How to use your elevator speech in a media interview without sounding like a robot

I've already coached you to think of your "elevator speech" or three-point message as a menu with three courses that you can offer your listener. That helps you boil down what you want to say into its briefest form, and serve it up so your listener follow along and remember what you said later. But when it comes to media interviews, you'll often hear three-point messages repeated over and over. That may seem safer, but makes you look and sound like a robot (and robots are rarely called back for more interviews). On February 13, I'll be working with the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science and Technology Policy Fellows on how to use their elevator speeches in media interviews--without sounding like robots. If you're smart about it, you can do the same, using a message to:

1. Let the reporter get a word in edgewise: If you take a deep breath and start delivering an hour-long lecture, that's not an interview. Instead, offer your three elevator-speech points and stop. You've now offered the reporter three different directions to take the interview, and left her some room to do so.
2. Remember the points you most want to include: Nothing's so disappointing as finishing an interview only to realize you never said the most important thing. Limiting yourself to the elevator speech's three-point outline means you just have to remember three key points or categories, not 100. Groups of three things are easiest for you to remember--and likewise, easiest for your audience, so the interview will be memorable on two counts.
3. Go deep where you need to: If your restaurant customer wanted to order another portion of a certain dish, you'd serve it to them, right? If you start the interview by laying out three points, and the reporter wants to follow up one part of that menu intensively, then go deeper into that topic. You should always be prepared to say more about each of the three points in your elevator speech, and while that's rarely a problem for the expert being interviewed, remember that the ability to say more about each point is what makes you different from a robot interview subject.
4. Get creative: If you can string your three points together with an analogy, use alliteration or liken your issue to something in popular culture, you can make it even more memorable. Melinda Gates does that in this TED talk about what nonprofits can learn from Coca-Cola with a clever analogy that lets her dive deeply into what might otherwise be arcane points.
5. Be consistent and prepared for many interviews:  Just as an elevator speech means you're ready for the impromptu question in an elevator, it can get you ready for a series of interviews and ensure you get across your most important points in each one. At the same time, those interviews may go in different directions, and you'll be ready for that, too, by offering up the same menu and seeing where different reporters choose to take the conversation.

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

Wild horses couldn't drag you away from your workweek? I bet they could, especially since the weekend is upon us. Time to round up the wild horses of your week and my finds on Twitter--that's where I shared these finds, reads and tips as @dontgetcaught. Read to the end to hear the Stones sing you into the weekend:

• Rethink the visual:  This roundup of 6 ways nonprofits can use Facebook covers for fundraising can be adapted for business uses, too. ("Covers" are the new, more prominent photos that grace your Facebook timeline.) If photography's one of your assets, make it work for you.
• Get out in your (FB) community: Here's a good reminder why it's vital that you engage people on others' FB pages, not just your own.
• Figure it out: Google Analytics blog describes an astonishing program that "pairs a non-profit organization with pair of web analysts --- one a student wanting the experience and the other a mentor with years of direct work in the field.  The trio work together to have the student learn to use Google Analytics to 'tell a story' with the data about how the non-profit can better meet their business goals." I'd sign up for that, wouldn't you?
• I'm already enjoying this: Google+ results--when people +1 your blog post--are now showing up in Blogger, as the two Google-owned sites are further integrated. My take: It's an easy, at-a-glance metric that even lets me click to connect with those fans, add them to circles or message them. How engaging can you get?
• Get your diving gear on: The New York Times has launched Deep Dive, an experimental contextual service that takes advantage of its rich databases to offer readers the chance to follow a topic. They start with one article and from there can "dive" into the subject. Worth a look for those of you with complex, historical or long-standing topics.
• Data-palooza: iBooks' new textbook platform works: More than 350,000 textbooks were downloaded in the first 3 days...YouTube users are watching 4 billion videos daily, but only because they move through them quickly...and Tumblr just passed 15 billion pageviews per month, thankyouverymuch.

January hit a new record on this blog for readership and page views--thank you, as always, for your attention.

Where's your social media basecamp? Reasons to stake a claim

Do you know where you basecamp lies in social media?

