{"id":31512,"date":"2016-10-19T07:00:34","date_gmt":"2016-10-19T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/?p=31512"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:13:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:13:40","slug":"how-to-know-when-you-need-a-publicist-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/publicity\/how-to-know-when-you-need-a-publicist-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Know When You Need to Hire a Publicist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even though my job is devoted to teaching people how to generate their own publicity, two frequent questions I hear are, “How do I know if I need a publicist?”<\/strong> and  \u201cWhere do I find a good one?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stars like Audrey Hepburn<\/strong> had their pick of the crop and could afford the best. But most other people don’t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am not a publicist. But after working 22 years at newspapers and almost two decades as a publicity expert, I know the types of pesky publicists that people detest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re pushy<\/strong> and obnoxious.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They don\u2019t take \u201cno\u201d<\/strong> for answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re clueless that the story they\u2019re pitching isn\u2019t a good match<\/strong> with the media outlet or blogger they\u2019re contacting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They write multi-page, rambling press releases, and they bury the gist of the story<\/strong> in the sixth paragraph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They follow up every press release with an annoying phone call to ask, \u201cDid you get my release?\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cDo you know if you will use it?\u201d And they charge you<\/strong> for doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have that sickening phony sound to their voices. Journalists who hear it know, within seconds, that they should brace themselves for a sales pitch.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They sometimes sound downright desperate<\/strong>, as though they\u2019ve spent the entire morning getting rejected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They offer boring,<\/strong> lifeless or off-target story ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They promise you\u2014and those whom they\u2019re pitching\u2014more than they can deliver.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These pesky publicists will waste your money.<\/strong> They could also damage your reputation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Types of Great Publicists the Media Love<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re patient and do your homework, you can find a super publicist with a track record of success. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do these publicists have that the losers<\/strong> don’t? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They know the 10 phrases the media love to hear.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They invest time<\/strong> developing and nurturing strong relationships with their media contacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They take the time to learn the wants and needs of the target market<\/strong> that reads a particular blog or podcast where you want publicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They know how to find influencers<\/strong> online and start building the relationship before they pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They understand the important difference between a press release and a pitch. And they know when to use a press release and when to deliver a pitch.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They know the special sections<\/strong> of newspapers and magazines where your story would be a good fit. They’re familiar, for example, with why holiday gift guides can be a publicity goldmine.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They know the kinds of guests a TV talk show producer<\/strong> wants to interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They researched their key contact <\/strong>at a certain radio station and they know what their client must do to get onto the show, dazzle the audience and be invited back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They know how to deliver a sizzling story pitch over the phone within about 15 seconds<\/strong> or less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They know how to catch the attention of busy reporters and editors with enticing email subject lines <\/strong>that aren’t cute or vague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They invest in up-to-date media directories<\/strong> that explain when to call, when to send an email and where to connect on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These perfect publicists know all the ways to make the media\u2019s job easy<\/strong>. They are a valuable link between you and reporters, editors, photographers, news directors, talk show producers, bloggers, podcasters and influencers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their hard work and tenacity can produce thousands of dollars<\/strong> in free publicity for your product, service, cause or issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding the perfect publicist is like striking gold.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"microphones<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Consider Hiring a Publicist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re willing to spend the time learning the tricks of the trade, you can do what the publicists do. But that could take months<\/strong> or even years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it makes perfect sense to let the perfect publicist do it for you. Expect to spend a minimum $1,500 a month<\/strong> for a good publicist. Sometimes more, sometimes less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 14 situations when you should consider hiring one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. You work for someone else and can\u2019t devote the time to create and manage a major publicity campaign.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. You work for yourself, but running your business entails hundreds of other tasks that leave no time for self-promotion.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. You\u2019re an author who\u2019s planning a book launch,<\/strong> you’re on a book tour,<\/strong> or you\u2019re busy researching or writing your next book.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. You\u2019re an author whose contract with the publicist assigned to you by your publishing company has expired, and now you\u2019re on your own.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. You are aware that your publisher is handling many books at the same time. You know it\u2019s important to have a publicist unrelated to the publisher<\/strong> working directly with you from the beginning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. You have a job such as a consulting practice, and your time is better spent making money on client projects<\/strong> than it is doing your own publicity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. You don\u2019t have the right kinds<\/strong> of media contacts, or any contacts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. You are familiar with the basics of how to get local publicity, but you want to take your campaign to the national level<\/strong> and don\u2019t know how.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. You want publicity in a certain part of the country and would prefer to work with someone who has strong media contacts within their own region or state.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. You\u2019re trying to get in front of people within a specific industry<\/strong> but don\u2019t know the best ways to reach them like some publicists do.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Even though you feel comfortable interviewing, you don\u2019t like the thought of calling reporters and editors on the phone and asking them to cover your story. In other words, you hate pitching<\/strong> and you’re willing to pay someone to do it for you.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. You\u2019re doing most of your own publicity But there\u2019s one aspect of it that you don\u2019t know how to do or don\u2019t want to do, such as setting up an online media room.<\/strong> The perfect publicist can help smooth the rough spots in your publicity campaign by doing small-project work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. You\u2019re already a successful Publicity Hound who is writing articles, doing radio interviews and appearing on TV. You\u2019re so busy being in the media spotlight that you need someone behind the scenes who can keep you on track<\/strong> and focused, and generate more requests for interviews. The perfect publicist will work several steps ahead of you, lining up interviews for next week and beyond.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. You don\u2019t understand social media<\/strong> and don\u2019t have time to learn.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Did you notice anything missing from that list? I intentionally didn\u2019t include the two following situations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You have little or no knowledge of how the media operate, or the basics of what a publicity campaign entails. If that\u2019s the case\u2014if you are absolutely ignorant<\/strong> about how the media do their jobs and you need to spend a significant amount of money on a major publicity campaign\u2014you are NOT a ripe candidate for a publicist.<\/strong> Not yet, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You find the very idea of publicity distasteful but necessary,<\/strong> and you\u2019re looking for a publicist to relieve you of the entire burden of working with the media. If that\u2019s the case, don\u2019t part with your hard-earned money.<\/strong> Your publicity campaign must involve you at some point. If that\u2019s unacceptable to you, then don\u2019t seek publicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Recognize yourself in either of those two situations? If so, start learning<\/strong>. Search online for \u201chow to get free publicity.\u201d Or use the search box at this blog to find the answers to questions you have about how to self-promote. Or ask a question in the comments below and I’ll answer.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Also, subscribe to “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,”<\/a> my free snack-size email tips, delivered every Tuesday and Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to Find the Perfect Publicist<\/h2>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    In the new Second Edition of my ebook, “How to Hire the Perfect Publicist,”<\/a> you won\u2019t find a list of publicists who I recommend. I can\u2019t do that because I don\u2019t know your budget, the type of publicist you need, or whether a particular publicist\u2019s personality meshes well with yours. You have to decide those things on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The book, however, WILL give offer lots of guidance on how to make those decisions.<\/strong> It will also give you all the tools you need to find, interview, work with and reap the rewards of the perfect publicist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What You Will Learn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In this book, here’s what you’ll find:<\/p>\n\n\n\n