5 Things I’ve Learned About Arts Publicity

Words from one of TSG's excellent 2011 Summer Interns, Deirdre.
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I’ve been an intern with The Silverman Group for a couple of months now and I can honestly say that I’ve learned quite a bit about arts publicity. A lot goes on behind the scenes of promoting art, theater, dance, music and other entertainment clients that I didn’t expect. I came up with a list of five lessons I’ve learned about arts publicity and will dive a little bit deeper into each lesson below. Warning: this list is not meant to scare anyone away from pursuing a career in arts publicity, it’s just a heads up on what you can expect!

1. Publicists are busy; Journalists might be busier.
My point here is that it is important to not waste a journalist’s time. I’ve noticed that they tend to be overwhelmed with endless stories to cover, so their time is precious. This was never more evident than the first time I was assigned to call up the major news desks to confirm they received a media advisory from us. Within seconds, I already felt like I was wasting their time, as they rushed me off the phone. With the decline of the economy, it’s no secret that many journalists now individually cover double to triple the amount of work that they used to. Since journalists are so busy, it is important for publicists to make a client’s event super easy to cover. We can do this by creating clear, concise media alerts. Make sure that the necessary information is laid out for them to see and that the supporting facts are easy to find. The less research an editor or reporter has to conduct, the more likely they are to cover a story.

2. Just because you think an event sounds newsworthy, that doesn’t mean reporters will.
Even the catchiest media advisory can’t save some events from little coverage. I learned this lesson at the first event I helped staff, in which no reporters (with cameras) showed up to film. I thought the event sounded like the definition of newsworthy. It was a collaboration event between a live music orchestra and some award-winning filmmakers. I thought I’d see as many camera crews as I did hipsters, but I was wrong. I guess it’s not always realistic to expect a lot of media coverage, which I’m sure seasoned publicists understand. All you can do is try your best to get the word out there and hope news outlets will show an interest.

3. A Publicist must be a know-it-all, of sorts.
At least it helps. I can’t count how many times the office gets phone calls from people—whether clients, reporters, or agents, asking unexpected questions. As a publicist, it helps to know as much as possible about your clients, the city you’re working in, the relevant news outlets, social trends, etc. Seemingly pointless trivia ends up being very useful at times! The more you know, the better. It’s vital to at least know the basic history of your client’s organization—when it was formed and how its existence has transformed over the years. When you already know a lot about your client, it makes work like writing a press release a whole lot easier!

4. The hours are long.
I learned this lesson while helping with the TBS Just for Laughs comedy festival. The festival lasted one week, which I spent staffing the press room and assisting with media relations at the events. When I factor in the time spent commuting, I think my shortest work day that week was 13 hours. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working at the festival. It was a great opportunity to get to see how press functions at such large scale events. I even got to escort some comedians around to their scheduled interviews. My only point is that an arts publicist probably can’t expect to have a standard 9-5 work day schedule. They are often handling media at events later in the day and sometimes even on the weekends. Which brings me to my last lesson learned…

5. It takes a true passion for the arts.
Life as an arts publicist would be quite dreary if you weren’t completely in love with what you do. You need a true passion for the arts to dedicate yourself to this field. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort that your client deserves!