Album Press Release Templates for Artists | TAP

[ARTIST NAME] announces [ALBUM TITLE], out [RELEASE DATE]

[One sentence: who you are and where you are from, for somebody who has never heard of you. "[Artist] is a [genre] artist from [town]."]

[ALBUM TITLE] is [number] tracks, out [date] [on [LABEL] / self-released]. [Two sentences on what the record is: what it sounds like, and what it is about or what happened while you were making it. Plain words. No adjectives you would not say out loud.]

The first single, [SINGLE], is out now. [If relevant: second single [NAME] follows on [DATE].]

[ARTIST NAME] says: "[Two or three sentences in your own voice about why this record exists. Not what it sounds like, which the writer can hear. Why you made it.]"

Recorded [where, when, with whom, if any of that is worth saying].

Listen: [LINK]
Pre-save or pre-order: [LINK]
Photos and artwork: [LINK]
Contact: [YOUR NAME, YOUR EMAIL]

One page, no more. The first line has to carry your name, the album title and the date, because that is what somebody scanning a hundred emails is looking for. Write the quote yourself and read it aloud; if you would not say it in a pub it will not survive being printed. Put the links at the bottom and check every one of them works from a phone in a private browser window.

Subject: [ARTIST NAME] album [ALBUM TITLE], out [DATE], for review

Hi [NAME],

I read your piece on [something specific they wrote, and roughly when], which is what made me think of you for this.

I'm [artist name], from [town]. My album [ALBUM TITLE] is out on [date]. It's [one line: what it sounds like]. You can hear the whole thing here: [private link].

[One or two sentences: the thing about this record a writer could build a paragraph around. A story, a circumstance, an unusual way it was made. If there isn't one, say what the record is about instead and leave it there.]

Please hold anything until [date, time, time zone].

Happy to send photos or answer anything.

[Your name]
[Email, phone if you're comfortable]

The first line is what separates this from everything else in the inbox, and it has to be true. If you cannot name something they wrote, you are not ready to send it to them. One writer at a time, never a group send with everybody's address showing. Keep the covering email under two hundred words and put the full detail in the press release you attach or link.

[ARTIST NAME] shares the tracklist and artwork for [ALBUM TITLE], out [DATE].

[One sentence on the artwork: who made it, what it is, why it is that. This is the part people ask about and most artists leave out.]

[If a track has a story, name it here in one sentence. Not all of them, one.]

1. [Track]
2. [Track]
3. [Track (feat. [name]) ]
[...]

[Singles so far: [SINGLE 1], [SINGLE 2].]

Pre-save or pre-order: [LINK]
[ALBUM TITLE] is out [DATE] [on [LABEL] / self-released].

This works better as a social post than as an email to press, and there is no shame in that. Credit the artwork properly, including the photographer or illustrator by name, because they will share it and their audience is not your audience yet. If a track has a feature on it, that is the line that travels, so put it where it can be seen.

Subject: Interview offer, [ARTIST NAME], album out [DATE]

Hi [NAME],

I've been listening to [their show or reading their site] and [one specific thing]. I wondered whether an interview would be of interest.

I'm [artist name], from [town]. My album [ALBUM TITLE] is out on [date]. [One sentence on the record.]

Things I can talk about properly:
[Something that happened while making it]
[Something about where you're from or the scene you're in]
[Something you have an actual opinion about, that isn't your own record]

I'm around [dates], and happy to do it by phone, video, in person or in writing, whichever suits.

[Your name]

The third bullet is what gets you booked. An interviewee who can only talk about their own album is hard work; one who has a view on something else is a guest. Be honest about availability and then keep to it. If you cannot do mornings, say so now rather than after they have offered you a morning.

Subject: [ARTIST NAME], [ALBUM TITLE], out [DATE]

Hi [NAME],

Here's the album: [private link]. It's [number] tracks, [running time].

Out [DATE] [on [LABEL] / self-released]. Please hold anything until [DATE], [TIME] UK.

Everything else, photos, artwork, the release note, is here: [LINK].

Anything you need, just ask.

[Your name]
[Email]

Short on purpose. The hold line goes in the body of the email, not only in the attachment, because attachments get opened late or not at all. Give a date, a time and a time zone, and never the word midnight. Send the whole album rather than a selection if you are asking for an album review, and check the link works when you are not signed in.

[ARTIST NAME] shares [SINGLE NAME], from [ALBUM TITLE], out [ALBUM DATE].

[SINGLE NAME] is out [DATE]. [Two sentences on this song specifically: what it does, what it is about. Say something that would not be true of the other tracks.]

[ARTIST NAME] says: "[One or two sentences on this song. Different from the album quote. If you cannot think of anything new to say about it, that may be a sign it is not the single.]"

[If there is a video: directed by [NAME], watch here [LINK].]

It follows [PREVIOUS SINGLE], and the album [ALBUM TITLE] is out on [DATE].

Listen: [LINK]
Pre-save: [LINK]

Each single announcement has to say something the last one did not, or press stops opening them. Name the previous single so somebody can see the campaign has a shape. Do not describe the sound in terms anybody could apply to any record: what the song is about, or what happens in it, is more use than a list of instruments.

Subject: [ARTIST NAME], [TRACK NAME], out [DATE], [genre]

Hi [NAME],

[TRACK NAME] by [artist name], out [date]. [Genre], [running time], [clean / has one word you'd want to know about at 0:42].

[One line: the reason this is right for your show specifically. Name something you heard on it.]

Listen: [link]
Broadcast quality file: [link]

[Your name], [town]
[Email, phone]

Name one track. A producer asked to choose from eleven usually chooses none. Say the running time and flag anything that would need editing before it went out, because you being upfront about it saves them a job and reads as somebody who knows what they are doing. A broadcast quality file, meaning a WAV rather than a link to a streaming service, is the thing most artists forget and most stations need.

Hi [NAME],

[ALBUM TITLE] is out today. Thank you for [the specific thing they did, named].

[If they wrote something: the line of yours I keep thinking about is [quote]. / If they played it: hearing it on [show] was the best part of the week.]

If anything else comes up, I'm here. And I'll send you the next one.

[Your name]

Three lines, no ask in it. This is not a promotional email and it should not contain a link to anything. What it does is convert a one-off piece of coverage into a person who remembers your name in eight months, which is worth more than any single review. Send it individually, name the thing they actually did, and do not send it to anybody who did nothing.