Hooray you’ve got an interview!

The press release writing has paid off. The email follow up, phone calls and general energy behind your publicity drive has a got a result and it’s an interview on you and your show. That’s a foot in the door but there’s still a bit of work to be done. To make sure you get the most out of the opportunity here are my top tips:

Get the setting right:

If it’s a face to face interview you’ll obviously need somewhere reasonably private and quiet.  A bar during the day, a quiet cafe or a quiet corner of a hotel lobby. If you’re in Edinburgh for it I quite like the lobby of the Caledonian Hilton on the corner of Princes St and Lothian Road, Spoon Cafe on Nicolson St and the Broughton Deli on Barony St. If your interview is… Continue reading →

Fed up of cold calling journalists an getting no response?

Or worse, not getting round to making those all important calls because you’re worried the journalist is too busy, won’t be interested or will be annoyed that you even bothered to call. Ok, the last reaction is rare but just thinking about it can instil the fear in even the most pushy of publicists. Continue reading →

One of the least used and most effective PR tools is audacity.

Chutzpah!

Balls!

Cojones!

Yup, you know what I mean, taking your campaign to the extreme. Not just thinking outside the box but thinking outside the box factory! Being brave courageous and doing something special. As a publicist I know that’s what gets me going more than anything else. The thrill of the big win. Pushing the boundaries with a campaign so much that it’s success or bust. It’s risky and sadly (for that reason) rare. It shouldn’t be though because in that risk lies the greatest opportunity. Below are my top five reasons to take the drama from the stage in arts PR and marketing. Continue reading →

Show us those jazz hands Peter!

‘What gets measured, gets managed’.

10 years out of university and finally things are starting to sink in. The above quote is from management guru Peter Drucker back in the days when when guru meant ‘here’s someone who really knows their shit’ instead of ‘here’s someone off the telly’. Well, if Peter had ever thought about bringing ‘Management The Musical’ to the Fringe it might not sell a lot of tickets but you can be sure Drucker would know where every single ticket came from. Continue reading →

A. One ticket at a time.

Is that it? One ticket at a time!? That’s all we needed to know!

Bear with me, here’s where I’m going with this. The Field of Dreams attitude to marketing a show is all too prevalent these days. The message of ‘If you build it they will come’ was nice in Hollywood but the cold hard facts of selling a show today mean that even if you have a great show, press coverage, and a decent marketing campaign it still might not shift loads of tickets. It’s frustrating and there are many reasons for this, some outwith your control but let’s deal with what you can control. Continue reading →

It’s what everyone is talking about. The hit shows or rather the hit reviews. Five star shows, four stars or even a three star review that reads like a four. Who knows how many times that’s been uttered in festival bars, press offices or to willing listeners wherever they are. If you haven’t got a review yet, don’t despair. Below are five things you can do to increase your chances of being reviewed. Once you are it’s up to your show to deliver.

5 ways to get your show reviewed Continue reading →