Press Releases that get attention

Free events for anyone involved in the Arts.

6th October 11am: STOP PRESS! Press releases that get attention

In this forum Simon Edwards (Editor of “Hutt News”) will teach you how to promote your arts event or activity in a way that gets your message ‘out there’. Whether you’re holding an exhibition of watercolours, looking for support for your film making, promoting a school musical, or involved in any other arts project; then you need to know how to get the media to pay attention.

Most art requires an audience and a press release is one of your most important tools for finding an audience. However the most effective press releases are generally pitched with a specific audience in mind, so it’s useful to know what sorts of people might be interested in your work, and what media they are likely to be accessing. Simon will discuss how to identify which aspects of your work are likely to create the most buzz.

He will also show you how to find a hook, how to pitch your message in a way that will appeal to journalists, and discuss the best timing for sending out a press release. Simon will give you an insight into the journalist’s mind, offering a better understanding of why some press releases are seen as a story, while others simply are not.

Simon has been the editor of The Hutt News since 1989 and the editor-in-chief of Central Community Newspapers since 2004, overseeing eight community newspapers in the Greater Wellington Region. He has been the Community Newspapers Association’s Journalist of the Year, was a multiple finalist and winner of its Best Newspaper Competition and was recognised for excellence in journalism at the Qantas Media Awards. He is also a Member of NZ Order of Merit for services to journalism.

The Arts Hub Forums are hosted by Hutt Valley Community Arts with the assistance of the Creative Communities Hutt City Funding Scheme. They provide artists an opportunity to learn, discuss, network, and create, and a place to voice ideas and concerns, share resources, and seek answers.

We welcome arts practitioners at all levels of professionalism in 
every discipline.

Parking is available in the Peel Street Carpark off Britannia Street, and the Arts Hub is wheelchair accessible.

Start: 11am, runs till 1pm