I don't mean your base of followers (although they should be visiting that camp frequently). I mean where you base yourself, whether you're a company, solo entrepreneur, university, nonprofit or government agency. Where can I go to be sure I'm not missing anything from you?  Must I follow you in five places to do that? And I'm not talking about your website, but your social presence.

I got this question from a reader on The Eloquent Woman on Facebook, an ancillary presence for my blog on women and public speaking. "I want to be sure I don't miss anything--should I follow this and the blog?" she asked. I could assure her that if she followed the Facebook page, she'd see everything that was on the blog--because in my content strategy, my blogs are my basecamp, the places that provide the content for everything else. Sure, I have side discussions on Twitter or my Facebook pages, but often, those get repurposed into new content for the blogs and fed back into the other channels.  Anything substantive that happens to me in social media winds up on my blogs. Anything on my blogs winds up on my social channels.

Another way of thinking about this is to figure out where you want your content to appear first. Where is your publisher of record? After that, the other social networks become ways to amplify what's new and draw users from those networks to your basecamp; they also can be listening posts, where you gather feedback and discuss what emanated from your base. That is, if you need other places to be. Some folks do just fine with a Facebook page alone, for example. But if you do have multiple channels, make sure their roles are clear, and connected to that basecamp.

This isn't new thinking in the social media space, but more and more, I see communicators feeling overwhelmed by the many networks and options available. If you--or your team, or your audience--can't answer the basecamp question, that tells you a strategy needs to be more evident and aforethought. It's not as simple as "We push everything out to all the channels," either. That tells me you haven't really thought this through, and that you're not at all interested in what your readers need, who they are or where they're playing in social spaces. Time to pick and choose, I say.

Choosing and focusing your content strategy on a base has other advantages. It's difficult to develop a strong voice and reputation if your efforts and posts are scatter-shot, but speaking from a base can help you evolve into a source readers know and trust.

Share your social media basecamp in the comments, and, if you wish, why it's working for you. Or do you find a widespread strategy more effective? I'm happy to hear views on all sides.

Secret no more: Closed-door meetings, trashy news Fridays get high-tech visibility

Here's even more reason for communications directors to make friends with their information technology teams: Your organization or company's closed-door boardroom meetings may be vulnerable to hacking through the videoconferencing system, and reporters on Twitter are starting to call out groups that put out stinky news late on Fridays. Here's what you need to know:

Take out the trash Fridays gets a hashtag

One clever use to which Twitter is being put: Calling out organizations, agencies and corporations who use the tactic of "taking out the trash" on Friday afternoons, by releasing stinky news stories late on a day when they're likely to get little attention in the Saturday press.

Used only a few times so far, the Twitter hashtag #tottf (Take Out the Trash Friday) is one way reporters and others can share stories or practices that fit the bill. "Take Out the Trash Friday" hails from the television series The West Wing, and even gets its own page on Wikipedia so you can come up to speed. While the focus there is on the White House, many organizations have used this tactic over the years--and I think the hashtag may have the neat result of nipping that in the bud, eventually, since it's an idea we should have trashed some time ago. Let's put "Take Out the Trash Fridays" on our resolution list for change and reform, shall we?

Videoconferencing hackers may see inside your boardroom

If you've got videoconferencing capabilities in your meeting rooms and boardrooms, take this New York Times article on how easily videoconferencing rooms can be hacked right to your IT director and facilities managers.

The chief security officer at a Boston-based cybersecurity company "...has found it easy to get into several top venture capital and law firms, pharmaceutical and oil companies and courtrooms across the country. He even found a path into the Goldman Sachs boardroom. 'The entry bar has fallen to the floor,' said Mike Tuchen, chief executive of Rapid7. 'These are literally some of the world’s most important boardrooms — this is where their most critical meetings take place — and there could be silent attendees in all of them.'


How prevalent is this problem? The company's security officer scanned 3 percent of the Internet and found "5,000 wide-open conference rooms at law firms, pharmaceutical companies, oil refineries, universities and medical centers. He stumbled into a lawyer-inmate meeting room at a prison, an operating room at a university medical center, and a venture capital pitch meeting where a company’s financials were being projected on a screen." Setting up the system inside the firewall is one step toward blocking this vulnerability, as is getting a system with security protocols, typically more available on newer systems. The hackers can see well enough to read slides on a screen, notes on the table and certainly who's in the room. 

