7 Steps to Getting More Press As An Artist
Creating amazing art is your reason for getting up in the morning. You work hard at your craft. Some people know your work. But you want to reach more people. You also wouldn’t mind a little press coverage.
Question: Are you making it easy for bloggers or reporters to contact you about your art? What if they have a question about a certain technique you used, or they want to interview you about a trend in your sector? Would they be able to easily find and get in touch with you? Could they gather all the information they’re looking for if they decided to write more in-depth coverage of your work?
You can make great art that is worthy of some coverage, but if a reporter doesn’t know how to contact you or can’t easily find the information they’re looking for, that journalist might pursue a different source for their story and you’d miss out on some great media opportunities.
To succeed in getting media attention, you need to create a “newsroom” centered around your creative career. Here are 7 tips for creating a top-notch newsroom:
1. Your contact information must be at the very top of your newsroom page on your website. Sometimes a blogger or reporter is simply looking for someone to talk to. Don’t bury this important information. Include multiple methods of communication: an email address, a phone number, even your Twitter handle!
2. Include links to additional information and resources, like your bio, awards and future projects Don’t clutter your page with tons of information, include links to other pages with more detailed information. For example, if you’d like to showcase your awards list, you could put the highlights in your newsroom but also link to a separate page with a complete listing.
3. Incorporate social media elements. Your newsroom is a great place to share’ social media presence. Include links to your Facebook Fan Page, Twitter feed, Pinterest page, blog, YouTube or Vimeo channel, LinkedIn page, etc.
4. Include interactive elements. People like a little variety. In addition to text about your art, embed a video overview of your work, demo reel, including eye-catching images, and professional photos or sizzle reel of a particular project. You can even add audio elements (e.g. a podcast interview of you talking about your art or samples of your music).
5. Tell a story (or two) different from your professional bio. Are you an artist focusing on a new niche? Perhaps you have an interesting anecdote about how your career got started. Highlight them in your newsroom to add another dimension to your public face.
6. Include basic information about yourself like your influences and your medium. Sometimes a journalist is just looking for some additional information to round out a story and doesn’t even require human interaction. Also provide a condensed version of your artistic statement.
7. Keep it fresh! Make sure you keep your newsroom updated with the freshest content. Always add your latest achievements and career highlights.
Having this information kind of information at the ready will not only help the press know more about you but it is is a an important resource for any time anyone wants to know about you-whether it be a journalist, potential collaborator, funder or fan.