Hi, Reader--

I've spent the last year working hard in the weeds of marketing, so I really appreciate the heck out of a published study from a trusted source that tells us everything we need to know about the state of local press and public relations.

​MuckRack just published its latest cheat sheet which surveyed over 2,000 local journalists.

Why does this matter?

With local press and journalism resources diminishing by over 200% since 2020, a once trusted ally of our theatres has been wiped out.

True that.

Here's what we know:

--88% of journalists delete pitches that miss their beat. This means that you can't send your press release to just anyone. Only pitches that are specific to a reporter's focus area and are relevant to what their readers want will get the time of day.

--78% say a pitch only feels truly relevant when it affects the community their audience belongs to. Just because you match a beat doesn't make it newsworthy.

Think about the reader, viewer, listener that the reporter serves. MORE THAN YOUR theatre's self-interest. This is a key point I want you to understand.

--79% prefer a pitch under 200 words. Stop sending two-page press releases. You must customize your outreach for each press contact.

-- 62% prefer a personal email over anything that looks like a mass send. They can tell y'all! Take the extra time to customize your emails to your press contacts.

Local journalists are spending more time looking on LinkedIn and Instagram. Make sure you are present there-- especially your Executive and Artistic leaders.

They are also say their job is exhausting. They're doing more with less. They're making split-second decisions about what deserves their attention.

Last take: Unearned marketing (press, publicity, word-of-mouth) gets you eyeballs. Unless you figure out how to measure this against your sales, you'll continue to wonder what impact PR/Press has on your ticket sales.

I believe there's impact to be had with PR marketing. Whether its digital websites, bloggers, or even those of you who still have paper assets (arts magazines, local newspapers), let's not forget about the potential still relevant within this marketing channel.

Takeaways:

--Create a press release that has relevance to the time/place/issues of your community.

--Make your pitch personal to the audience of the publication/blog.

--Expand your PR/Press list to include more than your local .com news sites and local television stations. Do a better job exploring your community's media resources.

My best,

Julie