Publicity is a Big Deal for Visual Artists and All Small Businesses

A recent newsletter from the pen of the talented Melissa Cassera, the driving force behind Cassera Communications, caught my eye. She always has great ideas and suggestions for using and getting publicity.

Melissa helps her clients get covered by print, television and other media outlets. Some of her advice may seem daunting to a visual artist who has not had exposure via these channels. But, I assure you if you have an interesting angle, you are press worthy. I'm certain Melissa would agree.

She has unselfishly offered in her newsletter useful tips for DIY (Do-It-Yourself) publicity. I am a believer that if you can afford it, you should hire the best PR person you can find to promote your art business. That's because when it comes to art marketing and art promotion activities, publicity is dollar-for-dollar best investment an artist, or any small business, can make. If the reality is it's not in your budget now, then follow her sage advice to work on PR for yourself.

If you are a regular reader, you know I've blogged extensively about publicity and included a chapter on it in my book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market. (You may have noticed over there on the right.)

Here are links to some past posts on the subject:

• Creative Publicity Pays
• As a Visual Artist, Are You Press Release Worthy (Part One)
• What Topics Would Be Press Worthy for a Visual Artists? (Part Two)
• Using Press Releases to Gain Publicity for Visual Artists (Part Three)

Reprinted here with Melissa's permission are her DIY suggestions:

Summer continues to be a busy time here at Cassera Communications! We are actively pitching the Holiday Gift Guides for our product-based clients and booking plenty of TV appearances for our roster of 'experts.'

If you're still following the DIY publicity path, I've compiled some tips to help gain better ROI from your efforts.

• Make a list of 25 outlets you want to be featured in/on. Make a list in Excel and have separate columns for outlet name, contact name, phone, email, address and pitching profile - this is to keep better track of your efforts!
• Take time to read the publication or watch the TV show you are pitching. If you're pitching Redbook, you may be able to pitch multiple sections as an expert or for a product feature. If you're pitching TV, such as Good Morning America, what hour are you pitching? Did you know the first is dedicated to hard news, the second hour a 'mix' of hard news and lifestyle, and their recently added third hour is open to lifestyle segments? Also - if you don't watch the show or read the publication, how do you know they haven't covered your topic before?
• Do not send the same pitch to a print outlet and TV show. Television pitches should be written as segments. If you don't know how to do that, watch any segment and get a a feel for how they are written. There is always a lead-in, often with a research statistic. There are typically at least five take-aways for the viewer. There are also visuals for each talking point - either product demonstrations or video footage called b-roll.
• Don't get discouraged if you send a pitch and hear nothing back. It just means you have to work harder and smarter to come up with something different. Start 'thinking in pitches.' Immerse yourself in the media and understand their format. In publicity, you get out what you put in. The greater the effort, the greater the reward.  

A quick congratulations to the following Cassera Communications clients:

• Angela Jia Kim for landing TV appearances on Better Philly, WFMZ, and Fox Connecticut as well as featured in the Wall Street Journal book releasing in December, More Magazine and AM New York Newspaper.
• Deborah Bailey featured on More Magazine.com, Bankrate.com and the Chicago Tribune blog network.
• Lilliana Vazquez of The Cheap Chica's Guide to Styleis featured in a 2-page spread in Travel Girl Magazine, The Style Network online, Better TV and will appear on Fox 45 Baltimore and in Philadelphia Style magazine next month!
• Karol Ward featured on WFMZ, NBC10 Show and ABC6.
• Patricia Green of Ginger Kids is gearing up to launch the Passport to the World Club on 9/9/09. The launch will feature 9-days of giveaways with popular mom blogs. She has also already gained the interest of Parents Magazine!
• Tanea Smith of She's Got Papers recently launched The Learner's Permit - a great back to school item with a huge buzz!

Related Posts:

How to Write a Press Release for Artists