Make Luxembourg media love you: start with a fab press release!

You’ve probably seen press releases from festivals, venues or promoters, but writing your own as an artist? That can feel a bit intimidating. The good news: it’s not rocket science. It just takes clarity, structure and a little confidence.

And yes, you may wonder: “Do musicians still need press releases? Isn’t Instagram enough?” Sure, social media is great, but a well-written press release still matters, especially in a small country like Luxembourg.

Journalists, blogs, radios and cultural organisations here appreciate having official, verified information in one place. Festivals and funding bodies often require it. And if you want anyone, (from RTL and Eldoradio to Luxemburger Wort, L’Essentiel, radio 100,7 or even scene.lu)  to take your news seriously, a press release gives them exactly what they need.

Here are seven key tips for writing a press release as a musician in Luxembourg:

1. Lead with the key information

Say what you’re announcing immediately. No poetic intro, no mood-setting paragraph, cut the crap! The first line should be crystal clear.

Too many artist press releases start with something like: “Music has always been a universal language across cultures…” Great sentiment, but it’s a cliché and not helpful.

Or: “Last year we spent time writing songs in a cabin in the Mullerthal region…” Lovely visual, but not the news.

Instead, your first line should read something like:

“Today, Luxembourg artist [NAME] releases their new single/EP/album, ‘TITLE’.” or “Luxembourg indie-pop band [NAME] announces a headline show at [VENUE] on [DATE].”

If someone only reads your first sentence, they should already understand the story.

2. Explain what has changed

Why should anyone care? Why is today important?

Think about what is different because of your announcement:

• Is this your debut single?

• Did you collaborate with someone notable (a producer, a guest artist, a studio)?

• Is this your biggest show so far?

• Did you get selected for a showcase festival or export programme?

• Have you found a new sound, explored a new theme, or marked a milestone?

Don’t exaggerate with stuff like “this song will change music forever” but do highlight the real significance. If you can’t identify what makes it news, you may need to refine your announcement or ask yourself if your news is even worthy of a press release.

3. Share the next steps

Once people know your news, tell them what comes next. This helps journalists shape their story and helps fans know how to engage.

Be specific:

• “This single is the first from my upcoming EP releasing in March.”

• “The band will perform the new songs live at Rotondes on 12 April.”

• “Applications to join the fan listening session open today.”

• “Pre-orders for the vinyl start next week.”

Avoid vague lines like: “More things coming soon, stay tuned!” This tells people nothing. Concrete future actions make your press release feel credible and alive.

4. Make it easy

Whether your audience is media, fans, or promoters, spell out exactly how they can act.

For media:

• Who can they contact for interviews?

• Where can they download the press kit (photos, bio, links)?

• Is there a private listening link?

For fans:

• Where can they listen?

• Where are the tickets?

• When and where is the show?

• How do they follow you?

Example: “Listen to the single on all platforms here: [LINK] Press kit and photos: [LINK] Interviews: contact [EMAIL / PHONE].”

The easier you make their job, the more likely they’ll support you.

5. Third person

In a press release, you should always write in the third person because the document isn’t meant to sound like a personal message from you, it’s meant to read like news.

Journalists need to be able to lift parts of your text directly into an article, and they can only do that if your release already sounds objective, neutral and publication-ready.

Writing “I am releasing a new single” forces a journalist to rewrite it; writing “The artist is releasing a new single” makes their job faster and your chances of being covered higher.

Third-person writing also signals professional distance. A press release is essentially a piece of public information, not a diary entry. It presents facts, context and quotes, your personal perspective belongs inside the quote, not the main body.

So instead of saying “I want listeners to feel…”, you structure it as: The artist says: “I want listeners to feel…”. This keeps the release clean, trustworthy and usable for media while still letting your personality come through where it matters.

6. Mind your language

In Luxembourg’s multilingual music landscape, having a press release available in English, French German, Luxembourgish or even Portuguese can make a huge difference. Media outlets, blogs, radios and cultural institutions work in different languages, and offering translations shows professionalism while making it easier for each outlet to share your story accurately. Target your media in the language they report in, so if you want L'essentiel's attention, write in French or German, if you want Luxembourg Times write in English, Contacto and Radio Latina Portuguese and so on. Of course there is a cross-over and you don't have always produce 5 press releases, but you get the point I'm sure.

A multilingual press release also increases your chances of reaching audiences not only in Luxembourg, but abroad too.

7. Never a PDF!

You may think you have a beautiful professional-looking PDF with fab text and pretty pictures, but what are journalist supposed to do with it? It doesn't impress them, they've seen it all before and it actually frustrates them.

Press releases should never be sent as PDFs. Always use a Word document  instead. Why? Because journalists and editors often need to copy/paste text quickly into articles, websites or radio scripts. PDFs slow them down, break formatting, and sometimes block text extraction entirely, especially on mobile.

A Word file is easy to edit, quotes can be lifted cleanly, and newsrooms can work faster. If you make their job easier, you massively increase the chances of your story being picked up.

Bottom line

A good press release for musicians in Luxembourg is simple, clear and useful and easily extractable and in the right language.

Tell people what’s happening, why it matters, what comes next, and how to take action.

Do all this, and you'll already be ahead of many artists.