It is a popular misconception that public relations, or PR, amounts to little more than sending out a few press releases or arranging the odd photo shoot.
In reality PR is an intrinsic part of any business or organisation, says Laura Bates, the communications manager at the Museum of London.
“It covers everything from raising your profile, media relations, creating and maintaining relationships (with journalists, stakeholders, partners), reputation management, advising on strategy, and a lot more,” she says.
“PR should form a part of the wider communications package and be a core part of an organisation’s business planning.”
However, PR is sometimes dismissed by museums as “nice to have” rather than a “need to have”, especially by venues with limited staff and budgets.
But it’s just as important for smaller, local and independent museums as the larger ones, says Stephen Sheldrake, the marketing manager for Worthing Theatres, Museum and Art Gallery.
“Of course it is a challenge where the budgets are lower and there isn’t a dedicated team,” he says. “It may seem like a luxury, but PR creates free coverage. It is important for increasing footfall as well as giving an external voice to the museum.”
Will Kallaway, the managing director of the PR and sponsorship consultancy Kallaway, has worked with venues including Portmouth’s Mary Rose Museum and the William Morris Gallery in East London.
“PR can also be a tool to help with fundraising and learning,” he says. “It should be focused and targeted, and it should work towards helping the museum achieve its overall core purpose,” he says. “Its success should be measured against that.”
Crowded market
Getting heard in today’s noisy, competitive and fragmented media marketing is a challenge for all museums, even those based in London with big budgets and dedicated teams.
So, for smaller, local and regional museums, getting the attention of the newspapers, TV and radio and online takes persistence, hard work and creativity.
“You do need to think creatively when you are outside of the big cities,” says Adam Jones, the marketing manager of Bristol Aerospace, which opened last year. “You always have to be looking for that different angle.”
There are no tricks for mastering media or to getting attention, as each different outlet works different, says Pandora George, the founder and managing director of arts and culture agency Bullet PR.
“Just try to get an in-depth understanding of how each type of media works. Listen to the radio, read the papers and news websites,” she recommends.
Immersing yourself in the media will help you understand the style of different publications and the content they want, says the Museum of London’s Bates: “Regular columnists and pages will be obvious, and that can help with knowing who to approach with that story.”
Do your research, says Lee Clark, the communications and evaluations manager at York Museums Trust. “Find who is writing about what and then work out what you want to say. It’s simple really.”
A good story, strong images, and content that hooks into the wider news agenda has a better chance of getting coverage, says Bates.
Start local
For more regular coverage and building long-term connections, it is best to stay close to home. Museum directors will also often want to see something in the national newspapers, but local is the best place to start, says Catherine Braithwaite, an independent arts marketing consultant.
“Getting something in the local press will sell exhibition tickets and boost local interest, often more so than getting something in, say, the Guardian,” she says.
A note of caution is sounded by Worthing’s Sheldrake, who points out that some local titles now require payment for coverage.
“We get around it by making an annual agreement for a certain amount of space,” he says. “We can then decide among ourselves how best to use it.”
Regardless of whether you are pitching to local or national newspapers, try to think of specific angles and research different sections where a story might work.
A very local story will not work nationally. “Ultimately you need to think who the newspaper’s readers are and whether the story will appeal to them,” says George.
Different media
Stories with a strong visual element may be better suited to television. Just as with the local newspapers, local and regional television journalists and producers are interested in community and arts and culture stories.
“Think visually for broadcast journalists,” says George. “Any spokespeople you put forward will need to be engaging and confident in front of the camera.”
Producers and forward planners are the first port of call for TV and radio.
“The approach isn’t hugely different to print,” says Jones at Bristol Aerospace. “Get to know the producers and planners and get things in the diary. There is a willingness to do that even if they don’t know if they will come.”
Jones adds that newspaper journalists and TV and radio producers increasingly want interesting backdrops to film video for their websites and social media.
“Editorial teams tend to be consolidated and work closely now,” he says. “They will come with their own ideas of what they want. It is important to be open to that and be willing to help.”
Specialist platforms
News, arts and culture, entertainment and lifestyle websites are another opportunity for museums.
