An artist press release - the tool to let the world know about the big events from an artist's professional life. It’s necessary for PR pros working in the art industry to understand how to create one and pitch it to the media to witness the buzz.
Let's see how to write a press release for an art exhibition or any other artists’ needs (and how to cut time on the task).
Looking to create an art exhibition press release?
Use Prowly's AI press release generator or templates that you can use for free to easily create your own in a format that journalists expect to receive.
Prowly also lets you find relevant journalists and send out your press release to them directly from the platform.
What is an art exhibition press release?
An art exhibition press release is a short text covering key event details. It assists journalists and industry influencers cover your news, increasing exhibition awareness.
What is an artist press release?
An artist's press release shares important, time-sensitive, and newsworthy information about an artist or group. Think about debuts, premieres, shows, achievements, or finishing their career.
Why write an artist press release?
A press release helps get attention for a project or an event. For painters or sculptors, it can translate into more exhibition visitors, and for musicians - increased streaming on SoundCloud or Spotify, or more sold books.
In the longer term, press releases influence artists' PR and give them more control over their presence in the media.
How to write an art exhibition press release
Press releases should be 300-500 words and on one page. Longer forms used to be appropriate, yet they no longer reflect contemporary PR practices. Let's see how to write a press release for artists.
1. Add a catchy headline and a compelling lead sentence
The headline and lead sentence invite the audience to read further. Share the most important point of your news and what's exciting about it.
The "5 W's" concept lets you distill the message, answering the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and/or how. For effective press releases, answer these questions before you start writing.
Pro tip: Stay concise and highlight the event's or artist's value. Avoid academic or overly creative styles so that the press release stays effective.
2. Include the dateline
It includes basic data about the news' origin: the city and the release's date.
3. Add quotes from the artist
Quotes from people involved in the art exhibition give extra insight into the importance of the event. They help the journalists in crafting a more engaging story.
Here’s a quote from an exhibition's curator:
“I am honored to share these powerful works that demonstrate the vital, ongoing contributions of Native artists.”
Pro tip: Easily format quotes with the drag-and-drop Press Release Editor from Prowly.
4. Add visuals and assets
Visuals, including artworks, artist portraits, frames, trailers, and music videos, are crucial for the art world. Select an image that aligns with your art show's theme or visual direction to enhance your press release narrative.
Mind the legal issues. As Aleksandra Kubicka, PR Evangelist @Prowly states:
“If you publish press releases on your website or an online press room with materials - it's worth adding a disclaimer concerning legal issues.”
Here's an example:
“Usage: Images are provided exclusively to the press and only for publicity purposes for the National Gallery of Art exhibition. All published images must be accompanied by the credit line provided and with copyright information, as noted.”
5. Don't forget about bio and media contact information
Share where journalists or readers can find more information.
Let's see an example:
Pro tip: Add a short artist bio with their background, highlights, and forthcoming projects. A website or an online portfolio is also valuable.
Read How to Write a Press Release (With Tips From PR Pros) to learn the details of each element. You will find more than just generic press release tips there.
What to include in an artist press release?
Creating a new artist press release? Make sure to add these elements!
Press kit for an artist
A press kit contains texts, graphics, and other media that help journalists produce content. Find out how to make a press kit for an artist with Prowly and place it in your Online Newsroom to get more exposure.
Set a goal first
Tailor press releases to align with your specific objective. Your message gains clarity with a defined reader action, such as attending an exhibition, purchasing artwork, or learning more about the artist.
P. S. If you're a musician, check out this step-by-step music press release guide.
What to include in an art exhibition opening press release?
Mind the timeline
We advise sharing your press release for an art exhibition opening at least two weeks ahead. This gives ample time to gain media coverage, ultimately boosting visitor turnout.
Get the initial draft well in advance so you can implement feedback.
Details to cover
Here's a quick checklist of the most important details:
- Artist's name
- Title of the exhibition
- Name and location of the venue
- Opening date & duration of the exhibition
- Curators
- Support
- Admission price
- Contact information
To help you cover curators and support, here are two relevant examples from an exhibition in the National Gallery of Art:
Exhibition Curators
Exhibition Organization and Support
Credit information
This explains how to properly attribute the images and media attached to your press release, following a standardized format.
As an example of credit information from the National Gallery of Art:
Steven Yazzie (Dine/Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico/European descent)
Orchestrating a Blooming Desert, 2003
oil on canvas
overall: 121.9 x 152.4 cm (48 x 60 in.)
framed: 127.2 x 157.5 x 4.4 cm (50 1/16 x 62 x 1 3/4 in.)
Collection of Christy Vezolles
© 2003 Steven J. Yazzie. All rights reserved. Image: Courtesy of the Heard Museum, Photo by Craig Smith
Create an art exhibition press release with AI
AI-powered tools for PR can help you create high-quality press release drafts, provide advanced editing suggestions, and even recommend who to send your press release to.
