8 Great Free Public Relations Opportunities

June 2, 2008 Craft Professionals No Comments

8 Great Free Public Relations Opportunities

Advertising you craft business may be hard on your budget, but there are some simple and free ways to publicize your services and goods.

  1. Visit and teach a scouting group a craft. There are plenty of parents involved who are potential customers.
  2. Offer to set-up a display of your work at a local school’s teachers’ lounge. Teachers have little time to shop the craft shows and malls. Bring your crafts to them. Small items are best for this group.
  3. Get involved with a fund-raiser. Network and talk about what you make. Donate an item for an auction or doorprize.
  4. Volunteer to create a display at a local library. Libraries usually change out their displays monthly and for a few hours of your time you have a display of your work in front of hundreds of potential customers.
  5. When exciting events happen within your business, write up a press release for the newspaper. Examples: you get a new wholesale account, you win a ribbon at a show, you’ve added a new craft mall or you donate to a fund-raiser. A press release is simple. Across the top of a sheet of paper type up your name, business name, address, and phone number. Just below this information, type: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Then write up the information for the press. Send into the community, local, or business section editor unless the newspaper indicates otherwise. Have plenty of inexpensive B/W or color head and shoulder photographs of yourself or your work to send in with press releases.
  6. Contact a local TV station and volunteer to go on air and talk about crafting. You might demo a simple craft or show samples of your work. March is National Craft Month and there is plenty of promotion done by the industry as a whole…take advantage of this national PR and do something noteworthy locally.
  7. Join any local guild, crafting groups, or art associations. Network and be an active member to learn opportunities that might be happening. Join national guilds, societies, and associations. Keep on top of the trends, events, and activities plus most groups have printed directories which list members.
  8. If you are involved in a charitable activity involving crafting or make a really unique item, contact a craft magazine. Many consumer craft magazines have regular columns featuring crafters. Many also feature “spot lights” on individual artists. Write up your story and send it in with a clear photo or slide of your work.

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