Nathan Fillion (duh) photo credit: RavenU

If you tweet for a theatre, orchestra or museum, you probably do so in part to boost event attendance.  If you are like most of these organizations your tweets probably look something  like this:  “XYZ Theatre opens really cool play on Saturday, get your tickets now!”

How’s that working out for you?  That’s what I thought.

Luckily, there is another way.  But first, humor me a moment.

1.  Figure out who Nathan Fillion is.  (most sci-fi and Joss Whedon fans can skip this step.)

2.  Follow Nathan Fillion on Twitter.

3.  Read what he has to say.

Here’s why this is important to you and your empty seats.  Nathan is doing a newish TV show called Castle.  Castle is basically a cop show.  Nathan Fillion fans love him–but they don’t really watch cop shows–they are into (primarily) sci-fi.  But thanks to Nathan and, in part, his twitter stream those fans are watching, and enjoying, Castle.  How does this work?

Go back to his twitter feed.  Notice how he never says “Be sure to watch Castle on ABC Monday Night.”  Instead he:

• gives insider information about the show
• tweets from a personal perspective
• promotes his friends and associates
• is funny
• uses inside jokes/ references so his followers feel like they are in on the joke (if you aren’t a Fillion/Firefly/Whedon fan you will have to take my word on this one.)

What does this mean for you?  Using twitter to promote a TV show isn’t unlike using it to promote a play or concert–you just need someone who is reasonably entertaining and  preferably at least somewhat well known (among your target market) to start tweeting.  You’ll be surprised at how much more engaged your people become.

Need an example a little closer to home?  Dale Fisher at  the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra uses some of these techniques with good results.

Do you think your favorite arts organization has this down?  Tell us how to follow in the comments and we’ll check it out!