There are quite a few articles about publicity either on this site or on the AACT site, but here is what we do in our little rural area:

**Compile a list of email contacts for your press releases.  Make sure that every time you write something it goes to every newspaper in the area (large and small, daily and weekly papers) and every chamber of commerce director or whoever reads the news on the local radio station.

**Make all of your publicity really count.  For example: 

 postcards -- send them out only once, say about 3 to 4 weeks before you open, and make sure that it is designed so that the patron can mail it back to you with a ticket order on it that they send in with a check. 

**all publicity should have the same artwork or logo on it, so that every time a potential patron sees it, s/he is reminded that s/he wants to see the show. It helps if this is planned out well in advance with someone who likes to design or work on the computer. (I'm talking about post cards, posters, paid advertisements and one of our best tools, the table tent).  Table tents are inexpensive and most restaurtants, cafes, libraries, banks, anywhere there are tables or counters will let you put place them in the business.  Put show info on one side and volunteer info on the other.  (We found our light man that way, as well as 100 FREE theatre seats donated to us when the right person saw our table tent.) 

** we have even used the same idea as I have mentioned for the post card adapted for an advertisement -- again like a coupon they fill out and send in for tickets. But keep the paid advertisements to a minimum. 

I try to get a newpaper article with a different angle written every week during production. Not that I always do, and not that the paper print all that I write.  Sometimes one paper will run week 1 article and the others will run week 2, or whatever.  I don't want a week to go by that they don't have something from me if they have space.  We are in a rural area, too, and there is a weekly cook of the week spot.  For Steel Magnolias, we offered Southern recipes from the characters in the cast along with a group picture. They printed it.  It was really cute and eye catching.  Always try to find a new angle or a new twist.  Good luck! Marketing your theatre is really fun and very satisfying when you see those full houses!  (If you would like a sample of our post card, email me privately and I can send you one.)

Scott --

There are 4 articles on marketing here on the Green Room website... http://communitytheater.org/articles/articleindex.htm . Amazon features a book on PR specifically for community theater that is very good... we have a link to it on our front page. Also, look for a book called "Guerrilla Marketing"... I've used it for a number of different businesses. It works.

Scott,

Welcome to the club... we've all got a lot to learn. Still.

I took an arts marketing seminar that suggested the most cost effective use of your marketing dollar is direct mail. Our non-profit community theatre keeps a database of approximately 1500 names that we send postcards before each show. We also send out a folded fullsize sheet to kick off our season and solicit season subscribers.

In order to keep the list current, we put the following on the outside of the season subscription mailer: Return Service Requested. We do this once a year, which allows us to have any undeliverable mail returned to us. This costs our group 37 cents each, but it allows us to delete anyone who has moved out of the area so we do not continue sending mail to people who have moved. If the patron has moved in the last 12 months, his/her new address is placed on the returned piece of mail by the post office and we can update our files.

Typically on a 1500 person mailing list we have approx. 100 pieces of returned mail, costing us around $37 for the postage return service once a year. Our board considers this money well spent to keep our list clean.

We have also found it successful to mail a poster to the area theatre groups including college, high school and community theatre.

For our next show, Blood Brothers, I am planning this to be my main marketing target - theatre groups in a 60 mile radius. This show - Blood Brothers - is a phenominal musical but is not often done or well known. I'm hoping to target theatre people who have a goal to see shows they are unfamiliar with (my goal too).

For HS groups, we are making available a study guide so drama teachers can discuss themes from within the show. The study guide was available on line (2 different ones actually) and I'm hoping the professional one will let me use theirs.  I may also include a CD with a couple of songs from the show.  This may not actually be legal though.

I have been known to write articles for the paper then find a freelance author who writes for that paper and say they can use it and get credit (and paid) for the article. They tend to be more inclined to do follow-up stories in exchange for my most generous kindness.

Also send out emails/fax press releases to any news facility in the area - including radio stations. We sent a press release and photo to our local daily paper. Actually it's not our little town's local - it's the big town near by. They loved the photo so much, they used it as the feature in their "Happenings" section where they list the weekend's events. We had many people come out because of the photo.

Look for any minor publications (ie religious newspapers) and include them too. Sometimes a discount coupon - even $1 off - in the listing will draw attention. Also look for websites that list happenings in the area - all free advertising.

I have a great resource for mailing postcards.  200 8.5"x5.5" black ink on color card stock - printed and mailed for $85.00. Each additional is $0.40.  They also do full color but for more.  They will even pull addresses in a geographic area if you want to do a subdivision or school district wide mailing.  You can also get mailing addresses from the local school district. I haven't done this - but I hear it's possible.