While it's worth knowing how to create an effective press release from scratch, using tools can help speed up the process and ensure you've ticked all the boxes regarding the format and content that journalists expect to receive.
Read more: Mastering AI Press Releases: Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Sending + Practical Examples
Here’s how to create (and send) an art exhibition press release using a tool like Prowly’s AI-powered Press Release Generator.
Step 1: Enter basic details about your press release
- Start the process by entering the type of your press release.
- Once you select the type, Prowly's AI will ask you to pick your target audience. There are predefined options, such as industry players, customers, or local communities, but you can also add your own.
- Choose the language of your press release draft.
Step 2: Enter key messages of your art exhibition press release
Here, you'll want to be as specific as possible and ensure that whatever you choose is the most relevant information.
Here are three key messages that you can provide for your art exhibition press release:
- Unique Selling Point: Clearly articulate what sets your exhibition apart from others. Is it a groundbreaking theme, innovative techniques, or a renowned artist?
- Curatorial Intent: Explain the curator's vision, the purpose of the show, and the intended impact on viewers. What story does the exhibition tell?
- Call to Action: Encourage attendance by providing essential details such as the exhibition dates, venue, and ticketing information.
Step 3: Answer the follow-up questions
Once you’ve entered the basic information about your art exhibition press release, Prowly’s AI will ask you more in-depth questions designed to mirror a natural conversation with the journalists you’re targeting.
You’ll receive ten questions tailored specifically to the content you shared earlier. This will complete your press release draft and reduce the need to answer many follow-up questions from the person you're pitching to.
Step 4: Customize and edit the press release draft
Whether you've generated a press release draft or written it yourself, you can adjust header font styles, fine-tune the content just like you would in a regular text editor, adjust your press release length, and cater it into a format you're happy with.
An AI Assistant trained in PR writing best practices reviews the draft and suggests improvements based on 11 key criteria, indicating exactly where to edit.
Step 5: Get contact recommendations for your press release
Prowly’s AI will start suggesting journalists you can pitch to based on the keywords found in your press release.
As long as you have contact information for the people you want to pitch to, you can always do deeper work and find out about what kind of art exhibitions they've covered before, or what they're writing about at the moment.
Art exhibition press release example
We chose an art show press release covering the opening of a Native American art exhibition in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Aleksandra Kubicka, PR Evangelist @Prowly, chose this press release example as it excels in several areas:
- Intro: This provides an engaging story about the exhibition - explaining why it is a significant event for the gallery, with vivid descriptions of what the visitors will see
- Clear structure: All the important organizational details are under the text in bullet points
- Attachments and links: Exhibition checklist in PDF, a full set of pictures with descriptions, copyrights, etc.
These characteristics can serve as an artist press release example – it should include an engaging story and cover crucial details.
Art exhibition and artist press release template
All press releases follow a structured format, so they can easily be turned into templates. You can start with the free company press release template in the Prowly Press Release Creator tool. Just fill in the blanks, and you're good to go!
Save time and create an artist and art exhibition press release template.
How to get your art published in the media?
Let's tackle the second part of the equation: getting published.
Not every bit of news gets featured in the media. The reasons could be contacting the wrong journalists or not knowing how to pitch them effectively.
To ensure you land in the right mailbox (and at the right time), send your press release to journalists and local press using a quality media database. Also, get in touch with truly niche voices - we'll give you some ideas on how to do that.
Use a good quality media database
Reach the right audience with optimal effort with a media database. Look for journalists that cover similar topics and increase the chances of getting published. Choose a solution that has a high number of quality contacts.
The media database from Prowly consists of over 1 million contacts. There are over 9,000 journalists tackling art, design, and music, and almost 12,000 media outlets writing about local news - and that's when you’ve already filtered down results to just the United States.
How to get covered in local press
Art events are mostly local news. Boost your press release impact by sharing it with journalists who cover specific states and cities. Additionally, you can specify the industry, for example, when sending a music press release.
Pro tip: Find your local press contacts by filtering down your results in the Prowly Media Database.
Who else to pitch with art releases?
Apart from media databases, you can send your art press release to specific, niche voices. Let's list a few ideas:
- people (or organizations) who have already shown interest in the work you promote or in similar examples
- voices that cover a similar type of work (like charcoal drawings)
- those who write about artists from a given area
- or galleries that might be interested in showing the work
Learn about pitching journalists from this article on How to Send a Press Release via email.
💡If you're seeking more exposure for your press release, explore these 10 ideas on how to effectively promote a press release.
Conclusions
An art press release for an art exhibition or an independent artist helps get the news beyond the art world.
Its success hinges on two factors: exceptional content and effective distribution. Tools such as templates, a press release creator, and a distribution platform can enhance media coverage.
With Prowly, you can manage the entire process, from crafting a high-quality press release to connecting with journalists and precisely targeting your announcement—all within the app. Try it out with a seven-day free trial!
