Festival of Museums 2017

PR & Marketing toolkit

Introduction

Thank you for taking part in this year’s Festival of Museums, Scotland’s biggest ever Festival of Museums! This toolkit contains information and instructions for all event organisers to help you make the most of raising the profile of your event and the Festival of Museums weekend.

The marketing activity coordinated by MGS is designed to ensure both the Festival of Museums and your fantastic venues are front of mind for both media and consumers, so please get involved.

MGS has created this toolkit alongside our PR agency, Stripe Communications, to help your museum get the most from this year’s festival and maximise your local media coverage and social media engagement.

For those who joined us for the webinar, you will already be familiar with some of the content detailed further on. If you have any questions regarding PR or social media please contact Shaun Bell, Alex Crate or Tom Hallam at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8628 or email fom@stripecommunications.com

Contents

1. Campaign overview2. PR3. Photography4. Social media5. Appendix

a. Sample press releaseb. Sample media invitec. Sample photo captiond. Image sizes for social media

Campaign overview

As you’ll have seen, we have already started out wider marketing campaign by distributing our leaflets and posters.

Applications have now closed and our website will be updated with all 2017 event descriptions by 20 March.

We will be officially unveiling the 2017 Festival of Museums events programme w/c 27 March with a photocall and media launch. Our media relations will ramp up from this date.

We will also be advertising in print media and across our social media channels to generate awareness of the festival and local events.

PR

MGS and Stripe Communications will work together to raise the profile of the Festival of Museums weekend and its programme of events through local and national media. We would appreciate your support in spreading the word in your area.

You can promote your event in the following ways:

Invite a local journalist to attend the event – offer them free tickets / sneak preview a day or two before

Invite the local newspaper photographer along to capture the event Share a press release with your local news desk in late April / early May encouraging

them to pre-promote the event and drive footfall

The appendix of this document contains template media release, media invite and photo caption, which you can adapt and use for your own media outreach.

If you are contacted by the media about Festival of Museums and are unsure of how to answer their question, please put them in touch with Stripe Communications who will be happy to help with their enquiry.

Identifying media opportunities

MGS and Stripe Communications will be on the lookout for strong media opportunities throughout March, April and May. Stripe may contact you directly to discuss photo or interview opportunities, but we would also appreciate your support in identifying great stories for media. Let us know if your museum has any of the following:

Strong spokespeople – do you have any industry experts / curators who could chat with media in depth about the subject of your event? Or any real characters who could meet with media e.g. a tour guide who has worked there for forty years and has ‘seen it all’

Awards / milestones – has your museum recently won an industry award or are you celebrating an anniversary or opening a new exhibit?

One-off events – is your event a real one-off e.g. is this the first event of its kind

Exclusive exhibitions are you showcasing an exclusive item, artefact or collection that would be of significant interest to local or national media?

If you have any interesting stories to share please notify the team at Stripe Communications.

Photography

Having strong images of your event is a great way to secure coverage in local newspapers. Unfortunately due to cost cutting, not all newspapers will be able to commit to sending a photographer on the day. We’d recommend hiring a freelance photographer, but if your budget does not stretch to this then please use these following guidelines when taking pictures:

Who: photograph members of the public, staff / volunteers from the museum enjoying the event – try to pick people who will make an interesting picture e.g. cute school children or actors in historical dress (please find under 18s consent form in appendix)

What: as well as taking photos throughout the course of your event, it’s also a good idea to stage an opportunity before or after the event to give you control over the shot and not to distract from the event itself. ‘Behind the scenes’ pictures are also great draws to try to capture some shots of staff setting up in the run-up to the event.

Where: pick a bright, naturally lit location whenever possible

When: early in the morning before the event opens is a prime time to stage some photography and capture some strong shots in the bag. You should keep taking pictures throughout the day as these will be useful for social media.

Why: create strong, high quality shots for sharing with media and posting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Top tips

Resolution – your photography should be at least 2480 x 3508 pixels. To take this standard of photography you should use a digital camera or an up to date smartphone.

Variety – take a mixture of landscape and portrait photography. Take a mixture of posed and candid shots. Try to take photos in a landscape format where possible. Try to avoid lots of people in suits. Set up shots that you think what would make a

great picture in your paper e.g. colour, people, fun.

NB: Persons under the age of 18 require parental / guardian consent before taking part in photography. Please find a consent form on the final page of this document.

School children may have received this permission in advance, check with the class teacher in advance and identify if there are any children who do not have permission.

Examples of strong photography:

Examples of less impactful photography:

Social media

Last year, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram proved increasingly useful communications tools and helped us raise public awareness of Festival of Museums.

If you or your organisation have these social media accounts please interact with us, let us know about any exciting milestones in your event planning and share photos related to your

events and we’ll share / re-tweet and use the information to build public awareness and interest.

This year, we will be using our Festival of Museums Instagram account for the second year. As the channel is image based, this means that sharing and ‘regramming’ photography from events will be a key priority for us.