“With online the story is out instantly,” says Sheldrake. “It also doubles up on social media as it will go out on their feeds too. So many people read news online now as print newspapers are declining. We need to make sure as a museums we are adapting."
Bloggers also offer an opportunity for online coverage but, just as with finding the right journalist, it is important to do plenty of research in order to connect with the right ones.
Bates points out that many bloggers have media kits outlining their audience breakdowns and numbers.
Do not forget that bloggers are professionals too, she warns, and do need to be paid for their work where relevant: “There are very important rules for declaring partnerships or sponsored content, so bear that in mind too.”
Agencies
For museums without a dedicated PR person or team, bringing in an agency is an option.
Agencies can also offer support to museums when working on new exhibitions or projects, such as relaunching after a refurbishment.
Whatever the reason, the agency must work as an extension of the museum, not a bolt on, says Laura Wakelin, the deputy chief executive of communications and marketing at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.
“It is important they get to know the brand, mission, values and goals of the museum,” she says. “They should spend time with you and learn your tone of voice.”
Agencies should be briefed clearly and have a defined set of roles and responsibilities that are set out at the beginning, according to Alia Ullah, the marketing officer at Manchester Museum. “This will help the agency to understand the strategic vision of the museum.
“It will enable both parties to see what is achievable realistically in terms of press coverage and set regular targets and goals that need to be met.”
The relationship should be managed by museum staff with responsibility for PR or communications, and ideally that person should have management skills and have worked with an external supplier in the past.
“They should be able to accurately convey the organisation’s aims to the agency and keep them on track to deliver, taking advice and shaping activity where needed,” says Bates.
Costs vary significantly depending on whether the agency is employed on a project basis, which is more expensive, or paid a monthly retainer.
“Most smaller agencies can be flexible based on your budget and length of campaign,” says George at Bullet PR.
Whatever your PR strategy and whichever media outlets you are working with, it is essential to keep referring back to what you are trying to achieve for your organisation and measuring your success against that.
“It is easy to say PR is just comms,” explains Kallaway. “But if you are doing something without measuring it then it is valueless.”
In reality PR is an intrinsic part of any business or organisation, says Laura Bates, the communications manager at the Museum of London.
“It covers everything from raising your profile, media relations, creating and maintaining relationships (with journalists, stakeholders, partners), reputation management, advising on strategy, and a lot more,” she says.
“PR should form a part of the wider communications package and be a core part of an organisation’s business planning.”
However, PR is sometimes dismissed by museums as “nice to have” rather than a “need to have”, especially by venues with limited staff and budgets.
But it’s just as important for smaller, local and independent museums as the larger ones, says Stephen Sheldrake, the marketing manager for Worthing Theatres, Museum and Art Gallery.
“Of course it is a challenge where the budgets are lower and there isn’t a dedicated team,” he says. “It may seem like a luxury, but PR creates free coverage. It is important for increasing footfall as well as giving an external voice to the museum.”
Will Kallaway, the managing director of the PR and sponsorship consultancy Kallaway, has worked with venues including Portmouth’s Mary Rose Museum and the William Morris Gallery in East London.
“PR can also be a tool to help with fundraising and learning,” he says. “It should be focused and targeted, and it should work towards helping the museum achieve its overall core purpose,” he says. “Its success should be measured against that.”
Crowded market
Getting heard in today’s noisy, competitive and fragmented media marketing is a challenge for all museums, even those based in London with big budgets and dedicated teams.
So, for smaller, local and regional museums, getting the attention of the newspapers, TV and radio and online takes persistence, hard work and creativity.
“You do need to think creatively when you are outside of the big cities,” says Adam Jones, the marketing manager of Bristol Aerospace, which opened last year. “You always have to be looking for that different angle.”
There are no tricks for mastering media or to getting attention, as each different outlet works different, says Pandora George, the founder and managing director of arts and culture agency Bullet PR.
“Just try to get an in-depth understanding of how each type of media works. Listen to the radio, read the papers and news websites,” she recommends.
