launch artist pr campaignI was speaking to an artist the other day who was telling me that she and her artwork were going to be featured in a magazine.

I congratulated her and told her she should consider doing some media outreach to maximize her exposure.

Her response was that she was going to wait and see how that article pulled and that if it did well, she then wanted to consider launching a public relations campaign.

That approach is so very wrong.

If you’re lucky enough to land some media interest on your own, that is precisely the time to start doing some concerted PR outreach. That one article shows that there is some interest in your work. That’s great, but the job now is to turn that article into two articles and then into online coverage and TV segments and radio interviews. That initial article is your engine that you can now use to help pull your train. But if it just sits there, there’s a good chance that’s all it’s going to do. Sit there.

Very seldom will one media hit build a career on its own.

You can’t simply sit and wait for the article to come out and the phone to ring. Not that that doesn’t happen. We’ve had clients land major media coverage based on an article that a producer or editor read, but that type of lightening doesn’t always strike on its own. If you’re lucky enough to land media coverage, that is precisely the time that you should build your own lightning rod.

Don’t wait for it to strike.

Draw it to you.

Don’t make the mistake that artist made. If you’re lucky enough to have a magazine or newspaper run a story on you, or land online coverage, or a TV segment, or radio interview, take advantage of that opportunity. Don’t sit still and simply squander this remarkable gift that’s come your way.

As soon as you know that media is coming out on you and your work is when it’s time for you to get to work. Time your PR campaign around that media. Of course share it on social media, but don’t stop there. That’s not nearly enough.

Now is the time to utilize that one media placement and build on it. Use it to land more media, establish yourself in the marketplace and build your brand.

This is not the time to sit and wait.

Now is the time to act.

Copyright © PR For Artists – Artist PR Firm – Mora Communications 2015