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If you're uncomfortable tooting your own personal horn to the general public, media coverage is really a perfect alternative for you. Understand that journalists, editors and producers need stories to perform their job and fill space on the air, on the net or on their sites. Hand them a promising story idea and they do the remaining portion of the work singing your praises to the world! Sports

Here now are the simplest, most relevant 10 ways for artists - sculptors, painters, photographers, craftspeople, cartoonists and performance artists - to get involved with the news.

Publicity Hooks for Artists

1. Something new. By definition, "the news" includes things that are new, and where you as an artist are worried, this includes an opening, a new installation, publication of a book or article about your art, the fact you won an award, your venture right into a new medium or even a new topic area, technical innovation you've created with your medium, and so on.

2. Something trendy. I recently read articles once about someone who'd devoted himself to art after taking early retirement from the corporate career. This article said this is a trend. That makes one person's story much more interesting to more individuals and coverable far beyond the local area. Consider demographic, commercial, lifestyle and aesthetic trends and the manner in which you match those.

3. Something charitable or heartwarming. Have you donated work to the local pet shelter or orchestrated an open studio or demo as good results for earthquake relief? If that's the case, tell the media. They love highlighting good works and good will.

4. Something surprising. This implies featuring a thing that the average person doesn't know, or going against expectations. For example, here is a headline from the Pennsylvania newspaper: Conshohocken Sculptor Makes his Mark in Butter. Many people don't think of art being created in a medium like butter.

5. An event. Because an event occurs at a certain date and time, it's news, while a continuing or everyday process might not be. Your newsworthy event could possibly be an open studio, auction, lecture or exhibition. Research calendar sections in publications in your area. Submit calendar listings for your events ahead of the deadlines, and nine times out of ten, you obtain at the very least a listing and sometimes a feature.

6. Visual potential. Some things just cry out for photography or TV coverage - particularly when they've movement, color, action or drama. For example, I once read about an artist who constructed a work indoors and needed specialized equipment to go it out from the building to a gallery. Someone (maybe the artist?) notified the local paper to come photograph the procedure of maneuvering the job out the doorway. Sports by Blindchase.com

7. Timely. Can you make your work strongly related what's happening today or this week? Think of ways to tie what your art is about to a holiday, a milestone or even a commemoration. For example, is your work inspired by Van Gogh? Vincent's birthday comes around every year on March 30.

8. Controversy. Art often makes the news when it provides borderline or outright obscenity or blasphemy, or when it skewers some sacred cow. However, anything where people prefer to take a position pro or con may be controversial. If your art includes any aspect that people might condemn or disagree with, highlight that to the media - and get rewarded with a lively story.

9. Local. The media consider it relevant when something is the following, made here, about here or concerning "certainly one of us." Utilize this principle to approach local papers, city/regional magazines and college alumni magazines with your story.

10. Human interest. Amidst all the war, economic gloom and ecological doom, journalists prefer to sprinkle stories about human challenges and triumphs. The emotions in such stories are things the average person easily identifies with. Like, a sculptor client of mine once won media coverage by sending a colorful postcard or her work to magazine editors with the hand-written message, "Ask me how making these sculptures helped heal me of cancer." Know more