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

No matter how your week went, I'm quite sure you didn't trip and fall into a lifeboat--and I'm proud of you for that. No question we're all ready for the weekend, so I'm rounding up the best of the tips, reads and resources I shared this week on Twitter, where I'm @dontgetcaught. Now, get ready: Put on your lifejacket, cue the band and someone call the Coast Guard. I can see the weekend in the not-too-far distance:

• The bad news: Many Facebook pages only reach about 17 percent of their fans. The good news: There are things you can do to ensure that your posts get seen by those who like you. Engagement is the key.
• Who's using Google+? Besides me, of course: It has 90 million users and 60 percent of them come back every day. Not bad for a relative upstart.
• Time those tweets: In case you haven't already figured this out, scheduling tweets works best when they're not during the rush part of each hour. 
• QR codes in the wild: I'm collecting smart uses of QR codes. Here's a clever vacation discount offered by an airline, targeting people who are flying together. And Gmail recently tested QR codes as a more secure form of login.
• What to do with all the negative reviews and comments that come in via social channels: Use them to improve what you're doing. One London hotel decided not to ignore its bad reviews on TripAdvisor, and propelled itself higher in the ranks of well-reviewed hotels in a competitive city. A smart case study.
• Vote early and often: We've said it before: Political campaigns do the dirty work for you, testing new uses and approaches on social media. Here, the current crop of Republican presidential candidates' campaigns yield business-worthy approaches to growing a fan base and engaging them.
• Facebook folds in more social sites: Facebook just announced integration with apps for some of the most established and popular social sites, meaning you can now use eBay, Foursquare, Pinterest and more directly within FB. As before, Facebook's the champ at ensuring you stay there All Day Long.
• More Pinterest examples: I've started a board on Pinterest to capture good uses I see on that site for organizations, companies, causes, authors and more. 
• Famous speeches by women wanted: Over on The Eloquent Woman blog, I've started indexing famous women's speeches featured in our weekly series on same. I'd love to hear about famous women's speeches you think we should feature in the future. Here are the specs. Communicators, I'm counting on you--but remember, just because a woman gave the speech doesn't make it famous.

Here's to your weekend--I know you earned it this week--and thanks for reading.

Get a grip on your pitching to reporters: 10 resources

I'd much rather see you revive the lost art of giving tips to reporters, rather than pitch them (and so would the reporters). But, dear communicators, if you're going to continue pitching, at least get a grip on the ball. Here are 10 resources, inspirations and examples to help you rethink and retool your media relations pitches for better success, or at least, less-cranky reporters:

