Ask a publicist Archives

The following is the latest post in an ongoing collaboration with the team at Catalyst Publicity Group. If you have a question related to Music PR that you would like us to tackle in an upcoming column, email james@haulix.com and we’ll do our best to give you a timely response.

QUESTION: My band recently signed a contract with a publicist. What should we be doing to ensure we get the most out of our money (and their time)?

Good question. There are five things you need to remember when starting a new PR campaign…

1. Return press to publicist in a timely fashion

Many artists don’t understand how swiftly press moves. Social media mentions, blog posts, and online features go as fast as they come in. In order to keep your campaign moving fluidly, you need to be turning over press quickly and in a timely manner. This means it is within your best interest to return all written interviews and schedule all phoners as soon as possible – within a few days (if not within 24 hours!). If you have a lot – get it to your publicist anyway or provide them with an update. He or she can coordinate posting with the editors to ensure not too many features run the same day, or reschedule the feature according to their editorial calendar. Editorial calendars fill up, journalists work against tight deadlines, and writers lose interest fast. You don’t want to keep press waiting, and you don’t want to burn bridges with the people who are going to define your image. This is what a publicist is working against. It’s important to make sure that press is taken care of first and foremost, and that you communicate with your publicist every day.

2. Professionalism during interviews

Yes, you are in a band. Yes, being in a band is fun. We get it. You are allowed to have fun and be yourself, but don’t be disrespectful or unprofessional. That’s when you just look silly or immature, and the media will not want to waste their time talking with an artist who doesn’t know how to show them respect. Not to mention, the writers have every right to tell the world about your sloppy demeanor, overuse of swearing, or inappropriate gestures while you were talking to them.

Be sure to show up to an interview on time or call-in to phoners on-time (and on-time does not mean 5 minutes late! Sometimes phoners are radio interviews and you only have a short time between commercial breaks to get your story across!). Dress as you would for a show, acknowledge the interviewer, thank them. Don’t show up to an interview drunk or on drugs, and most importantly, always keep your hands to yourself (and keep it in your pants! – this isn’t Rock of Ages).

3. Produce content while on the road

As mentioned before press moves fast, and people lose interest fast. Just because you are on the road doesn’t mean your job with the media is over. Continue to produce interesting, unique content while you are on the road to keep yourself buzzing and keep your fans hooked. Tour diaries, studio updates, behind-the-scenes and beyond-the-stage videos, cover songs, remixes, etc. The list goes on. Produce enough content to keep your publicist busy while you’re out playing shows. It’s okay, we like that!

4. Continue being creative and offer story angles to publicist throughout campaign

This one we couldn’t stress more. The one thing that makes you stand out against other artist is – SURPRISE! – not your music. It’s your personality, your background, and your story. Contrary to popular belief, this is not something your publicist will “make up” for you. No one can tell you who you are but YOU. Are you a war veteran? Do you support LGBT rights? Are you speaking at a domestic violence event in a few weeks? How did you get your start in music (and please don’t say my dad bought me a guitar when I was 5 – everyone says that – see where we’re going here? Be original).

What groundbreaking and unique stories can you share that will tell the press who YOU are? What makes you stand out beyond your music?

5. Trust your Publicist! And be respectful…

Leave it up to your publicist to handle PR matters and more. You hired your publicist for their professionalism and expertise, and they will never work against your best interest. Your publicist should be considered one of your best friends, your most trusted teammates – after all, they are the ones who will highlight your best assets, cheerlead you on, and even clean up your messes. If you have an emergency that requires a public statement or other remedy, notify your publicist before anyone else – even your best friend. They will advise you on how to move forward with the best intentions.

Also:

Your publicist is your cheerleader always looking out for your best interests. Don’t forget to show them respect. Be kind and remember to thank them for their time and hard work. If you have a non-emergency late at night or on the weekend (i.e. you want their opinion on your new song or video), email them. Don’t hit them up on their personal social media pages or blow up their cell phones to review your content, brainstorm, or any other work after hours. Your publicist has a life too (and even though he/she is probably working anyway, after hours is our “quiet time” to get extra work done – email us and we will get back when we can). Be courteous, and trust that we will get the job done as swiftly and painlessly as possible.

ASK A PUBLICIST is a recurring column on Haulix Daily where we pose a question about music promotion and publicity in 2016 to the team at Catalyst Publicity Group. If you have a question for the team, email james@haulix.com and we’ll try to find the answer.

QUESTION: How do I know if I’m ready for a publicist?

Good question! Before you can answer that, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself: Do I have any new material being released (example: new single, music video, album/ep)? Do I have any shows/tours coming up? Do I have enough material to warrant the work of a publicist? Have I exhausted all efforts in doing this independently on the local/regional level? If so, you may be ready for a PR campaign.

At a certain point of momentum, when you begin to generate buzz, go on tour, or release an album, you are going to realize that independent publicity efforts are too much to handle. This feeling kind of just naturally happens, and without sounding too cliche, when the time comes it will hit you – you will just know. There are not enough hours in the day for musicians to handle their own media. Running a good publicity campaign is an around-the-clock, full-time job that requires a lot of attention, and a band has to also be a band. It is exhausting to play a concert performance until 2am, then have to be up by 8am to respond to important emails from the media, coordinate scheduling, and monitor the media, all while managing other aspects of being in a band. Both are full-time jobs and there will come a point when an independent artist simply cannot do it all and should seek a publicist.

If you are an artist and feel that your reach is beyond the local and regional areas it may be time to find a publicist to help. Before you reach out to a slew of firms or independent publicists, it is important to understand what a publicist’s role is. A publicist is meant to enhance your presence in a public forum. They are the catalyst to helping your band/career grow in the public’s view, they are not there to build the artist team but to attract press to cover your music and story to reach new heights. Before you reach out to a publicist make sure that you have a plan in place. If you are still recording music or filming a music video let the publicist know what stage you are in. It is important to allow enough time from the completion of the music or content before the publicist jumps on board but it is equally as important to loop in the publicist way ahead of time so the entire team can make a plan of attack. Publicists need the time to research, plan, and pitch for features, premieres, interviews, you name it and even more important time to get to know you, the artist. Every artist is different, so allowing enough time for the publicist to get to know you, your story, and music is a must. Bear in mind when selecting a publicist you are hiring them based on their expertise, their passion for you as an artist and music, and their willingness to work hard to achieve goals. A publicist comes equipped with pre-existing contacts and relationships and it should be understood from the beginning that they will work hard to connect the dots for the betterment of your career. A publicist is not a manager or booking agent. It is important to decipher the difference before reaching out. When you do reach out make sure you’ve researched the company/publicist ahead of time. It is important to interview them just as much as they interview you. Use your best judgement of character and make sure to cross check with other clients on their roster before making your final decision. Have a preliminary plan, idea of budget, and some music/content to show to the publicist you are speaking with ahead of time. If you come prepared for the meeting the publicist will appreciate the effort! Remember it is a two way street, by hiring a publicist the work of the band does not end. It is your job as the artist to work equally as hard to continue spinning the wheel and create new and innovative ideas and content for your future publicist!