How to Be Your Own Publicist

W​hat is a publicist?

A publicist is someone who manages the publicity and public relations aspect of your business. Someone who gets the public involved through news, events, and personal encounters.

D​o publicists only work with celebrities?

N​o, but these are the most common figures in publicity.

W​hat does it take to be a publicist and can I do it for my business?

I​t takes a degree in public relations or experience to be a publicist. Anyone can publicize their business from their home or office. A small business does not need to hire someone specifically for this role. It can fall to the marketing team, a freelance writer or you can do it yourself.

I​ want to publicize my business, how should I start?

First create a list of news sources who will be able to help you share your news.

Then identify what you want to publicize. Is it an event? Is it a grand opening? Is it time sensitive? Do you have a new hire that is extraordinary you want to celebrate? Is it a crisis that needs managing?

There are two types of news releases you can send: one for general announcement, one for immediate release. The boilerplate format includes information you are communicating to the news room, such as “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,” which is in all caps or "News Release," contact information of you, the publicist, and at the bottom under the hashtags an area for more information and how to get an interview if desirable.

L​astly, you will want to send them to each individually. You don’t want the person on the receiving end to feel like he or she was part of a mass email to anyone who will listen. The more personal you can make it, the better.

Remember, this is about public engagement so if the first thing that happens is that you come off as a spammer, your news will never see the light of day.

This brings me to the body of your work. You want it to be compelling and honest, but straight to the point. I don’t recommend press releases that are more than one page long.

S​o publicity is about sending press releases?

N​o. Public relations can range from managing public local announcements to nationwide crisis management to managing the public profiles celebrities, and international brand awareness.

T​here are three main types of jobs in public relations: PR firm, in-house public relations, and freelance. Each of these offer a different range of services.

A PR firm can offer a fuller menu of services because they will have support staff and some will have multiple offices to insure covering varying geography. After all, at that level, it’s all about who you know, right?

Having in-house public relations staff will do the networking and writing for you and have intimate knowledge about your business and your target market.

H​iring freelance publicists saves money and time since you can maintain the flexibility of the workload. A freelance publicist or writer can manage multiple tasks for multiple clients in the same day. You need to know your story will stand out in a boilerplate world. When hiring someone freelance, you have the choice of hiring someone local who knows the culture of your audience or hire remotely in which case clarity will be key.

Across the board, good writing and networking takes time so don’t undervalue your publicist.

N​ow that I have a publicist, fame, and fortune, right?

P​atience is the hardest part of public relations sometimes. Once a press release or story pitch goes out, it will be up to the newsroom or publication to pick it up or not. More often than not writers and reporters do not let you read the drafts or tell you the spin on the story.

So you have to just sit tight and keep doing the good things you are doing in the world. And keep the stories coming.

I​ always ask people how they heard about an event they're attending to get feedback. Some companies use digital or print survey cards. Either way, the point of sending out a news release or having a publicist is to get the word out about your business. These days it is also common for companies to hire brand ambassadors. Brand ambassadors, however, are not publicists and are usually for events and often do it for the swag. Never-the-less, some brand ambassadors have an enormous impact for their brand.

B​ut that’s another story.