Creativity and persistence -- those are two of the key skills needed to conduct a successful PR campaign. I noted this point during a presentation I gave last week to small business owners on "PR Tips for Success".

To illustrate this point, I'd like to share a story about a local PR campaign I conducted recently for a client that required a lot of creativity and persistence to achieve results.

DNA art PR campaign
My client, Lynn Fellman, is a very creative Minneapolis artist who wanted to increase the visibility of a her unique, new DNA portrait art. I'd like to thank Lynn very much for sharing in her own words the story of our successful PR journey together.

In her own words
"After 25 years in business, I've tried just about every marketing tactic there is, except for PR. When I started creating this new artwork that was different and had a story to tell, it seemed like PR might be a good promotion vehicle."

Art world tough market
"My goal is to sell my art, but the art world is a tough market. A lot depends on perceived value, status, fashion and other intangibles. Since I was new to the market, I didn't have a network in place or much visibility to help me out. I didn't expect PR to make sales for me, but I did want it to open doors and create opportunities for me."

Art and science
"My new work is unique and needed someone who could understand both the artistic and scientific aspects of what I was doing and get really passionate about it. After developing a strategic PR plan, Barb "dug in" and worked hard to understand both the art and science of it."

Brainstorming story angles
"A fun part of the process for me was brainstorming with her on story angles. She sent out many targeted story pitches with different news angles and followed up with dozens of phone calls. Barb took my written material and shaped it to match a specific target audience and publication. It was a real challenge to state effectively, yet simply, the complex ideas in my artwork."

Art market saturated
"It was a tough challenge because the art market is saturated and it's almost impossible to make a dent with the art media. Plus, the arts reporters didn't know what to do with the scientific aspect of the story. We knew we had a good story to tell, but it was daunting trying to get it across."

Tenacity pays off
"Tenacity is Barb's true shining strength; she just wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Before I left to show my art at a genetics show in San Diego, she took a creative approach in an email pitch asking "What is an artist doing going to a genetics show?" and it caught the media's attention."

"After six months of hard work, Barb finally landed the big one: an interview for me with Kim Ode, a feature writer at the Star Tribune. Following that she placed articles on my art in the Downtown Journal, Twin Cities Daily Planet, CityBusiness, Minnesota Public Radio online and Minnesota Daily."

Keeping abreast of trends
"Another valuable insight I learned was how hard Barb worked to make the story relevant and timely. She paired the story with current events and other news headlines. It takes a lot of dedication to keep abreast of fast-paced news and trends. I know Barb does that everyday; it's part of her ability to stay focused and think strategically."