I am giving a guest lecture on Tuesday about how to write persuasively. 

The paper copy of Art on the Hill will come out later this week, but you can check it out right now. 

We are now accepting ads in Art on the Hill. By buying an ad you can get your advertising message out to a sophisticated audience of local art enthusiasts and visitors who are looking for things to do in Los Alamos. 

Please print out the form and send it to P.O. Box 1463, Los Alamos, NM 87544, along with your payment. 

The second issue of Art on the Hill just came out. I'll be bringing it to businesses in Los Alamos today, but you can click on the link below. 

I just published the first issue of my newsletter Art on the Hill. It covers the arts scene in Los Alamos, NM. 

Even though that writer probably loves to write about and discuss art at great length, you have to realize that their biggest wish is to get the story done as quickly as possible. So as they look at your artist statement, they're hoping to find something that will make their job easier. 

Provide some numerical facts about your life and your work. Facts like dates, heights and weights of some of your favorite pieces, the amount of time it takes to complete your work, how many colors of paint you typically use, how many pieces have you made, and how long did it take before you got noticed. Many artists make the mistake of writing a long, dreamy paragraph without any real information to take hold of. By including solid facts, you will stand out.

Describe your process. If your work includes a step-by-step process, like the lost wax method, write it out in detail. People love to find out how things are made, and it might provide an entire story or sidebar about you.

Include photos that are ready to be submitted. Whether your artist statement is on your website or you send a hardcopy, be sure to include high quality pictures that a writer is allowed to use. Make sure people know that they have permission to use them.  

Give information about any special equipment you have. Do you use sustainable paints? Do you find knick-knacks in the bar parking lot that make their way into your collages? Is that real gold? Did you weave that fabric by hand? The materials you use are interesting details that people want to know. It also might be what makes your work stand apart and gives it value. 

How did you choose your medium? I never get tired of telling the story of how artists chose their medium. There's always a wonderful AHA moment, and plenty of tactile details. Think about how you settled on your medium of choice, and tell the story from the beginning. 

Use your imagination, be yourself, and give them something they can use!

If your promotional efforts don't seem to be going anywhere, try changing one thing at a time and watch for improvement.  If your promotions are going well, you can still make more money, and find more profits by finding small ways to improve your message.

Recently I told a client that if their press release didn't get in the paper I would give their money back.  

I was so sure of myself, and the editor told me it would go in, that I had no problem giving the guarantee. You can imagine my frustration when the paper came out and only a small paragraph was used and I had to give the refund. 

It's disappointing when you try to use an article to build your business, and only a small portion, or none of it, gets used. But it's not a journalist's job to help businesses succeed... in fact, it would be unethical for them to pull strings or make promises on the pages that they print. The only way you can guarantee that your message will appear in a newspaper or magazine is to buy ad space. Does that mean that you should give up writing, or paying for other people to write, articles about your business? Absolutely not! 

Articles help you keep people informed and interested in your business and products and help you establish yourself as an expert. Rather than rely on editors to put the article in the paper, you need to give yourself an outlet for publishing them, and letting others know that they're out there. 

The simplest way to do this is to add a blog to your business website, or create a blog on Blogger or Word Press that you can connect to your blog. Once the blog is set up, start using it to make announcements about new employees, new products and special events. 

If you haven't already set up a profile on Facebook or Linkedin, now is the time to start. Once you have your account set up you'll be amazed at how fast you will make friends.  You can send out an invitation using the contacts in your inbox, browse through people in your hometown, your high school or your college. Once you make some friends then the site will start suggesting people for you. 

Every time you put an article on your blog, or on your website, cut and paste the link, or use the share tool if you have it, and post the link on your Facebook, Linked in and Twitter accounts.  The people who have friended you are also the people who care about you. Some of them will click on the link and read the article. 

Every business should attempt to get articles published in their local and regional papers as often as possible. But don't rely on it. Publish the articles online on your own website as well.