Don't sit around waiting for the paparazzi to knock on your door. Send out a press release.
A huge, and rapidly growing, percentage of content in local and regional newspapers, in local radio station news, as well as on local television news, is not generated by the reporters for the paper or station, it's generated by the people who want to see the story in the paper or on the news. Mail or email in a written press release, with photos, or a video press release to a cable or broadcasting television station, and you have pretty good odds of seeing yourself in the news.
First, establish a good solid press list. Start with your local paper, and call or stop in to see if there are particular reporters or editors you should send entertainment and business news to. Determine if they prefer email (most) or hard-copy (a few stalwart hold-outs) submissions. Expand your list regionally as you play in new venues. Ask your Facebook fans for the contact information for papers and radio and television stations in their communities. Check with your state's tourism and marketing department or your regional chamber of commerce to see if they have a ready-made press contact list for your area. Go ahead and add Billboard and Rolling Stone to your press list along with any band review blog or entertainment press you know of; it can't hurt.
Second, have something to issue a press release about. The addition of a band member, release of a new CD or video or digital track, or winning an award are all fabulous press release fodder. You can go ahead and send press releases out for gig dates, too, just be aware that most media don't run gig listings as stories, but confine them to their calendars, unless you can attach a human-interest story to the gig. If you have the time to send some gig listings -- or better yet, a tour listing -- out as a press release, by all means go ahead, it can't hurt and it just might get in somewhere.
Third, create a professional, dynamic press release. Even an emailed release should follow the time-honored tradition of starting with the words ***PRESS RELEASE*** repeated across the top of the communication. You can add the words ***ENTERTAINMENT NEWS*** if you like. For a video press release, specify ***VIDEO PRESS RELEASE*** up top. Follow this with, "For More Information, Contact:" and the name, address, phone number, and email of the person who is your band's PR spokesperson. You can also include another entry "For digital photos, mp3s and background:" and write in the URL of your website or electronic press kit. Attach a relatively high resolution photo if you can; this will increase the odds of getting a nice chunk of page space. Then write the date, followed by, "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE."
Down a few blank lines, write the title of your press release. Skip a few more lines, and in all-caps, write the name of the town from which the release is being issued. Then start in on your text. Remember to make your opening statement follow the journalism Ws: Who, What, When, Where and Why. Add a second paragraph with some background or a point of connection between your band or event and the press region or audience. Close with a concise statement of how readers can find your CD or tune in to your radio show or get tickets to your concert. Keep it short and clear. Write in the third person, and consider including quotes from yourself to liven things up. Spell-check and proofread repeatedly, and have a few other people do it, too. Pay particular attention to the contact information; there's no point in sending out a press release directing people to the wrong place for tickets. End the press release with some indication of an ending -- usually *end* suffices.
Check the release one more time, then email it and hard mail it out to your list. Give it a day or two, then start Googling your band name and see where the press release showed up online. Link the published press to your Facebook or web pages. Skim hard copies of local papers at your library, and make photocopies of any articles. Scan these in to your webpages as well, and quote them in your electronic press kits.
The hottest press release tip of the day: Go to www.mi2n.com and click on "free news submission" near the top left of the page. Submit a short press release, with photo or link if you like, proof it carefully, and hit submit. The Music Industry News Network will send it out, free, to hundreds of music and entertainment news publications, blogs, message boards and more. Google your band name a few days after doing this, and you will find yourself appearing in the most interesting and far-flung places, some of which can be very exciting.
If you feel like dropping money for better press coverage, Music Industry News Network and many other press PR firms are happy to sell you massive press release distribution service and attempt to get you into glossy mags and international papers. If you're in starving musician mode like the rest of us, however, nothing gives you as much PR bang for the buck as a free press release.
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