Performing Arts: Publicity Insights by Malini Singh McDonald
The publicizing part is actually mostly complete if you are very clear about why you’re producing your show in an elevator pitch and already talking about your vision, strategy and execution plans to people who can help you achieve your dreams and goals. It’s merely a matter of thinking outside the box to find the people who can help you.
Reaching the Right Audience
I didn’t go to school to become a publicist, which means that my training came through real-world, hands-on experiences. One of the greatest gifts that has come my way over the years was the knowledge about how to attract interest in shows. It really is all about who you know in this industry, especially in a time when it’s actually extremely difficult to get reviews.
Obstacles in Every Direction
It’s especially hard to get reviews in New York City. This region is oversaturated. It’s just hard. There are only a handful of reviewers. There are only a few places you can go to actually get what you need in order to make a press kit, which is why you really have to think outside the box.
In my case, I use every possible method I can think of to reach potential reviewers, including postal direct mailers, email lists and social media. I use all of to get the word out.
When using these methods, you need to answer in engaging ways common questions like:
– What is your show about?
– Is there something very unique about your show that would be of interest?
Believe you me, there is a blogger out there who’s interested in that one thing, whatever it is, that makes your show worth people’s time and money. You merely need to explore the possibilities.
Online Performing Arts Education
It’s funny. This morning, I was working on something similar to this discussion in relation to thinking about how we create content. We think that if we can just find the stories, then we’ll be able to get outlets interested in our content.
Publicizing is more than just writing a press release and sending it out to everyone even though you do need to have one. A press release just lets people know what’s going on and when it’s happening. What you need more is the follow up.
To attract that interest, you need to have a clear idea of why you want specific publications, media outlets, bloggers and others, to come see your show. This is where your performing arts education can help you. Your courses can give you the knowledge and tools to come up with these answers and attract interest in your shows.
