How creative entrepreneurs can use a Press page to get work featured in mainstream media.
What should be included in a press page? Image by Nicola Styles - Unsplash.com
As someone who worked for the national press for 20 years, I can tell you, journalists are very busy people and always working to tight deadlines. Anything you can do to make their life easier will make it more likely for you to be considered for appearing in an article or considered for an interview.
Here are my tips to get your creative business featured in mainstream media of any type, this could include; the local press, as a guest blogger or to be interviewed for a podcast. The benefits of which, can be monumental for your creative business.
Firstly makes sure you also have an information-rich, comprehensive About page on your website
Have your contact details easy to view and use a separate email for the press to contact you on, for example; press@yourbusiness.com. Avoid forms - they will slow things down for the journalist and they don’t chase. You need to chase them.
Make it clear in your copy that you’re up for being invited to contribute and willing to have your work featured.
Have a folder of high res images saved in Google Drive (or similar) with your professional photographs of products or your works saved as high-resolution jpg images ready to send. File names should describe the product for identification. and if the photographer requires a credit - include that information too. You can make images downloadable on your Squarespace website's page.
> Go to: edit the image, select the gear icon, select the file, and upload. I'd use jpg or pdf. Select the file and enable 'open in new window' then save - and test!
*Be warned!! Making images of your artwork downloadable on your website is not advisable as an artist, I would use this only for images of mock-ups or portraits of yourself etc. never include downloads of high res images of your work that could be downloaded, stolen and resold!Invest in professional photographic portraits of yourself and make these available here too - including a head and shoulders shot, with ‘eyes to camera’. These are the type used to accompany your work or a feature on you.
If you have featured in the press before, provide a gallery of images of your press appearances. Like this one here.
Include your latest press releases. If you don’t know how to write a press release here is a link to some further advice. I would recommend writing press releases in your blog, adding the category ‘press releases, use tags to identify each blog in order to filter the relevant blogs/releases to the page, with a summary block. Find out more about using Squarespace summary blocks here.