Immersing yourself in the media will help you understand the style of different publications and the content they want, says the Museum of London’s Bates: “Regular columnists and pages will be obvious, and that can help with knowing who to approach with that story.”
Do your research, says Lee Clark, the communications and evaluations manager at York Museums Trust. “Find who is writing about what and then work out what you want to say. It’s simple really.”
A good story, strong images, and content that hooks into the wider news agenda has a better chance of getting coverage, says Bates.
Start local
For more regular coverage and building long-term connections, it is best to stay close to home. Museum directors will also often want to see something in the national newspapers, but local is the best place to start, says Catherine Braithwaite, an independent arts marketing consultant.
“Getting something in the local press will sell exhibition tickets and boost local interest, often more so than getting something in, say, the Guardian,” she says.
A note of caution is sounded by Worthing’s Sheldrake, who points out that some local titles now require payment for coverage.
“We get around it by making an annual agreement for a certain amount of space,” he says. “We can then decide among ourselves how best to use it.”
Regardless of whether you are pitching to local or national newspapers, try to think of specific angles and research different sections where a story might work.
A very local story will not work nationally. “Ultimately you need to think who the newspaper’s readers are and whether the story will appeal to them,” says George.
Different media
Stories with a strong visual element may be better suited to television. Just as with the local newspapers, local and regional television journalists and producers are interested in community and arts and culture stories.
“Think visually for broadcast journalists,” says George. “Any spokespeople you put forward will need to be engaging and confident in front of the camera.”
Producers and forward planners are the first port of call for TV and radio.
“The approach isn’t hugely different to print,” says Jones at Bristol Aerospace. “Get to know the producers and planners and get things in the diary. There is a willingness to do that even if they don’t know if they will come.”
Jones adds that newspaper journalists and TV and radio producers increasingly want interesting backdrops to film video for their websites and social media.
“Editorial teams tend to be consolidated and work closely now,” he says. “They will come with their own ideas of what they want. It is important to be open to that and be willing to help.”
Specialist platforms
News, arts and culture, entertainment and lifestyle websites are another opportunity for museums.
“With online the story is out instantly,” says Sheldrake. “It also doubles up on social media as it will go out on their feeds too. So many people read news online now as print newspapers are declining. We need to make sure as a museums we are adapting."
Bloggers also offer an opportunity for online coverage but, just as with finding the right journalist, it is important to do plenty of research in order to connect with the right ones.
Bates points out that many bloggers have media kits outlining their audience breakdowns and numbers.
Do not forget that bloggers are professionals too, she warns, and do need to be paid for their work where relevant: “There are very important rules for declaring partnerships or sponsored content, so bear that in mind too.”
Agencies
For museums without a dedicated PR person or team, bringing in an agency is an option.
Agencies can also offer support to museums when working on new exhibitions or projects, such as relaunching after a refurbishment.
Whatever the reason, the agency must work as an extension of the museum, not a bolt on, says Laura Wakelin, the deputy chief executive of communications and marketing at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.
“It is important they get to know the brand, mission, values and goals of the museum,” she says. “They should spend time with you and learn your tone of voice.”
Agencies should be briefed clearly and have a defined set of roles and responsibilities that are set out at the beginning, according to Alia Ullah, the marketing officer at Manchester Museum. “This will help the agency to understand the strategic vision of the museum.
“It will enable both parties to see what is achievable realistically in terms of press coverage and set regular targets and goals that need to be met.”
The relationship should be managed by museum staff with responsibility for PR or communications, and ideally that person should have management skills and have worked with an external supplier in the past.
“They should be able to accurately convey the organisation’s aims to the agency and keep them on track to deliver, taking advice and shaping activity where needed,” says Bates.
Costs vary significantly depending on whether the agency is employed on a project basis, which is more expensive, or paid a monthly retainer.
“Most smaller agencies can be flexible based on your budget and length of campaign,” says George at Bullet PR.
Whatever your PR strategy and whichever media outlets you are working with, it is essential to keep referring back to what you are trying to achieve for your organisation and measuring your success against that.
“It is easy to say PR is just comms,” explains Kallaway. “But if you are doing something without measuring it then it is valueless.”
