There are entire books dedicated to the science of getting press coverage, all of which are subject to obsolescence with every passing day due to the chaotic and ever-changing media landscape. The most obvious fact I can share about getting press is that it’s …
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hard. Do not get down on yourself if you feel like getting even a tiny calendar mention is a struggle. The printed media available to us at present is shrinking, and the online avenues for broadcasting the work of artists is changing constantly.
As an artist who has been actively involved in the arts industry for 30 years or so, I am always curious how people learn about new exhibitions in the visual arts or in the theatre world, performances and plays and I do the best I can to follow the ebb and flow of the role of the art critic in today’s world. As artists, you have to be your own agents. The newspapers will not find you on their own. You have to be clever.
Pitching a feature article about yourself and your work to a publication – just for the sake of covering you and your work – is almost a guaranteed BUST. While there are multiple, perhaps infinite ways to get the attention of the media, ranging from direct mail blitzes to guerrilla stunts to begging, to I’m focusing on two: the press release and the pitch.
The press release is a one or two page document that individuals, companies, galleries and PR agencies send to a database of media contacts announcing something they consider newsworthy.
A product launch, a new CEO, the installation of a new exhibit, or a successful fundraiser, are typical fodder for a release.
