i'm working on releasing a press release kit and need some additional info..... i look at it as a portfolio if you will with some sort of intro letter.....
i cant find any samples of the intro letter/etc to go off of.....
what i have so far
images
resume...not sure if i need to add this
completed projects
self pic...yeah just incase they want to publish me...haha
business cards
flyer of my clothing line and some stickers
mini catalog of my clothing line
and the letter.........i have a bio of myself and 2:37am so maybe i can use that and tweek it in the beginning.....
You've got the 'portfolio' part down, so you're looking for the written part, right?
It's a lot simpler than you'd think. When I used to do fine art stuff, I'd send around press releases to newspapers and local magazines. They were very simple and to the point.... roughly:
date
Headline ('cryzko unveils dope new clothing lineup' etc)
Text: Drawing from his background in architecture, cryzko bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla. Several prominent Detroit musicians bla bla bla bla bla bla. Hip hop is the theme of this particular series, the first by this Detroit native, etc.
Clothing etc will be available online as of July 1st at www.blabla.com, and at several local stores, including etc etc etc etc as of August 1st.
More information, purchasing details and a brief history/biography of cryzko clothing can be found at www......com
Cryzko can be contacted at 123 street, Detroit, etc.
your name.
Press releases are supposed to be simple: press people get dozens, if not hundreds daily, and will only take a few seconds to read it and deem it worthy of mention. I might not include your ENTIRE portfolio as listed above, but a few professionally shot samples (especially with above-mentioned celebrities) will go far. I would keep the images/info to the stuff that they may actually publish - so your resume might be superfluous, but images and a catalog of your clothing is essential.
great.... thanks for clearing that up.... i found a few online samples and they are practically real easy and to the point,.....
biggest thing is that i'm gonna try to talk about 2:37am as a whole...meaning from architecture to models to etc/....... so they might be able to see that i have some sort of talent in other fields i guess....
not sure how to really merge together the design/build side to the "hip" clothing...haha......
one side says just talk about the architecture side....
but the other says, just let it all out and see what happens.......
i really dont have anything to lose i guess.......
the pitch letter is the teaser
the press letter is a better story maker/info.......
i can edit.... but i think if i make a nice book to put everything in then i might have a better chance
figure i'll treat this as a portfolio and work out 8.5x11 sheets and make it look nice......
curiosity is what i'm shooting for here..... figure the package is all done up noce then that person might be curious on the work involved..... dont know.....
you've got the right angle it sounds. you never can tell what's too much though, you know?
free t-shirts never hurt anyone either. at the very least, might provide some x-posure if the peeps like 'em.
also - IME, the press release is much more valuable if you can tie it in with either an event or a piece of noteworthy news.
get some t-shirts and give them away in a raffle for underdeveloped music programs in detroit schools. doesn't need to even be in conjunction with an event at the school, just something that hypes the shirts and more importantly the feeling/mission behind them.
promise to give 100% of the profits for the first 100 shirts to the art program at the library near you. make some flyers to promote the effort, hang some shit around the 'hood, take pictures of the flyers in-situ and include them in your press release.
like my pops always told me...it's not about actually doing something - it's about creating the perspective that you're doing something.
then you can write a press release about something BETTER than simple self-promotion.
ahhhh........ interesting... i've been giving out shirts as it is to my artists/etc.......
the thing that i've been fighting for years is that people tell me to focus on 1 thing and go for it...i.e. design/models/etc.....well, i cant focus on one thing so i do alot.....plus i have to eat somehow.........
i do sponser the local hip hop events and dance battles and design/build the trophies/awards and do judge the events..... i did put that in there....
i think once i can figure out a nice 8.5x11 container then it might be gravy after that....dont know..... i still need to figure out materials for that....maybe polycarb and wood.....aluminum would be cool but expensive
it's all in the container, i guess. for better or worse.
a nice metaphor though...life is all in the container.
fits many a situation if you look at it like that. i like the combo of polycarb and wood. like a box made for stationary with a sliding top. filled inside with images, miscellania. could work if the pieces put together a compelling story. that's what sells, my friend. stories.
office i worked for back in canada made embossed leather bound portfolio for release to press and clients.
they were beautiful, but no-one cared.
an office i worked with in london is always in the press, international big-time magazines even. this is mostly cuz the 2 principals are composed of one PR/ad man and one architect. The pr guy has all the angles and gets a lot of the work and they are on the map after only a few years largely cuz of his efforts i suspect.
But, and this is the important point, they don't spend too much time on the container, only the content, which they got, cuz they are hip and fresh and all that shit.
