Your festival is fast approaching and ticket sales have been steady, but now you’re wondering what else you can do to pick up the pace without breaking your marketing budget. Media coverage can assist in helping to surpass your attendance goals without the need to significantly increase your advertising spend.
Read on for our marketing experts’ list of free or inexpensive methods to attract media attention and encourage coverage of your event!
Media Kit
A public media kit is a great way to encourage press coverage by taking much of an interested media outlet’s research and outreach work out of the equation. A media kit including assets like photos, logos, video, contact information, past press coverage, and event highlights will make it quick and easy for media outlets to highlight your event, making coverage much more likely. Add a “Media/Press Kit” page to your site navigation for storage of its elements and make it easily digestible by viewers! Include the link in your emails to press and sponsors.
Direct Contact
Get the word out about your festival by identifying and personally contacting relevant press and media outlets directly. Begin by researching blogs, news outlets, journalists, and other media with audiences that your festival would likely appeal to (for example, a craft beer enthusiast magazine for your upcoming beer festival, or a local radio station for your music festival.) Briefly introduce them to your festival in a clear, concise manner, and explain why you believe their audience would be interested. Be respectful of their time and keep this introduction short. Also, be sure to offer these contacts perks like exclusive previews, early access to festival information, and free event tickets in order to encourage coverage!
Press Releases
Share exciting details and news surrounding your festival by composing multiple press releases in advance of your event, taking the opportunity to announce things like your official lineup, expended event dates, or whatever else might spark interest. Consider sending the press releases to your personally curated distribution list and use online PR outlets like, PR Web, PR Newswire, or eReleases in order to maximize your exposure while keeping expenses relatively low.
Community Engagement
Get your festival’s name out there by becoming a participating member of the local community! By leading or joining a charitable initiative, donating a portion of proceeds to local community fundraising events, and offering in-kind sponsorships to local businesses and organizations in exchange for logo inclusion, you’ll demonstrate that your festival intends to participate and give back, and you just might gain some free media attention in the process.
Talent Promotion
Likely the biggest attention-grabber your festival has at its disposal is its lineup of special guests, performers, artists, and exhibitors. Tap into this potential for additional media exposure by working with your talent to coordinate various outreach activities leading up to your festival. Consider doing special pop-up events, autograph signing sessions, local radio station interviews, or Instagram takeovers on relevant account to keep your festival’s name on people’s tongues as event day approaches!