don’t have anything to announce or address with a press release, a letter that states why you’re sending the promo kit. This would be what you send if you’re trying to get a gig or asking to be included in a contest. You would also include a letter with any kit that’s requested by a media outlet or record label.
• Tour Date List – If you’re sending out kits to book gigs or you’re announcing a tour, you’ll want to add a list of any shows that you have booked already. You should list the date, city and venue of all the shows that you’re scheduled to play. This information will help the press cover you and let people in the industry know that you’re a serious act worth their attention.

Keep in mind that your promo kit is a representation of your band. It should be polished and professional looking. Sending out a poor promo kit is a waste of your time and money, so do your best to make it the best it can possibly be. The extra work will pay huge dividends.