1. What you can spend time doing instead of pitching: Bad Pitch Blog points you to a more useful activity, sharing examples of how national media are using social media to elicit leads and ideas. Call it the reverse pitch, and a more successful use of your time.
2. Here's a shocker: Journalists pitch, too: Of course, when journalists pitch, they're approaching editors with story ideas they want to write and get paid for writing. But their insights, and those of the editors who accept or reject those pitches, can help the savvy communicator better understand what's wanted, too. The Open Notebook, a behind-the-scenes trove about the best science coverage, shares these tips on how not to pitch, based on feedback from editors at seven major publications.
3. Just because you can automate it doesn't make it right:  That's one of the underlying messages in Jason Falls's very good PR guide to email pitching. You'll learn how to avoid being spammy, among other things.
4. A pitch a reporter yearns for: Environmental reporter and blogger Andrew Revkin is great about sharing what does and doesn't work for him regarding pitches. Here's a pitch he called "smart, efficient, useful on both ends,"  from Karen Bailey of EcoSummit. What's even more valued: It isn't really a pitch, but an effort to find out his level of awareness and his desire to learn more about a specific upcoming event. And it's just three questions, one of which offers multiple-choice answer options. Make it easy for them, people, in a good way.
5. Even PR publications get pitched the wrong way: PR Newser shares five pitching tips from a Los Angeles journalist, with gems on how to add value and basics like "Please don’t hide your client’s PR contact info online like it’s the CEO’s bank pin." And then PR Newser adds three pointers of its own, including the succinct "Call when it’s important. Want to follow up? No need. Want to make sure I got your email? I got it. Want to see if I need to speak with someone? If I need to, I’ll ask. I’m not shy. We can use email to schedule interviews, or I’ll call you if there’s something that is more easily handled with a quick conversation. The other stuff is just annoying."
6. Did you pitch in error? Correct with just as much enthusiasm: Reuters Health reporter Frederik Joelving reports on a Centers for Disease Control social-media holiday campaign for heart health that made a blanket recommendation about taking a daily aspirin--even though that advice is rejected by many established health authorities. Even the CDC normally includes a caveat when it promotes aspirin use, but not in this case, which was pitched to reporters for their coverage, and then corrected.
7. Yes, you can test for pitching knowledge:  The Flack blog updates an old test of PR knowledge for today's technology (and you're supposed to take it without access to the Internet). But you do know the answer to the final question: "When is it OK to pitch a story idea via a Twitter direct message?" Don't you? And in some cases, the answer may be don't pitch them on Twitter at all.
8. Pitch the picture: These days, you may find yourself pitching infographics, and Arik Hanson has you covered on the how-to. Funny, but these pitches also need to be relevant to the reporter or blogger.
9. Here's a pitch to you, PR people: This writer wants you to stop chasing "earned media" and focus more on "owned media" for the things you're now pitching to reporters.
10. Here's what the reporter experienced right before your pitch: After she didn't respond favorably to a pitch, she was called "a fucking bitch" by the PR vice president. More than two weeks after the new year, he got a pitch saying the new year was just around the corner. Try, people, to be as rare and refreshing as a drink of water in this desert, will you? And get a calendar.

I don't pitch reporters any more these days, but I can help train your team of communicators in effective pitching (or better methods). Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz if your team needs a refresher that takes today's methods into account.

AAAS revamps "Communicating Science" resources, seeks workshop hosts

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has made significant updates to its useful "Communicating Science" resource website for scientists and engineers--which also is useful for the communicators who support their work. In particular, an expanded section on using online media to communicate science is now included, and updates have been made to other resources on the site.

AAAS also is seeking institutions and organizations that would like to host a "Communicating Science" workshop via the site, and offers resources for scientists who've already gone through a previous workshop and want to continue communicating and building on what they've learned. I'm proud to have facilitated many of the previous "Communicating Science" workshops, and would encourage you to explore with AAAS the option of bringing one to your organization. Check out this new resource!

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

Yup. It's that time again...time to ease out of the work week and into the weekend. I've taken the time to pull together my best finds from others, reads and resources that I shared this week on Twitter, where I'm @dontgetcaught. Here's what got my clock ticking this week:

• So-called news stories under a flashlight: The FCC is investigating pay-for-play TV news stories involving health news.
• Remember, they don't control it: The National Weather Service just got a Twitter feed.
• That map might be eavesdropping: This German Google Map pinpoints where things were overheard or reported to have been said. And you were worried about reporters.
• Welcome pitches? This study suggests that pitches to reporters from social-media influencers are well-received. I'm sorta waiting to hear what reporters say, myself. 
• A tour you should take: From the enigmatic but inspiring blog Peace and Love and Noticing the Details.
• Let's give them something to talk about: Wondered, have you, about what Facebook pages' "People are Talking About" metrics really mean? Inside Facebook breaks it down for you.
• Facebooking and fundraising: Facebook proves fundraising is more than the 'ask' is a smart post from Mixtape Communications that every nonprofit, fundraiser or cause should consider.
• News organizations on Google+: Here's a roundup of the news organizations with the most engagement on G+. I think this might be our most versatile network yet.
• Get out your rulers: Google recently shared its vision of what'll happen with measurement in 2012. 
• Professions get social: This week, two good posts on how doctors use social media, and another on global social media use in the legal industry.
• You might need that lawyer adept in social media: There's another court case on whether you or your boss own your social media profile. This one's about LinkedIn.
• A job and a good one: And a great university writer job opening at St. Lawrence University. I've worked a lot with Tom Evelyn, their vice president for communications, and you should explore the chance to work with his team--great people.

