Who really needs PR?

Most of our clients are people who are reasonably well-established in their fields, but who want to enhance the public’s awareness of who they are and what they do. We therefore recommend that anyone who wants to have a more mainstream presence for themselves and an event come to us.

For example, if a playwright has just written a new play and has a production of it starting off-Broadway, it would be important for the newspapers and magazines to list it with the venue, performance dates, the price of tickets, phone numbers, and all other important information. Then, more specifically, in order to see to it that people in the theater industry know about it, a publicist is needed to contact critics to review it. Another example might be an opera singer who is giving a debut recital, in a place like Carnegie Hall. There are so many events going on all the time, one has to make a special effort to see to it a particular event gets recognized. To do that one usually needs to hire a publicist, who can devote a significant amount of effort to making people aware of both the artist and the event.

Ultimately though, a publicist and the work of a public relations firm is a critical part of achieving celebrity, no matter what the field. People who become famous do not do it overnight, nor do they do it alone. Almost invariably, even the most high-profile individual has someone working for him full-time to make sure as many people know about their career as possible.

Just what exactly is public relations, and why is it different from advertising?

While often confused with advertising, public relations is the discipline that creates visibility for people and events, by using the media to enhance awareness. Even though advertising also creates visibility, it is usually more for products than people. The difference lies also in the result. Success in public relations is usually measured in terms of how many people attend an event and how much media coverage is given to it, or how frequently a person gets "placed" in magazines, newspapers, radio and television. With advertising it usually is measured by increased sales of a product, as well as greater product awareness.

If PR is just about contacting people and making them aware of what I am doing, why can’t I just do that myself?

Excellent question. The answer has three parts: 1) time 2) contacts and 3) expertise. Publicists know whom to contact and can get to them more quickly, because of constantly cultivating relationships with the media. They can also create visibility for a client more quickly and efficiently than someone without those contacts.

How much should I expect to spend on a publicist?

That depends in large part on what you need to have done. Many people want to just create awareness at an event like a party or an opening. Others want to have someone working for them all the time. A publicist generally charges based on how much time will be required to accomplish specific goals.

Expect to spend on average somewhere between fifteen hundred and ten thousand dollars per month, as firms usually charge a monthly retainer plus expenses.

That seems like a lot of money. How do I know if I am getting my money’s worth?

The truth is, there is no definite way to measure this. However, depending on why the publicist has been hired, you can measure the amount of increased attendance for an event, which almost always translates into increased revenue, as well as how many more people know about you and your business.

If you are using a publicist to build awareness for a person, an event, or even a company, it is always a good idea to allow for at least six months of their working with you in order to see a result. This is because in order for them to get you before a certain public, they have to build many relationships over the course of a lot of time. It takes effort, and it takes patience. Understand too, that a publicist cannot make miracles happen. People they contact on your behalf don’t always return phone calls right away, and they take time to respond to letters and faxes. In the same way that building a friendship takes time, building a rapport with the public takes time too.

Still, experience has shown that the best way to get the word out there about something you are doing is to hire the best publicist you can afford.

How can you tell who is good and who isn’t?

The best way to do this is to simply talk to people who have used a publicist and see whom they recommend. It is not unlike trying to find a doctor or a plumber. Many firms, including my own, get work almost entirely through referrals.

In narrowing your choices however, it is always a good idea to see who they represent, and what kind of things they did for their other clients. Beyond that, one just has to react purely on the basis of instinct.

Good luck!

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