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Artist Marketing Strategies: Press Releases

In our ongoing artist marketing article series we are exploring a number of strategies to attract and retain site visitors. In previous articles we covered Search Engine Optimization and understanding traffic trends. This month's article is on writing and distributing Press Releases to increase exposure and traffic.

PRESS RELEASES
Ready to announce your new site to the world? Perhaps you have a newsworthy show, project or partnership?
Thanks to the internet, you don't need to hire a PR firm to write and distribute your press releases. A number of terrific news submission engines make spreading the word a breeze.

These online PR services will distribute your article to regional and national journalists across a number of different feeds (subscriptions, posts, RSS, social media bookmarks, etc). Once posted, a well written, newsworthy story has the potential of getting picked up for print and web articles - as well as by online news sites such as those provided by Yahoo, Google, Ask.com, etc.

However, just as important as having your story "picked up" is the benefit of having high quality content (keywords) with links back to your site. Inbound links are one of the most important factors in determining the position of your website in search engines - which in turn drives traffic to your site.

Online Press Release Services
Following is a list of some online services. Prices range from free to rather pricey depending on the service and depth of delivery. Let us know if you've worked with any of these services or have others worth consideration.

PRWeb (http://www.prweb.com)
PR Newswire (http://www.prnewswire.com/)
ClickPress (http://www.clickpress.com)
Press About (http://pressabout.com/)

Targeted Distribution
If your looking for coverage in local press or a particular outlet - do your research. Target a writer who has already shown an interest in your subject (The art and culture writer is a good place to start for local coverage). Most newspapers and news stations list the emails of corespondents on their websites - at the very least they'll post a general news desk email address for submissions.

When submitting your story, copy the press release within the body of the email rather than as an attachment. Never send a PDF, writers cannot copy and paste the content. If you have to send your release as an attachment use Microsoft Word but save down to an older version (.doc) rather than (.docx). Don't assume a news desk has the latest version. Also, if you have related images send them as a smaller attachment and if possible include links to larger print ready versions (or let the recipient know that larger images are available upon request).

How to Write a Press Release
Writing your story is usually the stumbling point for most artists. You could hire a writer to help craft your article; but follow some of these basics and it's certainly something you can tackle yourself  - or perhaps with the help of a friend/copy editor.

A press release is a news story, written in the third person, designed to convince a reporter that a story is newsworthy. Just remember to define the angle, stick to the main points and do not get all infomercial-ly (remember 'news not spam'). A reporter isn't interested in driving visitors to your site or how awesome your work is, and spammy copy will just end up in a journalist's junk box.
 
Craft a compelling headline last. It'll be easier to come up with that catchy headline after the release is written. First work up a tight lead, add credible quotes and a call to action, then followup with your personal information.

• The lead is the first 1-2 paragraphs and is basically a compelling summary (journalism 101: the who, what, when, where and how of the story). The remaining body copy should elaborate on the lead.
• Add some quotes. They will help put a story in perspective or offer an expert opinion.
• Include a call to action. What do you want the reader to do after reading the article? Visit your site? Give them the URL. Attend the opening? Include address, dates and a number for more information.
• The final paragraph should be a blurb about you (or your organization) and your contact information. (Tip - If your posting through an online service don't include a phone number or email address you do not want blasted around the world).
• Include the journalistic standard stuff: Open the body with the date and city in which the press release is originated, for the header -bold type and capitalize the first word and all proper nouns, then signal the end with ### centered underneath the last line.
  

Content Tips
Determine what's "newsworthy" and stick to the facts -  who, what, when, where and how. One of the major issues I see in releases written by artists is flowery prose and rambling biographies. If your writing about your own work (or each artist in a group show) stick to the basic facts like "Austin area portrait artist(s)...". Focus on the actual news and the call to action.

What's newsworthy? Try to tie in how a show is of immediate relevance to the reader. Want some examples? Perhaps the work was inspired by a current event, is eco-friendly, proceeds will go to a local charity or the venue/artist is facing funding issues - all good hooks.

Stay away from hype, keep it brief (400-500 words), spell check, and have someone objective read the release to see if it interests them.

If you're posting through an online service then go back through the copy before your submit it to make sure the keywords you would like the search engines to pick up on are included (example: name, style, product, location).

One last tip, avoid the artistic temptation to spruce up the release. No novelty fonts and splashy colors.

Samples
Easy right? Ok, here's some more expert in-depth advice on crafting your press release:
News Releases 101 (http://www.prweb.com/writing_release.php)
The Basics of News Release Writing (http://toolkit.prnewswire.com/nonprofit/tipsadvice_3.shtml)

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