Publicity tips
From Key Arts
This page is for use by artists running events at Key Arts. Feel free to add to it and share any good tips you have. There are also some core tasks which need to be done that are not linked to specific events.
Contents |
How soon to start?
Here is a good website where you enter your event and dates and it tells you what to do and when, starting with planning publicity 16 weeks ahead. Press planner
What to write
Advice on press releases
1. In your first line or two make sure you have: What, why, where and when, not necessarily in that order!
2. Find an angle that makes it newsy, maybe an artist trained locally, received an award, or the work is of particular local interest, link to any current press stories.
3. Ensure that the release is grammatically correct and doesn't contain any spelling mistakes, errors, and sources are quoted correctly.
4. Concise - keep it punchy and don't use unnecessary flowery language.
5. Use this template as a starting point, it should just fit on one side of A4:
Click here for a template for a Key Arts Press Release which you can use
Email us if you would like a Word template which you can use
Where to send it
Please add your event info to our website as soon as dates and times are confirmed, this will make sure it is added to any Key Arts publicity. You can normally click on a link from the events page and it will take you to a page for your event and you can just start typing, email us if you need help.
About 1 month in advance:
• BBC RADIO SUFFOLK What’s On, radiosuffolk@bbc.co.uk Minimum 10 days before event
• EADT
Weekly free listings listings@archant.co.uk or by post on their form, Minimum 3 weeks before publication
EADT Event - Press releases +jpeg images, eaevent@eadt.co.uk, or by post
EADT, The Gallery, Weekly, Victoria Hawkins Telephone and arrange photo of painting and short press release for publication. They like quite a bit of notice for this.
Andrew Clarke Andrew.Clarke@eadt.co.uk arts editor, longer articles
• Evening Star, James Marston, james.marston@eveningstar.co.uk
• Ipswich Angle - Max Stocker, IBC Press office - 01473 432031 press.office@ipswich.gov.uk
• IMAGES the Ipswich Arts Association website, updated on the first of each month. imageseditor@ipswich-arts.org.uk ; events@ipswich-arts.org.uk ; advertising@ipswich-arts.org.uk Website updated monthly. See: www.ipswich-arts.org.uk
• Ipswich 24. Either email us at info@ipswich24.co.uk or write to us at: Ipswich 24, PO Box 774, Ipswich IP1 9FW please send details to arrive no later than the 10th of the preceding month. Magazine and online. www.ipswich24.co.uk
• ICRFM Local community radio station. events@icrfm.co.uk
• IP1ZINE Ip1zine
• TOURIST INFORMATION Listings are usually free, these get in the tourist leaflets etc.
Felixstowe Tourist Information ftic@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Colchester Visitor Information Centre, Email: vic@colchester.gov.uk
Woodbridge Tourist Information, Station Buldings, wtic@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk
Ipswich Tourist Information St Stephens Church St Stephens Lane, tourist@ipswich.gov.uk
Stowmarket Tourist Information, Wilkes Way, tic@midsuffolk.gov.uk all year
Flatford Tourist Information, flatfordvic@babergh.gov.uk
More Free Web listings:
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk Send your press releases to: newsdesk@culture24.org.uk
http://www.artguide.org/whatson.php
http://www.artshole.co.uk/submit_now/
http://www.artinfo.com/contact/
http://www.remotegoat.co.uk/venues.php?venue_name=key+arts&subtype=
http://www.visualarts-ipswich.org.uk/ townhall galleries website, email visualarts@ipswich.gov.uk
http://events.gazette-news.co.uk/m6/?v=5KAUOKY49RO5O8B9HNX2GWX4D&rem=1 add your event on line
Posters and leaflets
Start getting these done about a month ahead, then you have plenty of time to post them out and get posters up in advance of your event.
There is a silver folder full of our old posters and flyers and press coverage in the Town Hall Galleries office, to be used as reference by members. If you make a poster or flyer please make sure a copy goes into this file for future reference.
Standard poster and flyer formats. Key Arts Posters and flyers need to contain:
• Title of show
• St Mary-at-the-Quay, Key Street, Ipswich (useful phrase: “on the corner of Key Street and Foundation Street”) NB: the correct name is St Mary-at-the-Quay with dashes, not any other variation of this!
• Keys Arts logo must be displayed clearly on all posters to show clearly who is running the event
• Dates
• Opening times (we often use 11am-5pm for daytime opening and 6-8pm for evening events but you can change these)
• Private view / opening times if applicable
• Other Logos: Churches Conservation Trust, Turnstone, Ipswich Borough Council. YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THESE LOGOS, you can just use the text “Key Arts is Ipswich Borough Council and Turnstone arts grants aided” if the logos are intrusive to your design or if there is no room, ie on a very small advert.
• Your contact details, you can use the Key Arts hotmail account for email contact or give your own details if you wish
Good cheap printer we have used before
(Key Arts may be able to help towards printing costs, speak to a committee member)
Hot Off the Press, 10a Tacket St, Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1AY Tel: 01473 217291
We have also used Vistaprint for good, cheap postcards
Badges: http://bestbadges.co.uk/prices.php See website for full price list.
Where to put your posters and flyers
• Tourist Info Centre
• Salthouse Hotel on Waterfront
• The Boat Restaurant, Brasserie on the Quay
• Post office nearest to Church, Fore Street
• Lord Nelson
• Saints cafe
• Town Hall Galleries
• Church locked notice board
• Cafe Nero
• The theatres
• Other arts groups
• College notice boards
• Christchurch Mansion
• Library
Also remember that we have members who live all around town and in Felixstowe and Stowmarket so don’t forget to ask people to put up posters etc for you, it is free!!
Magazine advertisements - paid for
Mad Dog magazine. They cover the whole region for music and arts.
Green Pebble bi-monthly arts magazine
Galleries magazine - national monthly listings magazine, see website for listing and advertising rates
IP1 magazine has a 5,000 county-wide circulation. 1/4 page ads cost £70 and discounts are available to voluntary sector (as of June 2009) web advertising is free when magazine advertising is placed. Quarterly
Key Arts core publicity
This is what the committee need to make sure is done, rather than individual events organisers. All dates and info should be obtainable from this website if individual events organisers are doing their bit.
• The Town Hall Galleries programme leaflet, published 3 times per year, free to Key Arts, they normally give us a page or most of a page so can list all events coming up. Contact Julia.devonshire@ipswich.gov.uk . Julia normally prompts us for this information but it will need to be gathered from individual exhibitors and presented to Julia as one document/email. Next brochure will be August/September onwards for 4-5 months and info will be needed in May.
• IP1 magazine all arts related web blogs/news will be considered for their homepage, but specifically local young artists/events etc
• In the past adverts have been paid for in Green Pebble in the forthcoming events section, an image and some text under 100 words. They design and send proofs. £75 max per bi-monthly issue for small advert with picture, key arts is placing adverts for apr/may, june/jul, aug/sep, oct/nov Best to send 2 months in advance.
• Mad Dog Magazine do adverts starting at £115 plus vat for 1/8 page (May 09) They cover the whole region for music and arts.
• Ip-art and Pulse festivals, Big Draw - these have extra publicity available for free normally, details must be sent well in advance. In the past we have had invites printed for Ip-art combined with the other arts events and they do posters for all the arts events so it would be silly to double up.
• Suffolk Open Studios brochure, we have placed 1/3 page adverts, need designing and sending a jpg file. Paid for. Quite a few months in advance, best used for a general advert rather than specific event.
• General listings for the venue on the free web listings above, this can be expanded on
• Press releases for open shows such as Ip-art and Members Show, use details above