Office has gone from 2 guys to about 10 in less than 5 years and they have (some) money now but still won't waste it on a container. What they do put together is a nice pdf file every time they build something, and then flog it all over london. It looks nice, always with pro- photos, and is well done, maybe even clever, but never "craft-y". i have never thought to ask them why they do it this way, but the results suggest it works...at least in london+europe.
I wish i could find images online, but another example of nice pr work is by Klein dytham who sent out very fresh new year cards way back when, including a printed balloon kit and some other flashy stuff. very memorable, if not content-filled.
i think the best way to do such things is to be very straightforward and not too clever. allow work to speak for itself and work hard to create a vibe...and pare the message down to the key salient points. anything else too easily becomes noise....
"office i worked for back in canada made embossed leather bound portfolio for release to press and clients.
they were beautiful, but no-one cared."
Listen to this man. Nobody but yourself will give a rat's ass about a box. Press people won't even bother to look at more than one page - and I mean PAGE, mostly filled with white space. If you don't manage to catch their attention within 6 to 10 sentences, they won't bother looking any further. They just don't have the time.
Another GREAT piece of advice that was mentioned above was to tie in the release of your stuff with an event. Doesn't have to be a charity (though that's great), but could be a community event, theme night at a bar, CD release party, etc. It doesn't matter.
"like my pops always told me...it's not about actually doing something - it's about creating the perspective that you're doing something."
Excellent advice. Don't waste your time on fanciness. It'll go unappreciated and in the end will fall on deaf ears and eyes.
i think my pitch letter is good...about 3 small paragraphs and has some quotes.... the press release is a bit longer but that's mainly like a small quick bio with certain events.....
thanks for the help....... i need to clone myself or find a hott girl friend to help me...haha
I thik almost more important than the Press kit is the strategy that its designed for. ie the box is great as is the web iste but who uses it. I would target your audience and then create the press kit for that group and I would imagine that no two groups shold receive the same thing unles your office only does one kind of project ie residential. I've just retained a media strategist for just this purpose. Its a part-time role to build our brand, target potential clients, get our name in a more regional market, print / web content and apply for a few awards. Its taken a while but I think we are at a point where we have some reasonable work to show, makes a point and helps to establish our brand. Lots of new firms do this two but I've not felt we are at the point where we had the quality of work, nothing is as silly as seeing a big splashy article about some silly garden trellis that looks as though it could have been picked up at Home Depot but has some sic "stylistic staging".
i agree about directing the "package" per say the group it's intended for....
i would also think that the more well rounded you make it seem then maybe that might also get your foot in the door.......
if you do more than one thing, maybe the reporter might keep you in mind for other stories/writeups that you might into also...... might give them a good fall back in the future if they are looking for articles to write about...
especially being in the whole design/build realm, i think i cant really fall short of making a mediocre "package"....... the overall appearance i think it what really gets people to remember me..... i.e. metal business cards/name/built portfolio/etc......... it's all these factors that really speaks for me........
i think each situation has it's angle but i think we are in a field that we need to stay creative and impress everyone when we can...
Don't underestimate the use of really good graphic (and packaging) design in your marketing. A lot architects assume that images of the work will sell them, but if people see professionalism in the marketing, they'll assume professionalism in the architecture.
My last firm put huge effort into marketing (beautiful custom bound RFPs, pamphlets, elegant business cards and letterhead), and it paid off a hundred-fold. They now have some of the most interesting projects in the US--partly due to the beauty of the marketing materials.
pitch letter...short and to the point
press release letter..... fits on one page...quick bio/story
2 sheets of t-shirts with famous people wearing them
2 sheets of work...furniture/models/products
cover sheet...just a graphic with logo and company name
i need more business cards though.....
i have a newspaper article of one of my models that was published back in 2002 in texas.... so i need to add that
you think i should include one of my flyers for my t-shirt line and a few stickers?
not sure if i should add another page or not.......
next project is to get my mini catalog finished for printing so i can get some stores to buy my gear..... have to put the product in someones face before they shop on-line...... so i think i'll be broke for the next few months......
b
Jun 12, 07 12:03 am ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
anyone do/have a press release kit?
i'm working on releasing a press release kit and need some additional info..... i look at it as a portfolio if you will with some sort of intro letter.....
i cant find any samples of the intro letter/etc to go off of.....
what i have so far
images
resume...not sure if i need to add this
completed projects
self pic...yeah just incase they want to publish me...haha
business cards
flyer of my clothing line and some stickers
mini catalog of my clothing line
and the letter.........i have a bio of myself and 2:37am so maybe i can use that and tweek it in the beginning.....
b
Where are you sending this press release? Magazines? Newspapers? Websites? (don't know why you'd send a press release in that case, but hey....)
magazines/newspapers/etc.......
cant expect people to come to you so i have to try to get some thing started.......
i need to get to the next level here.... this nickle dime work is burning me out...... plus need to advertise my t-shirt line....
b
try to get celebs to wear em...send them to fashion stylists
send me some as well...I will wear them around LA...I'm pretty hip
haha...i do have some detroit talent wearing my stuff.......
fashion stylists is an idea.......hmmm.....
i have to get my product out of detroit in order to really sell anything.... cant sell detroit in detroit..... no market and cats are broke here...
b
You've got the 'portfolio' part down, so you're looking for the written part, right?
