Press releases, announcements, newsletters, invitations, social network posts and other types of updates are key to artists, galleries and arts organizations getting the word out about their current and upcoming activities. Writing and sending these notifications is important, but do you know what's even more important? Making sure people read them. And do you know what's even more important than that? Making sure people understand them. And do you know what's even more important than that? Making sure people take action once they read them.
Unfortunately, many art-related communications are so poorly written, disorganized or geared for specialized audiences that a significant percentage of recipients lack the skills, patience or will power to figure them out. Perhaps the main reason they're so difficult to hack through is that they're written mainly for people who already know plenty about the history and background of the senders, and nobody else. In other words, they're written for existing audiences, not potential audiences. The irony here is that the overwhelming majority of people who send these emails not only want to get the news out to the regulars, but also want to increase their audiences and expand their fan bases rather than keep them constant.
So to begin with, write for as broad an audience as possible, especially for people who may know little or nothing about your art, gallery or organization, but who may potentially have interest. Don't worry about those who are already up to speed and regularly follow you; they'll skip the parts they're familiar with and go straight to the news they need. Now that we're in the Internet age where things get shared, cross-posted, forwarded and commented on, pretty much anyone from anywhere can end up reading what you write, so provide enough basic information for strangers or newcomers who may happen to come across it and like what they see.
Give them a fighting chance to become fans, or at least appreciate what you're doing and want to learn more. If you do a good job, hopefully they'll take some sort of action like attend your event, click over to your website, subscribe to your email list, follow you on social networks, visit your studio or gallery, or make contact in other some way. You don't have to write the entire announcement for beginners, but at least give them a grip on what you're all about and why they should care. If you must get detailed, technical or specialized, do it towards the end, not at the beginning.
A compelling image at the top of an update or announcement is also good, along with perhaps another strong image or two during the course of the email (all of which should download FAST). A good introductory image will slow readers down, at least for a moment, and when they like what they're looking at, incite them to read more. Don't overuse images though; long strings of images get tedious or confusing. If you are writing about a group of artworks, link to them instead-- either on your website (preferably) or on social network pages. That way the people who like them the most can click over while the rest of us don't have to be burdened with them.
By Alan Bamberger
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Art Business
Effective Writing of Press releases, etc....