27 Feb 2008. Starting today, Dea Birkett, director of the charity Kids in Museums, starts a regular column

I’m cynical about the power of the press. I don’t mean that I’m anti-media. How could I be? My roots are in writing, broadcasting and journalism. I’m a great admirer of those who produce stories that millions want to listen to, watch or read every day. My cynicism is about the point of it all.

Last month we launched the 2009 Kids in Museums Manifesto – 20 ways to make a visit family friendly - compiled from visitors’ comments. The press coverage was, and continues to be, considerable, including in this magazine. It began on the day of the launch with news features in three national newspapers; it’s always best to get on the news rather than arts or features pages. For a start, the news pages are generally read by far more people. And, more importantly perhaps, they’re the place other media outlets - in particular radio and TV - pick up their stories. For example, our news feature in the Telegraph led to about a dozen calls from radio stations asking for interviews later that day. If we’d had a feature on the arts pages, this would never have happened.

During the following few days, comment pieces appeared in response to the news features. These led, in turn, to letters on the letter pages. This variety of sections kept the debate about welcoming everyone in museums going. In terms of column inches, the launch was a triumph.

But is column inches and interviews a good way to assess the success of media coverage in the arts? I once attended a press seminar for museum professionals given by David Yelland, former editor of the The Sun newspaper. He said straight away that there was not point in museums chasing national coverage. His argument was that if they wanted to pull in the punters, they should put up a notice in the local Tesco. Far more people would read it than any national newspaper article and, as a result, far more people attend your exhibition. It also required minimal effort and no cost.

I know any arts PR person reading this will be shaking their head at this point. They want to slap down a pile of double page spreads in front of their client to prove what good coverage they secured. But big isn’t beautiful if it’s in a paper few read (and that includes at least one national) or in a section that only the converted turn to. (An arts page review might only be read by people who were going to go to the event anyway, rather than attract new audiences.) With press coverage, size really does matter. But not as you might imagine. Often the smaller, the better. A single column is far more widely read than any 1200 word feature.

It’s important for all organisations, and particularly those working within the arts sector, to ask what’s the point of press coverage. Why do we want to attract attention and from whom? And what would we consider a good outcome of this coverage?

For our launch, we wanted to achieve two outcomes. First, we are a visitor-led and focussed organisation so it’s important that visitors and potential visitors learn about our work. The coverage on local radio helped in this enormously. People don’t tend to get involved with something promoted in a national newspaper but do if they hear about it on Wolverhampton City Radio, where it sounds as if it’s meant for them.

Secondly, we wanted to put the issue of museums being welcome to all, of any age, on the arts agenda and before opinion formers. The national coverage has been particularly useful in this, with the comment pieces at the heart of drawing this attention. Without them, and the ensuing letters, the issue would just have been a story that lasted for the day. Now it’s a subject of debate. It’s just important for us to remember that these are two different audiences, reached through different media outlets.

And, of course, that’s without tackling the internet as a media tool. But then I’ll do that next month …

To order a copy of the 2009 Kids in Museums Manifesto email manifesto@kidsinimuseums.org.uk. You can also join the discussion boards at www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk.