In Part 1 of this two-part Marketing for Artists series, you learned how to write a gallery listing that’s sure to catch editors’ eyes. Now, what do you do with your listing?
Make a List of Media Contacts
List the places in print and online where you would like your gallery listing to appear. I live in Chicago and, in my opinion, the best guide to media contacts in my city is the not-for-profit Community Media Workshop's "Getting On Air, Online & Into Print." If you live in the Chicagoland area, I highly recommend purchasing it. If you don’t, do a Google search of your city and look for a media and communications help center that publishes a guide to local media contacts. If you're coming up empty, contact Community Media Workshop and ask for any national sources for local guides.
If you cannot afford a copy of a local media guide in your area, go to the websites of the publications on your wish list and search for the editorial contacts. Click here for the Chicago's Tribune's list, as an example. All of the reporters’ "beats," or topics to which they are assigned, are next to their names. Find the listings editors and/or art reviewers and cultural reporters. They will be interested in receiving your gallery listing. Remember to research art blogs too. There are millions of them out there.
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Once you create a list, most of the work is done. You will use this list every time you submit a gallery listing for your show. Keep it current, and don't throw the list out.
Finding the Right Contacts
Visit gapersblock.com, a popular Chicago news and events site, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “submissions.” Also visit flavorpill.com/chicago, a popular cultural arts blog with a presence in all major cities, and click “suggest an event” at the bottom of the page. You can plug the information from your gallery listing into the fields provided on the site.
If you visit a publication that is both print and online, like New City (another Chicago publication), you can go to its website to find out how to submit a gallery listing. In the case of New City, click “About Us” at the top of the navigation bar. Then, click on the “how to propose stories and submit listings” link in the body of the text. You can follow this drill for most publications.
Each site is different, and it will take some time to find out how each publication handles submissions of gallery listings. Be prepared to spend a few hours building your list and finding the appropriate contact. Media relations professionals build their lists over years. Any media pro worth his or her salt will have an ongoing and updated list of reporters, editors and producers to access at all times. Your list is money in the bank and is a key component of marketing for artists. Keep it handy.
When Should I Send My Listing?
Send your gallery listing four to six weeks before the opening. DO NOT send it the week before your show. The publication will not have time to post it, and you will get pegged "a ditz” by the listings editor. Oh yes, and don’t call the publication and ask why you weren’t listed.
Call Back Immediately
Don't make reporters wait. If a reporter or fact checker calls about your gallery listing, return the call immediately. The reporter chose your exhibition out of hundreds of submissions received that day. The media world operates in 12-hour cycles. If you don’t call back right away, the reporter may have moved on to another story.
How to Get People to Attend Your Exhibition
Just because a few newspapers and websites have listed your exhibition due to your fantastic gallery listing, doesn’t mean that people will show up.
Call Your Friends: Pick up the phone and ask your friends, family, teachers, co-workers, bosses, and neighbors to attend your show. Before calling, send them a postcard announcement (see below).
Create a Facebook Event: When you create a Facebook event, you can plug in the language you used in your gallery listing to promote your show.
Tweet: Come up with at least four pithy tweets (and short link to your Facebook event or website) to post on Twitter to lure people to your show. Send one or two tweets per day, at least a week before the show. If you don’t understand how to use Twitter, don’t use it. That is a whole other blog post.
Make Postcards: I often use Vistaprint, a Chicago company, for postcards. While you’re at it, order business cards and other collateral for your burgeoning art biz. Vistaprint is quick, inexpensive, and sometimes runs specials where you can get stuff for free. Again, you can use the language you created in the gallery listing for the postcard.
Good luck and have fun! Or, hire someone like me to do all of this work for you.
