Dear _____ Company,

Lovely press release with a note to request tickets through the contact form on your website (Strike 1). I can’t help notice that you sent this from a do-not-reply address (Strike 2) and that your website does not have a clearly labeled contact form (Strike 3) or any contact information besides your mailing address (Strike 4)…or, indeed, for anyone at the company (Strike 5).

I’m afraid that this loveliness is entirely too much for me. Also, I seem to recall a Facebook posting from you complaining about the challenge of getting press coverage. I would call your attention to these outstanding issues, but see Strikes 1-5.

~Me

Takeaways:

• Always have a clear two-way channel of email communication when sending out a press release via email.
• Don’t use a do-not-reply email address for a press release without also including a reply-to address.
  • Set the reply-to address in the email headings (check your mass emailer software for details), rather than including the address in the body of the email.
    • Many mass emailer programs won’t give any warnings that the email has been rejected. Even if they do, it’s another step.
• Make sure that at least one staff contact email address is listed on your website. (You want people to contact your organization for more info!)
• A Facebook page doesn’t substitute for a bonafide, findable email address.
• Listing an email address on your Facebook page doesn’t substitute for listing it on your regular website.

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Basil Considine

Basil Considine was the Editor of the Twin Cities Arts Reader from 2018-2022. He served as Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic for the Arts Reader's first five years, before succeeding Hanne Appelbaum. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.

Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region and the 2021-2022 U.S. Fulbright Faculty Scholar to Madagascar.

Latest posts by Basil Considine (see all)

• REVIEW: Moving, Funny, Striking English (Guthrie Theater) - July 22, 2024
• REVIEW: The Time for Newsies is Now (Artistry) - July 21, 2024
• PREVIEW: Behind the Story – Before Out of the Box Opera’s Suor Angelica - June 24, 2024