Guidance on uploading images to social media can be found in the appendix.

Facebook

You can find us at www.facebook.com/FestivalofMuseums

Here you can promote your own event and also engage with events, participants and audiences across Scotland.

We would appreciate if you could ‘like’ our page and share, like and comment on our posts and we will keep an eye out for opportunities to return the favour.

Here are some suggested posts you can use to engage with us:

w/c 27 March We are excited to be a part of the 2017 Festival of Museums. Check out the full programme, including our own event, [name of event], here: bit.ly/1DSwIcI #FOM2017

Delighted to announce that [name of museum] is part of the 2017 Festival of Museums. Check out what’s on here: bit.ly/1DSwIcI #FOM2017

w/c 12 May Only one week to go until our [name of event]! Part of the 2017 Festival of Museums #FOM2017

19-21 May Here are some great pics of visitors enjoying our [XX] event as part of the Festival of Museums #FOM2017

Our top tips for Facebook:

To drive interest and ticket sales in April and early May, we recommend you use links to drive visitors to the Festival of Museums website – you can shorten long links by using bit.ly – https://bitly.com An account is not necessary, however you can review how your activity performs if you create one.

Always use engaging copy and images – these are more likely to stand out on people’s newsfeed and gain greater engagement

Copy is not always necessary if you have a strong image posted on its own. Remember to keep your posts between 100 and 250 characters – shorter, succinct

posts are better received. Create a two-way conversation – ask your followers to share their thoughts on your

event. Remember to link to / tag the Festival of Museums in your copy and photography –

this will notify us of your post and give us the opportunity to engage with you, as well

as opening up your own channel to the wider Festival of Museums Facebook audience (to do this, type the @ symbol and the name “Festival of Museums”).

Twitter

You can find us www.twitter.com/FestofMuseums, @FestofMuseums and using #FOM2017

We would appreciate if you could ‘follow’ our account and engage with our posts by commenting, retweeting and using the #FOM2017 hashtag.

When creating your own content remember that Tweets are a maximum of 140 characters. Posting a photo on Twitter now doesn’t take up any of your character limit.

Here are some suggested tweets:

w/c 27 March The 2017 @FestofMusuems launched today & we’re proud to be a part of it. Find out more here: bit.ly/1DSwIcI #FOM2016

April We’re busy planning our @FestofMusuems event – [name of event] #FOM2017 [picture of preparations]

19-21 May Check out our [name of event] event as part of @FestofMuseums #FOM2017 [picture from event]

We’ve got incredible events during the Festival of Museums this weekend. Check them out: [insert link] #FOM2017

[insert name of museum] is part of the biggest ever Festival of Museums this weekend. Check out what’s on: [insert link] #FOM2017

Our top tips for Twitter:

Tweet frequently and make sure your tweets are informative, useful or funny. Retweet interesting posts related to your event / subject area. Join the wider conversation on Festival of Museums by using the hashtag #FOM2017 Direct followers to the Festival of Museums programme by sharing the link:

http://bit.ly/1yS3GTy Follow other participating museums, chat about the Festival and spread the buzz.

Instagram

You can find us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/festofmuseums, @festofmuseums and using #FOM2017.

We would appreciate if you could like our page and share, like and comment on our posts and we will keep an eye out for opportunities to return the favour.

If you have a smartphone we would love if you could download the Instagram app and share engaging images and videos throughout the Festival of Museums weekend.

Our top tips for Instagram:

Use the #FOM2017 hashtag in your updates. Hashtags are key to helping users find you through their mobile Instagram searches. Get connected by using creative captions including a few tags such as #FOM2017 #museum and #gallery.

Be creative with your photos and use filters to enhance your shots. Instagram now has short video capabilities. Use this to make 15 second videos on

your Instagram feed, highlighting any interactive elements of your event.

Appendix

a. Sample press release

[MUSEUM NAME] HOSTS [EVENT] AS PART OF SCOTLAND’S BIGGEST EVER FESTIVAL OF MUSUEMS

[Museum name] in [town] is getting ready to take part Scotland’s annual Festival of Museums, a nationwide programme of cultural events taking place from 19 – 21 May.

This year will be Scotland’s largest ever Festival of Museums and [Insert Museum] is hosting [Insert a brief description of the event including date, time and ticket price]

The Festival of Museums is an annual event coordinated by Museums Galleries Scotland to showcase Scotland’s extensive cultural offering through over 120 exciting events taking place over one weekend across the country. The programme caters to all ages and interests and includes everything from historical re-enactments and night time murder mysteries to children’s storytelling and arts and crafts.

Joanne Orr, Chief Executive of Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “Festival of Museums is about igniting imaginations and celebrating creativity whilst showcasing Scotland’s wealth of culture and heritage. Our packed programme features engaging, surprising and entertaining events over three action-packed days in museums across Scotland. Get involved and come and see what Scotland’s museums have to offer.”