One thing you shouldn't put off till the weekend: I extended the discounted registration for "Be an Expert on Working with Experts," my February 1 workshop--but it ends at midnight tonight. Just $300 to get smart about the smart people you work with. Seats are filling, and I'd love for you and your team to attend. (You can still register until January 25 or when the workshop's full, but at a slightly higher rate.)

17 things you can pin on Pinterest that are not pillows and dresses

Have you tried Pinterest? It's the new darling of social media and you need an invitation to join (I have some if you'll email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.) You'll hear some folks dismissing or buttonholing this system of virtually "pinning" visuals to topical "boards" so others can share, like or comment on them. "It's just for 20-year-old women who want to collect pics of wedding dresses they'll never wear" or "just for middle-aged women clipping imaginary decorating projects they'll never do" are the more unkind ones I've heard. Even luminaries like Chris Brogan have said they just don't get it.

But in fact, people of all sorts, organizations and brands are working in this new space...and it's still new. Plenty of time to figure out what to do with it. I like an open-ended social network like this, one that lets the users figure out what it's for, and over time (like that Twitter thing did).

Pinterest revolves around photos and video. Many of them are indeed from "lifestyle" brands in fashion, retail, art, decorating, food and related areas; some are shared by consumers and some by the brands. But you can help this new service push the envelope a bit. Try these ideas for expanding your subject matter on Pinterest, keeping in mind it's not for aggressive promotion and sales, and more about who's sharing what you've got:

1. Concerned about diversifying a profession? If your goal is to increase the position of young people, women, or underrepresented minorities in your professional association or membership, start a Pinterest board showing notable examples as well as new members who fit that bill. Let your members see who looks like them.
2. Promoting a particular group of inspiring role models? I've got a series on famous speeches by women over on The Eloquent Woman blog, and I'll be pulling their photos together to show the diversity and variety of women speakers on The Eloquent Woman Index, a collection of those speeches.
3. Raising money for a cause that convinces people by showing results, literally? If your donors are inspired to give based on laying eyes on your overseas operations, those compelling faces of hungry children or some other visual, put it on Pinterest. Or, try this: Show the old office equipment you need to replace, the too-small kitchen at your shelter, the things for which you need to raise funds. The more concrete the picture, the better the understanding of your need.
4. Got a niche lifestyle angle that's small to your overall cause? The National Wildlife Federation is all about getting you outdoors, and one of its crossover boards on Pinterest combines a lifestyle activity with wildlife: Gardening for wildlife. Smart combo.
5. Want to reward volunteers? AARP shows its employees in volunteer situations on Pinterest--a nice recognition, as well as a corporate social responsibility message.
6. Got alumni and students? One standard board suggested by Pinterest is a "My Favorite Places" board, and universities, schools and colleges will find that users are already pinning their own photos of your campus on their boards. Why not give them a supply to repin--and be sure to include not just the money shots of your stadium, but photos of those special places on campus, in different seasons?
7. Working in a field we can't normally see? If you're in radio, behind the scenes on TV, backstage at the theater, in the museum storeroom, in the library book repair room or some other hidden-from-view place, give us the behind-the-scenes tour.
8. Creating art, music, architecture, theater? Everything from your ads and posters to your most recent designs has a place here. Show photos from performances, views of the place you create, and more. See more ideas in my post on social media for the visual artist, which covers Pinterest and more.
9. Convening or planning meetings and events? Everything from room arrangements to place settings or famous speakers can go on your Pinterest board.
10. Running a study abroad program? Get those traveling students to post photos--a great way for prospective students to sample what happens.
11. Holding a retreat or workshop? Let me see those beachfront photos at your hotel, or a class or session in action. You might add a note about why it worked for you, while you're at it.
12. Promoting a mentorship program? Get mentors to pose with mentees, in the setting where they are getting help--offices, conferences, workplaces. Ask both of them to post to Pinterest.
13. Want your students/customers/partners to feel at home at your campus/HQ/offices? Give us the tour, inside and out. Who greets you at the door, what size are the meeting rooms, where are the best places to grab lunch? 
14. Selling or leasing business real estate, short-term offices or other facilities? Put those PDFs away and post room layouts and views, interior and exterior. In Washington, plenty of meeting facilities talk about great views from their conference rooms, but you could show me that money shot of the Washington monument, couldn't you?
15. Got a great view from your roof, meeting room or front steps? Any organization at a location can post the views from its building as well as of its building. Just turn around.
16. Maintain a "wall of fame" for your well-known clients? This might be the new wall of fame--nice way to show with whom you are rubbing elbows.
17. In the business of beds? Hotels, hospitals, assisted living communities and vacation condo rentals all can put Pinterest to use showing what they look like from the inside, with an emphasis on special features, redesigns, and facilities. Don't forget to show those upgrade suites, special-use facilities or other things that make your place unique.

