Smart Arts - Creative New Zealand

• hand delivery – for a novelty item that can’t be posted• fax – convenient but easily discarded. Check it was received and readable.• e-mail – fast and convenient. You can send to multiple destinations at the push of abutton and it’s easy for journalists to reply to you. You can also include photographicimages although make sure the image files aren’t too large. It’s a good idea to send lowresolutionimages to get their interest and offer high-resolution images for printing.Find out how the various journalists prefer to receive the releases. This is a good way tobegin building relationships with key individuals in the media.Media listsBefore you send out your media release, make sure that the list of media you wish to sendit to is up-to-date. Journalists tend to move around a lot so you should check names andaddresses on a regular basis. It’s also wise to check regularly for new publications. A.C.Nielsen media guides can be found in most public libraries, which are also good places tofind out about niche publications. You could also ask a publicist who has promotedsomething recently.The Resources section of Creative New Zealand’s website (www.creativenz.govt.nz)includes a Media Contacts database. It doesn’t include the names of journalists but is agood starting point if you are compiling a list of arts media from scratch.Before sending out your release also make sure it’s targeted to the appropriate media.The subject of your show, for example, may mean that you should inform more than artsjournalists and editors: e.g. news, sports or business journalists.Follow-upYou should always follow up your media release with a phone call or e-mail to check thatit was received, and see if any points need clarification. Try to find out whether thejournalists are interested in writing a story, who they would like to interview and when.If you set up an interview, check whether they will have a photographer with them or ifthey would like you to supply a photo.This phone call is crucial. This is your opportunity to capture their interest if your mediarelease failed to interest them. Sometimes, the journalist may launch into an interview withyou on the phone. Try and arrange a face-to-face interview with a relevant person but if thejournalist is resistant and this is your only opportunity, be prepared to answer their questions.If you’re not prepared, tell them that you will call them back in 10 minutes (if you are surethey will take the call then) and give yourself some time to write down what you would liketo say. Referring back to the Product section (page 9) in the first chapter, you can see whyit’s important for you to be able to pull out a succinct “blurb” on your event.The media5The media kitOnce you have attracted the attention of a journalist with your media release, you maychoose to follow up with additional information through a media kit containing moredetails about your organisation and show. Media kits generally contain the following kindof information: a press release, a flyer or brochure, detailed background about thecompany or artist, biographies, possibly a list of quotes about past work of the company,photos, fact sheets and press clippings.Smart arts | Toi huatau55