More on Press Releases


What if you threw a party and nobody came? Well, the opening reception of your exhibit is like a party, just on a professional level. There has to be drinks, some food, and entertainment (your art) for your friends, collectors, journalists, and basically anyone you want to see your work.

A press release is an announcement of your event. Not only do you want people to come to the opening, but you also want people to come see the show and the press to write reviews. Usually, your gallery will send press releases for you, but don't count on it. Especially if you're showing in a non-profit gallery, or any alternative or other non-traditional space, you'll need to get the word out.

Sample

Here's a sample press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Cecilia Lee Gallery Name (if applicable) (999) 222-0000 fluxmaster@loop.com http://www.nakedrabbit.com/haejin/ (if applicable

Jane Smith's Controversial Installations come to St. Louis (or something that announces the event)

ST. LOUIS, MO - January 1, 2001 - March 31, 2001 - Jane Smith, well known for her installations of stuffed cats is showing her work at the Gallery du Chat in St. Louis, Missouri. Etc.

(Write a bit about your work--what you're work is like, where you've shown before, who you're influenced by, etc. Journalists don't want to have to do a ton of work. They want to have all the information they need in the press release. But don't over do it. Include the essentials, but there's no need to list your entire curriculum vitae.)

You can see her work online at http://www.nakedrabbit.com/haejin/ or call (999) 222-0000 for additional information.

Formatting

Here are some formatting suggestions. Your press release doesn't necessarily need to follow it exactly, but these are standards.

- Use 8" x 11" paper. - Use a minimum of one-inch margins on each side of the page. - Use only one side of a sheet or paper - Bold your headlines to get more attention. - Capitalize the first letter of all words in the headline (except for articles and prepositions). Don't use ALL CAPS, because it's harder to read. - Finish a paragraph on one page. Don't break it up so that in continues onto the next page. - If you have more than one page, write "MORE" between two dashes (like so - more - ) and center it at the bottom of the page to let journalist know that a page follows. - Type three number symbols and center it on line at the end of the last paragraph to indicate the end of the press release (like so # # #)

The copyright of the article More on Press Releases in Resources for Artists is owned by Cecilia H. Lee. Permission to republish More on Press Releases in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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