It's a lot simpler than you'd think. When I used to do fine art stuff, I'd send around press releases to newspapers and local magazines. They were very simple and to the point.... roughly:
date
Headline ('cryzko unveils dope new clothing lineup' etc)
Text: Drawing from his background in architecture, cryzko bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla. Several prominent Detroit musicians bla bla bla bla bla bla. Hip hop is the theme of this particular series, the first by this Detroit native, etc.
Clothing etc will be available online as of July 1st at www.blabla.com, and at several local stores, including etc etc etc etc as of August 1st.
More information, purchasing details and a brief history/biography of cryzko clothing can be found at www......com
Cryzko can be contacted at 123 street, Detroit, etc.
your name.
Press releases are supposed to be simple: press people get dozens, if not hundreds daily, and will only take a few seconds to read it and deem it worthy of mention. I might not include your ENTIRE portfolio as listed above, but a few professionally shot samples (especially with above-mentioned celebrities) will go far. I would keep the images/info to the stuff that they may actually publish - so your resume might be superfluous, but images and a catalog of your clothing is essential.
Good luck.
great.... thanks for clearing that up.... i found a few online samples and they are practically real easy and to the point,.....
biggest thing is that i'm gonna try to talk about 2:37am as a whole...meaning from architecture to models to etc/....... so they might be able to see that i have some sort of talent in other fields i guess....
not sure how to really merge together the design/build side to the "hip" clothing...haha......
one side says just talk about the architecture side....
but the other says, just let it all out and see what happens.......
i really dont have anything to lose i guess.......
b
so
theres a pitch letter and a press release letter
i think i managed to figure it out......
my vocabulary is only about 25 words and 64 sounds...wish me luck
anothe thing
you think 10pt text in times new roman is too small?..... i think 12 is too big and i cant fit it all on one page....
thanks
b
small piece of advisement:
if you can't fit it all on one page in 12pt TNR, you need to edit.
like /6 said, press people get these by the dozen
make it snappy. make it sharp. make it tight.
include a TEASER set of images.
cross your fingers.
oh, and good luck!
the pitch letter is the teaser
the press letter is a better story maker/info.......
i can edit.... but i think if i make a nice book to put everything in then i might have a better chance
figure i'll treat this as a portfolio and work out 8.5x11 sheets and make it look nice......
curiosity is what i'm shooting for here..... figure the package is all done up noce then that person might be curious on the work involved..... dont know.....
thanks
b
you've got the right angle it sounds. you never can tell what's too much though, you know?
free t-shirts never hurt anyone either. at the very least, might provide some x-posure if the peeps like 'em.
also - IME, the press release is much more valuable if you can tie it in with either an event or a piece of noteworthy news.
get some t-shirts and give them away in a raffle for underdeveloped music programs in detroit schools. doesn't need to even be in conjunction with an event at the school, just something that hypes the shirts and more importantly the feeling/mission behind them.
promise to give 100% of the profits for the first 100 shirts to the art program at the library near you. make some flyers to promote the effort, hang some shit around the 'hood, take pictures of the flyers in-situ and include them in your press release.
like my pops always told me...it's not about actually doing something - it's about creating the perspective that you're doing something.
then you can write a press release about something BETTER than simple self-promotion.
capeesh?
ahhhh........ interesting... i've been giving out shirts as it is to my artists/etc.......
the thing that i've been fighting for years is that people tell me to focus on 1 thing and go for it...i.e. design/models/etc.....well, i cant focus on one thing so i do alot.....plus i have to eat somehow.........
i do sponser the local hip hop events and dance battles and design/build the trophies/awards and do judge the events..... i did put that in there....
i think once i can figure out a nice 8.5x11 container then it might be gravy after that....dont know..... i still need to figure out materials for that....maybe polycarb and wood.....aluminum would be cool but expensive
i'll figure that out tomorrow.......
b
the letters are written in 3rd person also
it's all in the container, i guess. for better or worse.
a nice metaphor though...life is all in the container.
fits many a situation if you look at it like that. i like the combo of polycarb and wood. like a box made for stationary with a sliding top. filled inside with images, miscellania. could work if the pieces put together a compelling story. that's what sells, my friend. stories.
i'm sure you're on that though.
