Expose yourself to better media coverage
As a newspaper veteran of a dozen years, one recurring question from readers is etched in my memory: “How can I get some coverage on what I’m doing?” Artists, in particular, have asked me this often. The funny thing about publicity is that we ask for it, but often aren’t willing to do much to get it. Case in point, a few years ago, I launched a twice-a-month newspaper article called “Hometown Artist,” which featured an artist shown with his/her work. In a note at the bottom of the feature, we encouraged other artists to make an appointment to come by for a 10-minute interview and a quick photo of the artist and his work. It was painless and gave the artist free, high-volume, color publicity.
The feature petered out after only 26 weeks. After that, we couldn’t find any artists to take the free publicity.
What’s worse, several that’d been featured weren’t even from the area – some had driven a couple of hours just to be included in the publication.
When I mentioned this conundrum to some artist friends, their answer surprised me. They felt it was the media’s responsibility to come to the artist. The artist, they felt, deserved it and shouldn’t have to ask.
Then, they said it’d be nice if artists could start getting some coverage for a change.
I could only chuckle and kick at the gravel.
Having seen countless faxes, packets, letters, press kits and emails arrive over the years, I’d like to offer a few tips that will greatly improve your odds of getting publicity.
• “Think User-friendly.” Remember that the poor media person is usually overworked and must sift through a ton of incoming stuff. The more complete and user-friendly your package is, the more likely it will see its way into publication or broadcast.
• Be sure to include all the pertinent data. (Who, what, where, when, etc) You’d be surprised how many people forget phone numbers, addresses, dates and times. That small piece of missing data translates into a phone call for our overworked clerk, who already had 120 phone calls to make. Materials with missing info will be red-flagged in favor of complete packages.
• Include a good-quality digital photo with your materials. Local photos often find a way into usage if they’re floating around. Ideally, you might send an E-mail and attach the photo to this. In your ‘subject line,’ be sure to be specific about what you’re sending. If your E-mail vaguely looks like SPAM, (“Show her who’s Boss”) it goes straight in the can.
• Use the correct names and titles. Before you send anything, call the publication and make sure you’re sending releases to the right person. Editors who receive mislabeled packages (often addressed to the previous editor) don’t take the releases as seriously as those properly labeled.
• Keep it professional-looking. Yes, you can use that new ‘Goth’ font that looks like dripping blood and is impossible to read, but you will be perceived as an amateur.
• Make a follow-up call. “Hello Mr. Smith, this is John Doe and I just wanted to make sure you received my package last week? Is there anything else I might send you?”
• Be persistent. Create a media list, and send out a release at least once a month. Then make the follow-up calls. Yeah, it’s a pain, but you won’t believe the amount of press you’ll get in the long haul.
• Presentation counts. Consider making business cards with a matching postcard and letterhead and envelope. Handle yourself as a professional and you’ll get much better response that the guy who writes his phone number on a napkin with a magic marker.
• Develop a relationship with media editors in your area. By that, I don’t mean spending long weekends in a hot tub together, but rather, develop a cordial and respectful relationship. Send a ‘thank you” card occasionally. Call or E-mail periodically. Don’t let them forget your name.