How to make your album announcement newsworthy
A five-point checklist based on academic frameworks.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
How to make your album announcement newsworthy
Why music journalists ignore your announcement and what actually catches their eye.
Why it matters
Getting attention from the press remains a highly effective tactic in music. We operate in a gatekept industry where media journalists are part of the gatekeeping guild. When high-value media outlets write positively about artists and new music, it immediately frames the artists as reputable. It’s a form of brand spillover between media and artists.
It’s why almost every campaign hires a publicist whose emails and DMs to media outlets are actually read. It’s also one of the reasons artists choose to sign with a label.
However, reaching their inboxes is just one step. In a world where thousands of songs are uploaded to DSPs daily, not every announcement of new music makes news. For artists and their teams, it’s important to learn how to influence news selection by framing their new music announcements as interesting stories.
How it works
Before we begin, accept that a new album is rarely news on its own. To a journalist, a new album is simply a product launch.
To get coverage, you need to stop thinking like a publicist (”here’s my product”) and start thinking like a journalist (”here’s a story”).
Academics such as Galtung & Ruge (1965), Harcup & O’Neill (2001 & 2017), and Shoemaker & Reese (1996) have developed key theories and frameworks on news value, explaining why some stories make the front page while others disappear into inboxes.
Here’s a five-point checklist, based on these academic theories, to help artists make their announcements more newsworthy. You don’t have to tick all the boxes, but I recommend ticking at least two.
1. Does the story have a human face?
Theory: Personification (Galtung & Ruge, 1965). The media are biased towards people rather than concepts.
Application: Focus on the person behind the album rather than just selling the album itself. In the press release, emphasise your personal journey during the making of the music.
2. Does it fit a familiar story template?
Theory: Consonance (Galtung & Ruge, 1965). If a story fits a stereotypical narrative, it’s easier for an editor to approve.
Application: Ensure the journalist recognises the story type instantly, such as a comeback, protest, or underdog story. For example, utilise a brand archetype or the hero’s journey framework.
3. Can we name-drop a legend or institution?
Theory: Elite Nations or People (Galtung & Ruge, 1965), The Power Elite (Harcup & O’Neill, 2001 & 2017). Events involving famous people and institutions are more newsworthy.
Application: Associate yourself with someone or something already famous. Consider the label, producer, featuring artists, remixers, recording studio, etc. This aims to provide social proof.
4. Is it easy for a journalist to copy-paste?
Theory: Media Routines (Shoemaker & Reese, 1996). News isn’t just selected, it’s also driven by deadlines, staffing shortages, and technical requirements.
Application: Remove all friction. Send out a press release written precisely in the style of a news article, with ready-to-use quotes. Just like you'd do to make a marketer’s job easier.
5. Does it offer an emotional counter-balance to today’s news?
Theory: Composition (Galtung & Ruge, 1965). Editors need a balanced composition of news sentiments.
Application: If the current news is dark (war, pandemic), promote the music as joyful or escapist. If the news is light, present it as raw or serious. Alternatively, act as a mirror: if the news is angry (protests, scandal), frame it as truth-telling.
Yes, but..
News values are always relative. Current events can be overshadowed by more newsworthy ones. Providing journalists with a story doesn’t guarantee coverage, but it does give artists a better chance of being featured.
Take action now
Artists developing release strategies for their new music could select two theories from the checklist above and apply them to their press announcement.
Your thoughts
Further reading
Galtung, J., & Ruge, M. H. (1965). The structure of foreign news. Journal of Peace Research, 2(1), 64–90.
Harcup, T., & O’Neill, D. (2001). What Is News? Galtung and Ruge revisited. Journalism Studies, 2(2), 261–280.
Harcup, T., & O’Neill, D. (2017). What is News? News values revisited (again). Journalism Studies, 18(12), 1470–1488.
McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory (6th edition).
Shoemaker, P. J., & Reese, S. D. (1996). Mediating the message: Theories of Influences on Mass Media Content.
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