I’ve had this question asked a lot, how do I get to see all these shows for free? How do I get given press tickets for arts events? All to write content for your blog…
Well, I simply contact the relevant PR/Marketing Teams. But it is not just as simple as that, it is about showcasing yourself and building a professional relationship with the team.
Because I have been in this industry for a while now, I don’t want to say it is easier but perhaps relaxed when I request tickets. I know the teams now, I can politely request to review a show and they usually say yes and I am always grateful for the offering that to me.
When I was starting out I would email the generic press email, I would write a small paragraph introducing myself and introducing my blog. I would then explain that I would like to review a show and why I would like to review it. I would also let them know when I would get the review published and shared on social media etc.
The team would respond with an answer and if I got accepted, they usually sent out a press release with some pictures and perhaps the relevant # that I may need to use when sharing on social media.
I would then write the review, email the PR/Marketing team thanking them for allowing me to come and also attach a link to my review. And that is how I would do it when I first started out.
As I have said, I have been reviewing for a while (since 2012) so press teams knew me well. So when I came to review for my blog, I had no issues because I had that previous relationship with them. And now I just email the marketing team with a list of shows that I would like to review and they still send me the media pack and the details of show etc. But I don’t email them with a link, I simply share on social media and tag the venue in.
I hope this is useful for those bloggers and writers who a new to reviewing theatre and don’t know how to approach it.
