Publicity/Marketing
I have found Clay Mabbitt's site [note: this is an active link, that will open in its own window: Gary] http://soldoutrun.com/ to be an invaluable guide about publicising and marketing a show. Even the material that he e-mails you for free if you join his mailing list is excellent. Below is the latest such e-mail and I think any publicity person will benefit from applying Clay's advice. Most of the advice on this site I owe to Clay. Thankyou! Gary
I have found Clay Mabbitt's site [note: this is an active link, that will open in its own window: Gary] http://soldoutrun.com/ to be an invaluable guide about publicising and marketing a show. Even the material that he e-mails you for free if you join his mailing list is excellent. Below is the latest such e-mail and I think any publicity person will benefit from applying Clay's advice. Most of the advice on this site I owe to Clay. Thankyou! Gary
Getting the best possible interviews out of your actors Hi Gary,
Do you have a favorite actor? Just his or her name being attached to a project is enough to start you reaching for your wallet? For me it's Alan Rickman. I'm never disappointed when I'm watching his work, and I'm always excited to see what he's working on next.
You can probably rattle off a couple names you feel the same way about.
This doesn't happen by accident.
The publicity machines behind our favorite actors and the movies and plays they appear in are working very hard to foster a connection between us and our beloved stars. Yes, the talent has to be there first, but each time we see a flattering picture or read a compelling interview, we fall a little bit deeper in love.
You can create this same effect - albeit on a much smaller scale - with the talent in your productions. You may not have the same kind of resources to throw at building up the public image of your people, but with their help you can take a step in that direction.
The first step in creating a compelling interview is to ask good questions. If you're struggling to come up with good questions, I've done some brainstorming on this very topic you can check out here: [ Note: This is an active link, that will open in its own window. Gary]
http://soldoutrun.com/list-example-questions-cast-crew-interviews/
The second step is to get your actors and production team to respond to the questions. They need to understand why you're asking them to do a little extra work, and buy into the idea that it's going to help both them and the production.
To that end, I'm sharing below a script for an email you could send to everyone in the production you want to promote. Obviously you'll want to change the details to fit your show, but this structure will get you started.
Be well,
Clay
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, my name is (Publicity Manager), I've been talking with Gary Gallagher, and I'm going to be working on some promotion efforts for Midsummer's Dream the Musical. Our intent is to pack the house, and to do this right we're going to need your help.
There's a reason big movie stars do press junkets and appear on late night talk shows the week before their movie comes out in theaters. It's because it gets people off their couches and in to buy a ticket when they feel some familiarity and affection for the actors behind the roles they are playing.
We aren't going on the Tonight Show, but we are going to apply the same principle utilizing the Internet. I'll be creating for each of you a web page that helps people get to know you. We'll be pushing those pages (along with other information about the show) around on social media.
What I Need From You To Create This Page:
1. Your picture - [ this can be your headshot | the picture should be informal | the more fun/sexy/interesting the photo the better ]
2. Your answers to the following questions. These questions should be very easy. Just write a few sentences and don't spend too much time thinking about it.
In order to generate and sustain buzz about the show, we'll be releasing a steady stream of online content leading up to (and through) opening night. We'll be pushing this content on Facebook. To the extent you feel comfortable (and I understand everyone's comfort level will be different) please leave comments on and share these postings. Small activity like this done consistently by a group of people over several weeks can have a big effect on the number of people sitting in the house opening night.
One Final Thing You Can Do
The number one thing you can do to help promote the show - more important than anything I'll be working on, in fact - is to make this a great show. The better the final product that you guys put up on stage is, the easier drawing a crowd becomes.
Please try to have your picture and question responses to me no later than [date] so I can get the wheels on the publicity machine turning, and I look forward to seeing you all on stage.
Break a leg,
(Publicity Manager for MSD the Musical)
Do you have a favorite actor? Just his or her name being attached to a project is enough to start you reaching for your wallet? For me it's Alan Rickman. I'm never disappointed when I'm watching his work, and I'm always excited to see what he's working on next.
You can probably rattle off a couple names you feel the same way about.
This doesn't happen by accident.
The publicity machines behind our favorite actors and the movies and plays they appear in are working very hard to foster a connection between us and our beloved stars. Yes, the talent has to be there first, but each time we see a flattering picture or read a compelling interview, we fall a little bit deeper in love.
You can create this same effect - albeit on a much smaller scale - with the talent in your productions. You may not have the same kind of resources to throw at building up the public image of your people, but with their help you can take a step in that direction.
The first step in creating a compelling interview is to ask good questions. If you're struggling to come up with good questions, I've done some brainstorming on this very topic you can check out here: [ Note: This is an active link, that will open in its own window. Gary]
http://soldoutrun.com/list-example-questions-cast-crew-interviews/
The second step is to get your actors and production team to respond to the questions. They need to understand why you're asking them to do a little extra work, and buy into the idea that it's going to help both them and the production.
To that end, I'm sharing below a script for an email you could send to everyone in the production you want to promote. Obviously you'll want to change the details to fit your show, but this structure will get you started.
Be well,
Clay
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, my name is (Publicity Manager), I've been talking with Gary Gallagher, and I'm going to be working on some promotion efforts for Midsummer's Dream the Musical. Our intent is to pack the house, and to do this right we're going to need your help.
There's a reason big movie stars do press junkets and appear on late night talk shows the week before their movie comes out in theaters. It's because it gets people off their couches and in to buy a ticket when they feel some familiarity and affection for the actors behind the roles they are playing.
We aren't going on the Tonight Show, but we are going to apply the same principle utilizing the Internet. I'll be creating for each of you a web page that helps people get to know you. We'll be pushing those pages (along with other information about the show) around on social media.
What I Need From You To Create This Page:
1. Your picture - [ this can be your headshot | the picture should be informal | the more fun/sexy/interesting the photo the better ]
2. Your answers to the following questions. These questions should be very easy. Just write a few sentences and don't spend too much time thinking about it.
- What do you like best about your character?
- What's your favorite song in this show?
- If your life was made into a movie, who would play you
In order to generate and sustain buzz about the show, we'll be releasing a steady stream of online content leading up to (and through) opening night. We'll be pushing this content on Facebook. To the extent you feel comfortable (and I understand everyone's comfort level will be different) please leave comments on and share these postings. Small activity like this done consistently by a group of people over several weeks can have a big effect on the number of people sitting in the house opening night.
One Final Thing You Can Do
The number one thing you can do to help promote the show - more important than anything I'll be working on, in fact - is to make this a great show. The better the final product that you guys put up on stage is, the easier drawing a crowd becomes.
Please try to have your picture and question responses to me no later than [date] so I can get the wheels on the publicity machine turning, and I look forward to seeing you all on stage.
Break a leg,
(Publicity Manager for MSD the Musical)