For business owners like me, or those wishing not to share so widely, there are other options involving Pinterest's private boards. One college professor I know who's leading a study abroad in London wants her students to compile photos that capture what London means to them, then winnow them down to one choice that sums up the semester. I suggested she ask them to share the draft selections on private boards, one per student, giving herself an easy way to share and react to the photos during the term; then, when the final choices are made, all students can pin their photo in one Pinterest board for the end of semester project.  This Hollywood stylist talks here about using a private board on Pinterest to hear from clients who want her to react to potential outfits for events; she deletes anything on a shared board that she wouldn't recommend, leaving the right choices. (I may try that with public speaking trainees wanting advice on what to wear.)

Finally, start with some searches. You may find (as in the #6 example above) that the fans are there ahead of you and showing you what they want, in which case, you can give them that, only more/better/more conveniently. And explore the idea of inviting collaborators on some of your boards. I suspect that's where the action will be on this site, once we figure it out. Don't forget to put a "Pin It" button near photos, videos and articles on your website pages, to make it easier for those items to be shared.

How are you using Pinterest? Share your ideas in the comments. Need some basic tips on how to use Pinterest? Mashable's your friend.

Related posts: How to drum up Pinterest in your brand, business, school or cause: 9 smart ways

Extended discount for "Be an Expert on Working with Experts"

Due to a glitch in an email notification, I'm extending your chance to register at a discount for the upcoming February 1 "Be an Expert on Working With Experts" workshop. Now you have until the end of January 13 to pay just $300 for this all-day workshop, a discount of $50 from the regular registration fee.

If you work with experts who skip media interviews and public appearances, don't want to translate from the technical for public audiences or just aren't team players with your communications goals, find out why in this workshop--and what you can do about it. The session is designed to help communications, fundraising, public affairs, speechwriting and other pros. You'll learn about:

• Experts' default communications styles and how to anticipate them;
• Why what you're asking them to do is usually exactly the opposite of what they've been trained to do; and
• Tactics, materials and approaches you can use again and again to better succeed in your work with scientists, experts and other smart folks you're representing.

You can attend this workshop on your own, or, as others have done, bring a team of people with you (a great tactic for ensuring a consistent approach and shared learning). You'll think differently about working with experts after this workshop, and get better results. Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz with any questions you have about the workshop--and register now!

Weekend read: My weekly share on Twitter

How was your first week of 2012? Not sure yet? Let's raise a glass to the weekend, anyway, since it's upon us. I found plenty to toast on Twitter this week, where I'm @dontgetcaught and share my favorite finds, reads and tips from others. Here's what looked good to me this week:

• Plus one, indeed: Observers estimate huge growth in Google+, in part fueled by high sales of Android devices (which bundle it in). I'd add that its integration with Blogger sure helps. Don't overlook this versatile new network.
• Now, here's some incentive to communicate: The National Academy of Sciences Keck Futures Initiative is offering four $20,000 prizes for communicating science on radio or television, in books, in magazines and newspapers or online. Nominate at the link.
• Ivy-covered paywalls: The Knight Foundation offered to offset initial charges for college news sites that use Press+ to generate revenue, and more than 30 such sites have taken them up on the offer so far.
• Now hear this: Online audio tools for journalists are reviewed here, and communicators won't be far behind with this list, I expect. A smart roundup.
• Multitaskers, we see you...on TV: Midway through this video interview, you'll learn how social media's changing our TV viewing: 40 percent of tweets during prime-time televisions shows are from the audience watching them.

