Arts PR
Securing meaningful profile and awareness for your organisation can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task. You have a powerful exhibition, a groundbreaking performance or a community-led placemaking project to share, but how do you cut through the noise in a very busy market and actually reach your target audience?
The landscape is changing rapidly with actual coverage space being squeezed vs constant waves of new stories, Arts Marketing Association have some really interesting findings on this point in their regular Arts PR Survey.
Effective arts PR is far more than just sending a press release; it’s a core component of your wider communications and importantly your business strategy. It’s about building reputation, fostering connection with audiences and demonstrating value to funders and stakeholders. This guide will provide you with actionable steps to move beyond reactive publicity and build a proactive PR function that drives real impact for your arts or cultural organisation.
Laying the Foundations: Your PR Strategy
Before you write a single headline, you need a plan. The most successful PR is not a standalone activity but an integral part of your organisation’s mission. Without a clear strategy, your efforts will lack direction and impact. Below are some elements to consider when in the planning stages.
Define Your 'Why': Aligning PR with Organisational Goals
Your PR objectives must support your overall business plan. What are you trying to achieve as an organisation? Increased ticket sales? A boost in fundraising? Deeper stakeholder engagement? Your PR goals should be a direct reflection of these higher-level ambitions and have senior buy-in. For instance, if a key objective is securing a new sponsor, your PR strategy might focus on generating coverage in business-focused media that highlights your organisation’s leadership and community impact, rather than just its artistic output. This alignment ensures your communication efforts are purposeful and contribute to long-term organisational transformation.
Know Your Audience, Know Your Story
Who are you trying to reach, and what do you want them to think, feel or do? Answering this is fundamental to effective branding and communication. Your story needs to be tailored to different audience segments.
Media: What makes your story newsworthy for their readers?
Public: What is the human-interest angle that will create an emotional connection?
Stakeholders: What message demonstrates strategic growth and responsible leadership?
Developing clear key messages that are consistent yet adaptable for each audience is crucial. This initial insight work prevents you from sending generic communications that fail to resonate.
Building Your Toolkit: Practical PR Tactics
With a solid strategy in place, you can confidently execute your PR plan. While the digital age has expanded the toolkit, some cornerstones of media relations remain essential.
Mastering the Media Release
Knowing how to write a press release for an art exhibition or theatre show is a vital skill. It must be clear, concise, and newsworthy.
Key elements of a powerful press release include:
An Eye-Catching Headline: Short, active and contains the most important information.
An Engaging Opening Paragraph: Summarises the entire story (who, what, where, when, why).
Compelling Quotes: Include a quote from a key figure like a director or artist that adds personality and insight, not just information.
Essential Details: Dates, times, location, ticket prices and a link to your website.
High-Quality Images: Crucial for the arts. Provide a link to a Dropbox or Google Drive folder with high-resolution, credited images.
Notes to Editor: Your boilerplate (a short paragraph about your organisation) and clear contact details for the PR lead.
Cultivating Media Relationships
One of the most common questions we hear is "How do I build relationships with arts journalists?" The key is to think of it as a long-term professional connection, not a one-off transaction.
Do Your Research: Read their work. Understand their specialisms and the kinds of stories they cover. Don’t pitch a contemporary dance story to a visual arts correspondent.
Make a Personal Connection: Follow them on social media. When you pitch, keep your email brief, personal and explain exactly why this story is a good fit for their specific publication or programme.
Be a Resource: Offer them exclusives, early access or connect them with an expert from your team for commentary on a broader cultural trend. Become a trusted and helpful source of information.
Respect Their Time: Acknowledge that journalists are incredibly busy. Follow up once, politely, and then move on.
Beyond the Press Release: Creative Angles
PR isn't just about media releases. Think creatively to generate different kinds of stories. Consider photo calls with visually striking elements, behind-the-scenes access for feature articles, or offering your artistic director for an opinion piece on a relevant industry issue. This varied approach enhances your marketing and communications mix, creating multiple touchpoints for your audience.
Measuring What Matters: Evaluation and Insight
How can you measure the success of a PR campaign for your museum or gallery? The answer lies in looking beyond vanity metrics. While a stack of press clippings feels good, true evaluation links back to your strategic goals.
Did the coverage include your key messages? Did it drive traffic to your website’s booking page? Did you see a shift in public perception on social media? Tracking these metrics provides valuable insight that should be fed back into your communication, marketing, and even change management processes. This continuous loop of action and evaluation is what makes your PR truly strategic.
Bringing It All Together
Effective arts PR is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires a strategic foundation, a deep understanding of your story and a commitment to building genuine relationships. By aligning your PR with your core organisational goals, you can transform it from a simple marketing function into a powerful tool for building reputation, fostering connection and driving sustainable success.