Many people don’t understand the importance of a publicist or what exactly they do. As a performer, you ultimately should have an agent, manager, publicist and lawyer. Each has a different role–and, if you can’t have them all, I would choose the agent and publicist. Then, you can focus on working and having professionals create a career for you.
What You Need to Get Started
To be able to afford a publicist, you will need to be working. Sure you can procure work on you own, but an agent has connections that you might not. If you are new to the industry, get the agent first and start bringing in some income. Agents usually take 10 to 15% and will charge for photos and other incidentals. Each agent has a different way of doing business, so you will need to meet face to face with him or her to figure out if they’re the right agent for you and what you’re trying to accomplish.
Next, to get started with a publicist, you should have short-term and long-term goals. Tell them what you’re trying to achieve and they should map out a plan, along with the image you want to portray. Good publicists understand the importance of branding and imaging.
What a Publicist Does
It is a publicist’s job to get your name out there and ultimately make you famous—they should be doing more than just writing press releases. They should be getting you interviews, magazine placement (layouts), have you presenting awards, setting up and/or running your social media and much more. A publicist should be working for you, not the other way around. And if the publicist is doing a good job, you will ultimately get more work, along with lots of press.
Sometimes a client will have a bad rep or a scandal attached to them—it’s a publicist’s job to reinvent them or put some creative spin on the situation. PR should always have the client come out on top.
What a Publicist Doesn’t Do
Publicists aren’t personal assistants—some are more full service than others and offer a lot of services. One of my former clients actually asked me to pick up tickets to an awards show for them, run all the way across town and deliver the tickets. Had I been in the area and not in a meeting, I probably would have accommodated the request. That’s just one example of something an assistant will do. You can even hire an intern, if you can’t afford an assistant.
How To Pick a Good Publicist
Ask around and get references—find out how the potential publicist is perceived in the industry, because perception is everything. Most of my business comes from referrals from current and previous clients—this is a good sign, because it means happy clients. You will also want to ask the publicist what they have accomplished for their clients and ask them to send you a proposal to make sure everyone is on the same page. Most importantly go with your gut feeling about the person and make sure you feel you mesh with the publicist and think can work well with them.
How Much Does a Publicist Cost
Fees vary and can go as high as $2000 a month. You don’t always get what you pay for. Sometimes you do and a more seasoned professional will cost more. Figure out what you can afford. It would suck to only be able to afford a month or two—that won’t get you too far. Many require a deposit of a partial or whole month.
After 90 days (or maybe sooner), you will know if you have picked the right publicist. Your name will be out there, you will have scored at least a few interviews and people won’t say “who” when your name is dropped. If you’re interested in our services, go to the Contact Us page (http://therubpr.com/departments.php?dep=contact).