In the first of a series of thought-provoking and practical guides, Head of Communications at Manchester’s multi-arts venue HOME, Kat Harrison-Dibbits outlines the steps needed to effectively measure your PR campaign.

Are you responsible for getting your organisation noticed by the outside world but have a million other things to do? This training video will give you 20 top tips to help you make your life more manageable by focusing on the marketing and communication tools that work.

Find out how Carl Woodward tackled the lack of national reviews for the regions and equipped young critics with the skills needed to succeed.

This case study explores an integrated publicity campaign to promote The Cultural Spring, a three-year project to increase arts participation and engagement in Sunderland and South Tyneside. It covers the process and outcomes of creating a publicity campaign which engaged both the media and potential participants in the project.

Discover how an integrated marketing campaign can minimise disruption – and maximise positive coverage – when a popular museum exhibit is loaned elsewhere. This resource describes the experience of the Horniman Museum and Gardens, whose taxidermied walrus paid a temporary visit to Turner Contemporary, Margate. The museum’s campaign around the missing exhibit raised awareness of ... Read more

This toolkit from Arts Tasmania offers advice on how to gain free publicity.  This practical resource gives many useful tips including how to prepare a media release and how to deal with media enquiries (including being interviewed by the media).  Handy examples of media releases are also included.  This easy to follow guide has been ... Read more

Shoshana Fanizza of US consultancy Audience Development Specialists (ADS) offers some practical tips for writing effective press releases.  This short article has been adapted from the ADS blog and was originally posted in 2013.

Graeae is the UK’s foremost disabled-led theatre company. Its audiences include Deaf, disabled and non-disabled people. This guide provides some basic guidelines for use of language and being confident with using language around disability. Appropriate use of language helps demonstrate that an organisation is committed to providing a welcoming environment and is the first step to ensuring ... Read more

It’s not every day that libraries make the front page, but the opening of the new Library of Birmingham was one of the big culture stories of 2013. In this case study, Kate Feld interviews Sara Rowell, Partnerships and Marketing Senior Manager at the Library of Birmingham, about the launch of this spectacular new building ... Read more

This case study explores the objectives, processes and outcomes of the Science Museum’s Lates – a regular late night opening for adults-only. Lates aims to attract a young adult audience into the museum to engage with its collections and an average of 3,500 visitors attend these late night openings. Lates is not marketed in the traditional sense instead ... Read more

Do you feel like you’re sending your press releases out into the void? Helen Nugent, former Times journalist and founding editor of cultural website Northern Soul, shares her secrets for building a more fruitful relationship with your local arts journalist.

Arts organisations located outside of London struggle to get their fair share of national press even before the news industry entered crisis mode. Now the latest round of belt tightening has seen travel budgets slashed and editorial cuts across the board. Don’t despair, says seasoned arts PR Catharine Braithwaite. With the right approach and some ... Read more

A depth of knowledge and a genuine passion is essential for an informed review. This article discusses the relationship between theatres and arts critics in the regions from the reviewer’s perspective. It discusses the devaluing of star ratings to reviews and the role of the critic to enlighten, educate and entertain readers, whilst allowing them ... Read more

Twelve case studies of arts engagement projects working with older people and families in London. The case studies share the learning from Audiences London’s Family Advocates Programme, BAC’s work with non-professional older artists, a skills exchange with Building Exploratory, an architecture centre and Cubitt, a gallery and studios regarding work with older audiences, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Tate ... Read more

This guide offers a broad introduction to arts marketing, with the aim of supporting any organisation or artist working in the arts.

A general introduction to core press and PR topics for the cultural sector, aimed at supporting marketers and artists working in the arts.

An insight into how The Natural History Museum aims to create life-long relationships with its visitors which rely on them being connected with all aspects of the Museum’s work.  For an organisation that has 40 different logos and a complex structure, this is no easy task, and this case study shows you how it can ... Read more

In the year that the Edinburgh International Festival celebrated its sixtieth birthday, this presentation discussed how an understanding of audiences contributes to the development of the Festival brand, illustrating how in 60 years it has transformed a City not known for its festivals into one that attracts millions of visitors and generates over £200 million ... Read more

This guide shows how businesses use Twitter to market themselves and their work in Manchester, one of the most active Twitter communities in the country.  With clear illustrations of what the data on usage actually means, this analysis can help you to make sure you’re staying one step ahead of your competitors when using Twitter.

Writing an effective press release is an important first step in building up your media relations and giving your story the best chance to be heard. The initial role of a press, or news, release is to provide reporters with the basics needed to develop a news story. This snapshot guide explains how to develop good relationships ... Read more