How to Get Your Art in the Media

The mistakes that most artists make when pitching editors, producers or journalists is that they pitch what they find interesting, as opposed to trying to figure out what the media finds interesting. To be honest, this is not a PR problem that is specific to artists, just about everyone falls into that trap.

It’s not unlike the website pitfall. Most people tend to create websites that they find interesting, instead of focusing on what visitors of perspective buyers and clients find interesting. It’s an easy trap to fall into. Basically, it’s human nature. Most of us think that if we find something of interest, everyone else will as well. Trouble is, that’s not the way the world works. Be thankful for that. Think of how boring it would be if it did.

So, back to the secret to launching an effective PR campaign and how to pitch the media stories that they’ll find interesting.

Start with the basics –

Effective PR Is Effective Storytelling.

Start there and you’re well positioned to move forward, but keep in mind the story you tell has to resonate with your audience. It doesn’t matter how enthralling or compelling you find it, if your story (or pitch) doesn’t interest that editor, producer or writer that your pitching, you’re basically wasting your time.

But, how do you craft a story that will interest the media? Think backwards. Instead of making you and what you find fascinating about your story or your artwork, your focus, put yourself in the place of the journalists you’re pitching. What would interest them? More importantly, what would interest their readers, or viewers or listeners? Don’t try to come up with a one-size-fits-all approach. Each media outlets has different needs, each speaks to a different audience. The story that will work for a local newspaper will be different than the type of pitch that will resonate with a national TV outlet.

When I worked as a magazine editor that was the main stumbling block I came across. It’d get pitched stories on a daily basis. Some worked, but the majority were simply too off-base for me to even consider. The stories had little or nothing to do with my audience, my readers. There were stories that came across my desk that I found interesting, but didn’t speak to the needs of my reader, so I’d pass.

The trouble is journalists are generally swamped and they seldom have the time to explain exactly why they’re passing on your pitch. They’ll generally simply give you a polite (or at times not so polite) no and move on.

So, your job is to make it as hard as possible for them to say no to your story and you do that by pitching them one that speaks to their audience. Study the media before you pitch. Understand what the different outlets are looking for. Now step back and view you, your art and your journey as an artist from that perspective.

Tailor your pitch to meet the needs of the specific media you’re reaching out to.

It takes time, homework and creativity,

but…

it works.