Publicity

What is Publicity?

Definitions

•Publicity is an information that attracts attention to a company, product, person, or event.
•Publicity is a type of promotion that relies on public relations effect of a news story carried usually free by mass media. The main objective of publicity is not sales promotion, but creation of an image through editorial or 'independent source' commentary. While the publicist can control the content of the story, he or she may not have any control over it placement or interpretation by the media.

Who is a Publicist?
A Publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book or film. Just like lawyers, most top level publicists work in private practice, handling multiple clients.

What Does a Publicist Do?
Essentially, the job of a publicist is to increase public interest in his client. However, the type of work a publicist does is dependent upon his client’s needs. For example, a publicist who represents a famous actor or actress may spend a large portion of his time doing “damage control” after an unflattering tabloid story appears about his client’s extramarital affair or recent stint in rehab. A publicist who represents an author may be responsible for arranging book tours, sending out review copies, or placing advertising in relevant publications in an attempt to boost reader interest in the book. If the publicist represents a trendy restaurant, he may be promoting the recent hiring of a famous chef and trying to get celebrity guests to be photographed dining at the establishment.

While some publicists work a traditional schedule, most find that regular weekend and evening work is necessary. Publicists are often expected to travel to attend meetings or deliver presentations about a client’s activities. Depending upon the industry, a publicist may essentially be on call around the clock. In addition, since publicists are typically considered salaried employees, there is no overtime pay given for this extra work.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Hiring a Publicist:
Advantages
•Publicists generally have a long list of contacts with news agencies, advertising firms, and others that you don't. This means better access to publicity channels. There are clearly advantages of working with someone who has a relationship with and who talks with the key reporter for your business several times a month, rather than having you try to cold call that person to pitch your story.
•A publicist does this sort of stuff all day long. Good ones know what works, what doesn't, and can probably find new and creative ideas that you never thought of.
•They have time to construct a publicity plan, and implement it. Presumably, you don't. They leave you the time to do the things you do best: run a business, market a business, or lay around on the beach...
•Chances are that the publicist you hire will have multiple clients. They will probably be able to cross-pollinate to get mass publicity for all. This can help you if your name is even remotely associated with other large, well-known, good companies.
•The good ones have mounds of examples and/or experience they can draw upon to generate new ideas to help your company get out of its PR comfort zone, to get you attention.

Disadvantages
•The first and most obvious disadvantage is the cost. Publicists can be very expensive.
•By having a publicist do the work, you don't develop the expertise that could have you doing the work yourself.
•A publicist has little to no inside knowledge of your company. That can present difficulties when your publicity run involves complex information. Making them an expert in your company will cost you, either directly through a billable hour charge or that cost will be embedded in a project's cost so that you won't see it, but it will cost you.
•The publicist gains all the benefits of the personal relationships with the media instead of you. This can be a problem if you decide to leave the publicist and work with the media directly at some future point.
•When the media has questions, who do you want them to call, you or the publicist? You can bet they will call the publicist.
•The quality range of publicists is amazingly diverse. It can be hard to determine how good of a publicist you have hired. A bad publicist is like a dead fish. They stink, badly!
•Some publicists really love to hold huge publicity events, which can cost tons of money and generate either huge amounts of publicity, or possibly, none at all. Just be careful that any agency you hire focuses on the basics first, turning to major splashy events only once the basics are in place.
•Lastly, the bigger the agency, the more likely it will be that you are assigned a low ranking publicist. That doesn't mean they are bad. It just means that they have not had the chances to prove themselves. You need to realize that even though you're paying for a big publicist name, you're actually working with a newbie whose ink on their diploma isn't even dry yet.

The key questions you should consider before hiring a Publicist are:
•What kind of relationships do you currently have with the media? If they're weak, that's a point in the publicist's favor.
•Are you spending as much time as you would like in the area of publicity? As you consider the way you actually use your time, is PR getting prioritized or not? If no, perhaps you need a professional working on it for you.
•How much PR success are you having right now? If little, there's another point in their favor.