And a communications job: The Pew Health Group is looking for a senior officer, research and writing.

A heads-up to newsletter subscribers: Since the majority of subscribers to For Communications Directors also signed up for Step Up Your Speaking, my newsletter for The Eloquent Woman blog, the two newsletters are merging. Speakers & Communicators newsletter debuts this month--stay tuned!

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Social media for the visual artist: 11 ways to promote your work

You'd think I was in enough places on the web, between my four blogs, two company Facebook pages and personal FB profile, a Google profile and Google+ presence, a Twitter feed, an About.me page and a few other things. But shame on me, when I sold my first works of art at a gallery exhibit last August, one of the buyers emailed me afterward to complain.

"You've got something on the web about everything but your art," he said, accurately. "I want to see more."

Well, you don't need to tell me twice. (He emailed me via About.me, by the way.) So even though I've been studying and making art--primarily collage and its three-dimensional cousin, assemblage--for the past decade, I'm now blogging about my works on a specific site about my art, explaining my works and letting readers see them before they go on exhibit. I've helped several artist and gallery friends take the plunge into social media, and I'm about to help my current gallery do the same. So here, where my worlds collide, are 11 ways visual artists and their galleries can share and promote (and even sell) their work using social media tools:

1. Blogs offer artists an easy way to update a website, as well as share and sell their latest works. A longtime favorite of mine is Molly Brose's blog A Day's Work. Aside from a recent hiatus prompted by the birth of her child, the blog has been featuring--and selling--a painting a day since 2006, largely small 6" x 6" watercolors. Bonus: Her frequent posts help drive her higher in search-engine results, and make it easy for potential buyers to find her. Galleries can use blogs to keep their sites updated, drive search engine results, promote events, point out nearby restaurants and museums and much more. (And you can feed blog posts into Facebook and Twitter to further their reach.) More recent, the nine-month-old blog Experiment Station blog from the Phillips Collection, a contemporary art museum in Washington has done a great job focusing on its events, permanent collection, and local angles; this post sums up some of the ways it looks at the world.
2. Facebook and its improved visual aspects, from timeline photos to larger thumbnail pictures with posts, offers visual artists and galleries a world of opportunity--and with its fastest-growing audiences in their 50s and up, it has an art-buying audience well in hand. Galleries can take advantage of its easy events posts and corporate pages, encourage sharing by their artists, and tag photos of attendees at receptions and openings. Artists can share their works as they are completed, invite friends to openings, and use apps to build their email newsletter lists of prospective buyers. They even can build sales growth on Facebook. While it's not fine art, this wedding photographer now makes $100,000 a year through gigs that come through just one simple Facebook sales technique: Posting photos quickly, and tagging people in them. The rest comes from sharing and word-of-mouth. Visual artists can do the same at receptions, openings and open-studio events.
3. Pinterest, a new and highly visual social sharing site that's currently in beta test, leads with photos and lets others find them, like them, comment on them and "re-pin" them to their own sites. While overt selling is discouraged, artists can share their new works with links to a blog or website, and get feedback and interest indicators. It's no mistake that many Etsy shops are active on Pinterest, expanding the visual links and driving customers to a site where they can buy something. If you need an invitation to join, email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz.
4. Twitter's another suitable network for art buyers, populated as it is by working middle-aged folks. Twitter also has improved its options for posting pictures, and is highly effective at driving traffic to blogs and websites, making it an ideal complement to your social media base. The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, has a gallery and a fine-art school to promote, and its Twitter account shares its finds about art in a Paper.li daily summary, and links to its blog. Here's a wonderful recent behind-the-scenes blog post about retiring a gallery wall that's seen too much service, called "If This Wall Could Talk." The accompanying tweet said "Nailed: After years of service, a gallery wall is retired," a summary that drew me right in and provided the link to the post, too. I found a similar behind-the-scenes post about how the League juries art for its shows--in this case, winnowing down more than 500 entries to just 150 in a couple of days.
