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Why is the media important for making the case?

Why is the media important for making the case?

The media can be a powerful tool in communicating with all audiences – the public, national and local stakeholders, and others. Incorporating messages about the impact and value of public funding for creativity culture can really help us to make the case for funding in the arts.

Take a look at our top tips…

Plain

Performers parade down a narrow high street at night, lined with people watching
Photo by Winter Droving, Penrith © Graham Wynne
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Winter Droving, Penrith © Graham Wynne

Use plain English 

Creativity and culture should be for everyone, so we need to talk about it in ways that are easy for people to understand.  Writing in this way can also give journalists a better understanding of the work you’re doing. 

Consider whether there’s a more straightforward way to say something instead of using jargon and technical phrases, try to avoid acronyms, and keep your sentences short. 

Talk

Talk about your funding

By mentioning that your work is funded by the Arts Council thanks to the UK Government or the National Lottery , you help to show your audiences the value of public investment in culture. 

You can also add the Arts Council’s boilerplate to the “notes to editors” section of your press release, to give some more context to journalists who aren’t familiar with what we do.

Quote

Two figures looking at a painting in the distance
Photo by © Birmingham Museums Trust
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Add quotes to your press releases

Getting quotes from people involved in your work, such as artists or community members taking part, can add more colour to your announcement, and help to tell your story. 

Make sure to let your local Arts Council area communications team know about your announcement, so the Arts Council can also provide a quote.

Picth

Pitch smart 

Wherever possible, make sure you’re pitching to people who have shown an interest in the sorts of things you do. 

That might mean calling a newspaper’s switchboard to find out the most relevant person to send your story to, or researching a journalist online to see what they’ve written about in the past.  Lots of outlets have guidelines for how to pitch to them, for example the Guardian and the i have both guides on how to pitch to their opinion teams.

Concise

A person in a brown suit by the seaside jumping with his arms and legs spread out. A red balloon is covering his face
Photo by Paul Blakemore
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Keep it concise

When you’re pitching to a journalist, try to get the key information in early.  They receive a lot of pitches and may not have time to read everything in detail.

Explain

Explain why your news is worth covering 

Tell the person you’re pitching to why you think their audience will be interested in what you have to say, and what makes this announcement different to the others they receive, especially if you can make direct links to topical news stories.

Explore

Audience stood and sat in front of a church watching performers
Photo by The Festival of Making - © Mark Carline
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Explore different types of media 

Your local media might be more interested in an announcement about an exhibition that their readers can visit, while national newspapers could be more likely to take an opinion article about how your work relates to bigger trends in culture or society. 

Thinking about the different types of media (e.g. print, TV, radio, online) and the different types of content they produce (e.g. feature articles, op-eds, talk shows, news programmes) can help you adapt your pitch to make it relevant to the person you’re pitching to and their audience.

Media

Share pictures, videos and other multimedia 

Newspapers, magazines and websites are content-driven, so it can help to also share high quality images and videos when you send a pitch.