by Mary E. Petzak

Singing Your Own Praises

Marketing yourself and getting publicity for your work are among the most difficult things an artist has to do. Artisans in many media, even those outside the craft industry, are often taken by surprise when they realize it is not enough to just be good at what you do. A superb, unique and dazzling work of art will find few buyers and go largely unnoticed without some judicious application of marketing skills as well.

Publicity is more than just advertising your presence at an exhibit or show and it is more than buying retail space in magazines and newspapers. These efforts will reveal the existence of your product, but won’t tell the reader much about why you and your work are distinct from any other in the particular medium.

Public recognition affirms your value

Publicity is recognition by someone other than the artist that there is a unique story to be told. A mention in a magazine, newspaper, radio or television piece will introduce your work to the public faster than any other approach.

Moreover, familiarity with your name and product will enhance your chances of people stopping to look and buy at shows and galleries where your work is sold.

So, here you are. You have a handcrafted work that your friends and relatives say is wonderful. Some of your neighbors may even have purchased some. You have decided to start a business and sell your work full time. How do you let the rest of the world know about it?

Local news is the easiest first step

Most people start local when trying to get publicity. However, as the former editor of a community weekly, I can tell you about the wrong approach.

I often had local writers, artists or performers call me up and say, “I thought you could come out and do a story about me.”

Wrong. I had no idea of who you were, what you did or who cared. What’s more, I had a staff consisting of myself and one other reporter trying to cover every event in the entire county.

A better approach, and one that often worked like a charm, was to have someone else call up and tell me about this wonderful new artist who lived right here in our town. It was a bonus if this small-town promoter could give me telephone numbers and names of the artist and others intimately involved in the work.

If they volunteered to send in photos or a written release about the artist it was almost guaranteed a place in our newspaper. And, if there was enough lead-time, we could even go out to see them at an event and interview them about their work.

Many magazines and newspapers, even larger ones with more staff and resources, have the same dilemma when it comes to following up on unknown newcomers in the field. There’s just not enough time in the day to pursue the hundreds of items that cross their desks in any given week.

However, all of them, whether national, regional or local publications, are usually looking for new and interesting people or work to profile for their readers.

Tailor your efforts to your audience

The secret is to target your promotion effort for each different arena. If you don’t have a willing relative or friend to call the editor, then do it yourself. But, be prepared to immediately follow up your call with photos and a concise and polished press release about yourself and your work, with telephone numbers and times that they can reach you to get more information.

Be certain to highlight facts about time-sensitive shows or exhibits in which you are appearing in their area.

Don’t be afraid to go to the office of the publication in person, if you live close enough. But, again, take more photos and the written press release along in case the first one has been mislaid.

Tailor these contacts to fit each different publication and its audience. If it’s local, where you live or have your studio should be mentioned in the very first sentence.

Emphasize how long you have lived there and any influence the hometown and its residents have had on your work. Tell the reader how your accomplishments will reflect favorably on the community. Make them proud to get to know you.
If you are trying to get publicity in a regional or national publication, then emphasize any connection you have with the readers in that region or the industry that gets the magazine.

Be familiar with each publication you contact

One of the first things I ask people when they want me to do a story, is “Do you read our publication?”
You would be astonished at how many paid publicists call editors around the country and try to place stories without having any idea what the publication is about, or even who or where its targeted readers are. These efforts are doomed to fail. If I don’t think my readers want to know what you are telling me in the first few sentences, then I have no further time for your pitch.

What do a publication’s readers want to know?

The Crafts Report covers the business of making a living as an artist. Any story we do must emphasize what the artist makes and how they go about doing it. How long have you been in this business? Do you have employees? Do you do it full time? Where do you get your materials and ideas? Where do you work and where do you sell your work?

A magazine like Fiberarts or Metalsmith would only be interested if you work in those particular media. Tell them what’s different or special about your work. Tell them how long it takes to make a piece and how many you’ve sold and what they cost.

They would be interested in any awards you have won or places where your work can be seen in galleries or exhibits.

Be a professional in all areas of your business

If you are lucky enough to have a photo of your work or a story about your business published in any venue, it doesn’t hurt to send a thank-you to the editor or reporter. Even though they are just doing their job, they singled you out of a hundred other possibilities for attention.

Finally, always keep your publicity materials fresh. Don’t spend so much time and money on your press releases and photos that you can’t afford to revise and update them as your work and life evolve.

Be prepared to give the same courteous, persistent and pro-fessional effort to self-promotion as you do to your artistic
work.