Find the Right Publicist For Your Brand

Finding the right publicist is a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be with these tips.

If you’re looking for a publicist here’s some info to find the right publicist for your brand.

• You’re not paying for their relationships with the media. You’re paying for how well they write, their creativity in capitalizing on your value, and the ways in which they promote and protect your brand.
• Ask yourself if that publicist and your brand align. Will this partnership be mutually beneficial? Are you their ideal client? Do you fit into their roster of clients?
• Determine if that publicist really knows & understands the intersections of your brand. Will they bring innovation and creation to your brand by identifying opportunities within those intersections?
• If a brand partnership, interview, or speaking opportunity pops up you need to trust they’ll say your name & throw your hat in the ring. Which associations, memberships, and networks are they affiliated? How many people will be assigned to your account?
• Stop talking to the media once you hire a publicist. It’s no longer your job to talk about how you’re an expert & the media is never your friend no matter how much you think they love you. If you continue to talk to the media you risk losing your publicist.
• You’re paying for our discernment to keep you in the right rooms at the right tables with the right people based on our relationships and knowledge of stakeholder interests to grow your influence with your target audiences.
• Our most important skill set is the ability to shut.it.down when things go sideways & say no to things that appear as opportunities. Trust us to guide you.
• A minimum of six months is needed to see any results. If your publicist has not secured you placements, mentions, speaking opportunities or any opportunity to promote your brand in six months consider seeking another publicist.
• Ask the publicist what brand they represented most recently and what was the ad value estimate (AVE) of the placements they secured for that client.
• Have your EPK, website, headshots/branded photos, social media handles, and brand identity together for your publicist to send out at a moment’s notice. If you do not have these assets wait to contact a publicist until you do.

Most importantly, if you don’t have the budget to afford $7K+ month/6-month retainer do not contact a publicist.