[Event name] is just one of many exciting events taking place as part of Festival of Museums between 19 and 21 May 2017. For a full programme of events, please visit www.festivalofmuseums.com.

ENDS

For further information please contact [your name] on [phone number] or [email address]

Notes to editors

About festival of museums

Created and co-ordinated by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), Festival of Museums encourages Scotland’s museums to provide visitors with the opportunity to enjoy exciting, entertaining and surprising day or night events at museums and galleries over one weekend.

This year’s Festival will take place from Friday, 19 May to Sunday, 21 May and will features over 120 events, taking place at cultural attractions throughout Scotland.

MGS works in partnership with Culture 24 / Museums at Night which takes place over the same weekend.

b. Sample media invite

*MEDIA CALLING NOTICE*

What: [museum name] hosts [xx] event as part of Scotland’s biggest ever Festival of Museums

When: [date] [time]

Where: [museum name] [full address, including postcode]

Contact: [your name], [phone number], [email address]

Background

On [date], [museum name] will host an exciting event as part of 2017’s Festival of Museums.

Media are invited to [museum name] to film and photograph local residents enjoying the event which includes [details of event].

The Festival of Museums is an annual event coordinated by Museums Galleries Scotland to showcase Scotland’s extensive cultural offering through over 120 exciting events taking place across the country in Scotland’s museums and galleries from 19 - 21 May 2017.

Media opportunities include: [insert info]

For further information please visit: www.festivalofmuseums.com

To confirm attendance, please contact [contact name] on [insert phone number and email address]

ENDS

c. Sample photo caption

L-R: [insert names from left to right if there are less than six people]

Visitors to [museum name] enjoy [description of event] as part of Scotland’s biggest ever Festival of Museums.

The Festival of Museums is an annual event coordinated by Museums Galleries Scotland to showcase Scotland’s extensive cultural offering through over 120 exciting events taking place across the country. Find something exciting, entertaining & surprising, day or night at Scotland’s museums & galleries from 19th - 21st May 2017. Get involved!!

For further information please visit: www.festivalofmuseums.com

ENDS

d. Photography consent form

To be completed by individual(s) (parents/guardians if subject is less than 18 years of age) before photographs are taken.

MGS Project Leader / Photography coordinator

Project name ……………………………………………………………………………

Signature Date

I have fully discussed the content of this form with the person(s) mentioned below.

Person(s) in photographI hereby grant Museums Galleries Scotland the right to use the photograph(s) resulting from the photo shoot, and any reproductions or adaptations of the photograph(s) for all general purposes in relation to Museums Galleries Scotland’s work including, without limitation, the right to use them in any publicity materials, websites, newspapers and magazine articles whenever Museums Galleries Scotland to do so.

Name (please print)………………………………………………………………………………

Address…………………………………………………………………………………………

Signature………………………………………………………………Date………………………

Name and address of parent/guardian if person to be photographed is less than 18 years of age

Name (please print)………………………………………………………………………………

Address………………………………………………………………………………………………

Signature……………………………………………………………Date……………………

e. Social media guidelines

Below are a series of social media content creation guidelines that will show you how to select the best images to use on Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook

Profile Picture – 180 x 180

Must be at least 180 x 180 pixels Photo will appear on page as 160 x 160

pixels Photo thumbnail will appear throughout

Facebook at 32 x 32 pixels

Cover photo – 851 x 315

Appear on page at 851 x 315 pixels. Anything less will be stretched

Minimum size of 399 x 150 pixels For best results, upload an RGB JPG file

less than 100 KB Images with a logo or text may be best as a

PNG file

Shared Image – 1,200 x 630

Recommended upload size of 1,200 x 630 pixels.

Will appear in feed at a max width of 470 pixels (will scale to a max of 1:1).

Will appear on page at a max width of 504 pixels (will scale to a max of 1:1).

Shared Link – 1,200 x 627 (Recommended)

Recommended upload size of 1,200 x 627 pixels.

Square Photo: Minimum 154 x 154px in feed.

Square Photo: Minimum 116 x 116 on page.

Rectangular Photo: Minimum 470 x 246 pixels in feed.

Rectangular Photo: Minimum 484 x 252 on page. Facebook will scale photos under the minimum dimensions. For better results,

increase image resolution at the same scale as the minimum size.

Twitter

Profile Photo – 400 x 400 (Displays 200 x 200)

Square Image – recommended 400 x 400 pixels.

Maximum file size 100 KB. JPG, GIF, or PNG.

Header Photo – 1,500 x 500 Recommended 1,500 x 500 pixels. Maximum file size of 10 MB. JPG, GIF, or PNG.

In-Stream Photo – Minimum 440 x 220 (2:1 Ratio)

Minimum to appear expanded 440 x 220 pixels (a 2:1 ratio)

Maximum to appear expanded 1024 x 512 pixels.

Appears in stream collapsed at 506 x 253 pixels.

Maximum file size of 5 MB for photos, and 3 MB for animated GIFs.