ArTips©-The newsletter dedicated to the business of art.

Sometimes practical, sometimes techy, always helpful.

If the thought of writing a press release leaves you in a cold sweat, you're not alone. I think the reason people fear this is because they haven't had the opportunity to learn the basics of writing a press release.

Do you have something important to announce? A new exhibition, or have you won a juried show? Just answer the simple questions of who, what, where, when, how, and why. This is all you need to start. Answer as many of these questions as possible in the first paragraph.

Use the second paragraph to expand on the ideas in the first. This is a good place to quote yourself (or others who speak highly of you) or describe your technique or inspiration.

Use the final paragraph to show your history or cite your expertise. List cities where you have gallery representation, shows you've jurored, exhibitions you've participated in, or articles you've written, etc.

Most press release templates are geared toward corporate or business entities. I've created one that's artist friendly. Feel free to download it and refer to it the next time you write a press release. It can be found in the resource section. You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. If you don't have this application, write to me and I'll send it to you in a different format.

If you're in the Philadelphia area, look for my ARTBiz column each month in Art Matters.