-ml
yeah... i have a fetish with boxes......haha.... at least someone said that to me.....
office i worked for back in canada made embossed leather bound portfolio for release to press and clients.
they were beautiful, but no-one cared.
an office i worked with in london is always in the press, international big-time magazines even. this is mostly cuz the 2 principals are composed of one PR/ad man and one architect. The pr guy has all the angles and gets a lot of the work and they are on the map after only a few years largely cuz of his efforts i suspect.
But, and this is the important point, they don't spend too much time on the container, only the content, which they got, cuz they are hip and fresh and all that shit.
Office has gone from 2 guys to about 10 in less than 5 years and they have (some) money now but still won't waste it on a container. What they do put together is a nice pdf file every time they build something, and then flog it all over london. It looks nice, always with pro- photos, and is well done, maybe even clever, but never "craft-y". i have never thought to ask them why they do it this way, but the results suggest it works...at least in london+europe.
I wish i could find images online, but another example of nice pr work is by Klein dytham who sent out very fresh new year cards way back when, including a printed balloon kit and some other flashy stuff. very memorable, if not content-filled.
i think the best way to do such things is to be very straightforward and not too clever. allow work to speak for itself and work hard to create a vibe...and pare the message down to the key salient points. anything else too easily becomes noise....
"office i worked for back in canada made embossed leather bound portfolio for release to press and clients.
they were beautiful, but no-one cared."
Listen to this man. Nobody but yourself will give a rat's ass about a box. Press people won't even bother to look at more than one page - and I mean PAGE, mostly filled with white space. If you don't manage to catch their attention within 6 to 10 sentences, they won't bother looking any further. They just don't have the time.
Another GREAT piece of advice that was mentioned above was to tie in the release of your stuff with an event. Doesn't have to be a charity (though that's great), but could be a community event, theme night at a bar, CD release party, etc. It doesn't matter.
"like my pops always told me...it's not about actually doing something - it's about creating the perspective that you're doing something."
Excellent advice. Don't waste your time on fanciness. It'll go unappreciated and in the end will fall on deaf ears and eyes.
thanks....
i think my pitch letter is good...about 3 small paragraphs and has some quotes.... the press release is a bit longer but that's mainly like a small quick bio with certain events.....
thanks for the help....... i need to clone myself or find a hott girl friend to help me...haha
b
I thik almost more important than the Press kit is the strategy that its designed for. ie the box is great as is the web iste but who uses it. I would target your audience and then create the press kit for that group and I would imagine that no two groups shold receive the same thing unles your office only does one kind of project ie residential. I've just retained a media strategist for just this purpose. Its a part-time role to build our brand, target potential clients, get our name in a more regional market, print / web content and apply for a few awards. Its taken a while but I think we are at a point where we have some reasonable work to show, makes a point and helps to establish our brand. Lots of new firms do this two but I've not felt we are at the point where we had the quality of work, nothing is as silly as seeing a big splashy article about some silly garden trellis that looks as though it could have been picked up at Home Depot but has some sic "stylistic staging".
i agree about directing the "package" per say the group it's intended for....
i would also think that the more well rounded you make it seem then maybe that might also get your foot in the door.......
if you do more than one thing, maybe the reporter might keep you in mind for other stories/writeups that you might into also...... might give them a good fall back in the future if they are looking for articles to write about...
especially being in the whole design/build realm, i think i cant really fall short of making a mediocre "package"....... the overall appearance i think it what really gets people to remember me..... i.e. metal business cards/name/built portfolio/etc......... it's all these factors that really speaks for me........
i think each situation has it's angle but i think we are in a field that we need to stay creative and impress everyone when we can...
b
Don't underestimate the use of really good graphic (and packaging) design in your marketing. A lot architects assume that images of the work will sell them, but if people see professionalism in the marketing, they'll assume professionalism in the architecture.
My last firm put huge effort into marketing (beautiful custom bound RFPs, pamphlets, elegant business cards and letterhead), and it paid off a hundred-fold. They now have some of the most interesting projects in the US--partly due to the beauty of the marketing materials.
so far
pitch letter...short and to the point
press release letter..... fits on one page...quick bio/story
2 sheets of t-shirts with famous people wearing them
2 sheets of work...furniture/models/products
cover sheet...just a graphic with logo and company name
i need more business cards though.....
i have a newspaper article of one of my models that was published back in 2002 in texas.... so i need to add that
you think i should include one of my flyers for my t-shirt line and a few stickers?
not sure if i should add another page or not.......
next project is to get my mini catalog finished for printing so i can get some stores to buy my gear..... have to put the product in someones face before they shop on-line...... so i think i'll be broke for the next few months......
b
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.