Feature: Promoting arts, artists and entertainment in Leicester and Leicestershire

A guide to promotion, marketing and publicity

Promotion and publicity is about getting an artist's work better known. You are good at what you do, but it's wasted if people are not seeing it, hearing it and appreciating it. We suggest ways in which you can get your stuff out there.

If you are an artist of any kind -musician, singer, painter, writer, comedian, dancer - then you need to do what you do best - your work.

If you have a team of publicists behind you, then they should be acting as your street team, telling others about your shows, exhibitions, works and leaving you free to get on with the production of the creative stuff, which is what it is all about.

If you are earning a lot of money from your work, all well and good, you can hire expert professionals to do all this for you. A lot of artists, however, particularly those just starting out, can't afford to buy services from expensive professionals. They have to do a lot themselves to push their name into the public's consciousness.

As you get established you can draw in friends and fans to help you. You need to get your supporters organised to do a lot of the leg work for you.

Promotion is about publicity and marketing - whether that is via printed or broadcast media or via the internet or via the press and media.

The best form of publicity is word of mouth. If people like what you do, they are going to tell their friends about it. This will happen naturally but there are some things you and your supporters can do to encourage this to happen.

Note about posters and flyers. Putting up posters and handing out flyers is restricted and controlled under national legislation. Leicester City Council regulates the distribution of posters and flyers in areas like the city centre.

You cannot print flyers about a gig, show or other event that is controlled by the law. If you do this, you are risking a fine. If you want to do this legally you have to apply to the Council for a licence and that costs a lot of money.

Information about this is available from the City Council's web site.

Use Social Networking

Promotion and publicity these days is about making the Internet work for you. Of all the people who go on the Internet regularly, a large proportion have an account on Facebook.

Many more also use Twitter and other social networking sites. All artists, musicians, comedians, dancers, painters and others, need to have a presence on these social networking sites.

Nearly all bands and singers have a page on Myspace and this is still a very important part of the Internet presence machinery. Even if they have a Myspace page, still will still have a page or group on Facebook, and often several of the band members will have their own personal pages on Facebook.

Use the media

The media TV and Radio. Every artist or performer wants to get exposure on the media. It's not easy. Some are lucky. Some have to work hard to make it happen. But newspapers, magazines, TV producers and radio presenters are hungry for new material. They won't go out looking for you. You have to make yourself known to them.

Issue press releases

The first line of attack is to issue press releases on a regular basis. These are sent to newspaper and magazine journalists and editors and to the news desks of radio and TV.

Before you rush into a press release, think it out. You have to have a valid hook - something that is newsworthy. News rooms are not information centres; they are looking for stories that they can use. You have to have something that they want - a show, a new publication, an exhibition.

Don't overload your press release with too much information. Busy media people want to be given the facts in short punchy headlines.

At the end of the press release give your mobile phone number. Having whetted their interest, the first thing they will do is call you. It's no good giving a land line number with an answer phone. If they can't get hold of you right away, they are likely to move on to the next story and you will have lost your chance.

Our rule of thumb is that press releases should be no longer than one side of A4. Any story could be pruned down to three paragraphs on one side of an A4 sheet. If they want to know more, they will call you.

Give them enough time! If your show or exhibition is on Monday issue your press release no later than three days in advance. If you want a listing in a magazine, you might need to send it in six weeks in advance. Monthly magazines have long lead in dates for news and copy.

Research your newspaper or magazine carefully before you send them stuff. If your not sure what their deadlines are, call them and ask.

Here are the main social networking sites that we recommend for artists and musicians

Facebook

Myspace

Twitter

Reverb Nation (mainly for musicians and singers)

Other pages you might like

Marketing and publicity services available from Artsin Productions Ltd

Promotion and publicity for bands, musicians and artists