5. Foursquare might also be overlooked by artists and galleries, but in addition to noting a gallery location, you can add tips to any location ("My latest work is on display here until November 30" or "ask about renting our gallery for your next special event") so that searchers can find out more. And you can make Foursquare lists for any gallery/studio/museum your art is in, sharing nearby restaurants, describing a quick "art tour" that includes your location and any nearby collections, pacing off how far you are from various public transportation options or major landmarks and more. About Foursquare is a useful blog to read, and it has these 5 tips for creating Foursquare lists that get noticed. At a minimum, get your staff, volunteers, donors, buyers and others to check in on Foursquare when they walk through those gallery doors.
6. Art Spotter is an iPhone app that helps tourists and others locate nearby art, making it ideal for galleries and museums, as well as art shows, sales and events. It's international in scope and casts a wide net; venues also can get information on what users are doing.
7. Art.sy is in private beta and you need to request an invite to participate, but it's a fine-art tool that aims to help people discover fine art. Galleries, museums and private art collections can explore partnerships with Art.sy.
8. QR codes can work for both artists and galleries. At a location, a QR code lets passers-by find your website quickly from a sticker on your door, even if the gallery is closed; at an opening, an artist's card might include a QR code. As this New York Times roundup of recent QR code uses notes, the Museum of Modern Art recently mounted an exhibit that included QR codes on the labels for each piece of art. The enterprising artist might include such a code on her artwork's labels at a show, inviting viewers to find out more, on the spot.
9. Museum Analytics, now in beta, is less for sharing and more for metrics, as it calculates the social reach of various museums in one place. If nothing else, it's a trove of data that you can use to compare your own social reach. If your gallery's located near one of these museums, the site will offer lots of clues about how to maximize your reach with the same nearby audience.
10. Flickr is always a good social repository for photos of your work, and galleries and museums can use it to encourage members and attendees to post their photos of events and art. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has a robust collection of Flickr photos tagged by users who visit the museum, and used Flickr to encourage photo entries to its clever ad campaign "It's Time We Met," which used winning photos from its visitors in the ads.
11. YouTube might seem out of kilter for many visual artists, at least those whose work isn't moving. But in fact, you can create a channel that includes interviews with you, footage from openings and art events, views of your most recent painting along with you providing some narration about the work, an "open studio" tour, a look at some of your works-in-progress. Don't forget that YouTube is one of the most popular search engines of all--and be sure to post your videos not just on YouTube, but on Facebook, Twitter and your blog. It's worth remembering that online video is still the strongest trend in social media, attracting billions of views a day. Here's an artist who shows herself at an art show and sale, including a work-in-progress:

The advantages to all these approaches? They allow you--you, the artist, or you, the gallery or museum--to demystify art, answer questions, note what's for sale, invite attendees, support artists and engage viewers. And yes, sell art, attract sponsors and partners, sell items from the gift shop, encourage commissions and all the other business that makes the art world run. Try it, artists. You'll like it.

Winter workshops: Social media resolutions & working with experts

Starting the year with a good, thoughtful workshop can be as refreshing as a cool drink of water: You can revive your approaches, refresh your skills and renew your commitment to a sound strategy. I have two workshops coming up--one with an immediate deadline--for you to consider:

• Your 5 best social media resolutions for 2012, a lunch-and-learn session in Washington, DC, takes place January 10...but registration closes today, January 4. We still have places left, and you'll want to join the other communicators who will learn new trends and tactics that will help them do more with less effort in the social space.
• Be an Expert on Working with Experts is a February 1 day-long workshop on ways to better understand and work with scientists, subject-matter experts and other smart folks you represent--but you'll get a significant discount if you register by January 10. You'll learn their default communications styles, why they don't always cooperate with what you're asking them to do, and how to develop better working relationships with them to meet your goals--with materials and tactics you can use again and again.

Got questions? Email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz. Bring yourself or your team to these winter workshops!