Publicists Can Broaden Your Writing Range

2010 just might be remembered by me as the Year of the Publicist.

No, I’m not a publicist. But, I have connected with quite a few people who are over the course of the past few months–professionals who are eager to tap my network of blogs to help promote their clients and/or products. That’s good, because it helps me get my work done.

My main area of writing expertise is in the automotive industry, but I also cover campus and consumer-related topics on various websites and blogs. Any assistance I can get along the way is certainly welcome.

Publicist Defined

So, what exactly is a publicist? I’ll use Merriam-Webster’s second definition of that term to explain: “… one that publicizes; specifically : press agent.”

Publicists can work in any industry. Their job is support one or more clients by getting the news out through various media events, press kits or directly by contacting people who might be interested in that news. Granted, their reason for doing what they do is centered on helping a client, but those who are experts at their craft know that the recipient plays a critical role in disseminating information.

Publicist Assistance

What can a publicist do for you? Many things including the following:

Share breaking news about a company, person or product. This is helpful for me because in order for me to be relevant I need news that is timely. Announcing the release of a new product after the fact doesn’t help my cause. I must maintain an edge in my reporting, something a good publicist can help me accomplish.

Connect you with the source. You can write about someone, but the best thing is to connect with your source directly. A publicist can arrange an interview for you, perhaps much faster than you can pull off on your own. Let the publicist provide an important edge in reporting or story development.

Think outside of the box. The best publicist is the one who goes beyond your needs, perhaps adding a tidbit of information or suggesting an angle for you to pursue as you develop your story. That’s important because you can’t know everything going into an interview. A publicist should be in the loop and willing to help you develop a winning story.

Publicist Problems

Of course, there are some downsides in working with a publicist including:

Publicists get paid for spreading the news. If you pick up a story suggested by a publicist, then they get paid for what you wrote.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can mean you’ll be sent lots of irrelevant information.  Too much unrelated data means you’ll have to shift through some nonsense.

You’re not always treated as an individual. I’m amazed that some publicists contact me without making an attempt to get to know me.  I can’t tell you how many times I get queries addressed generally such as “Dear Journalist” or in some other generalized manner. Why bother? I almost always ignore that information.

The gatekeeper who doesn’t lift the gate. I understand that publicists need to protect their clients, but making it difficult to make contact with an important player doesn’t do anyone any good.  Geoff Williams, writing for Writer’s Digest said that sometimes “…publicists forget that they’re not the story.” Yes, sometimes you have to go over a publicist’s head in order to craft your story.

Negative News

Don’t expect a publicist to share negative news about their client. They are in the business to share information that is positive. Off the record, you may get some feedback they wouldn’t say officially, but be tactful by not attributing that information to the publicist.

Build relationships with publicists, not walls.

Site Launch: PRBeam.com for $99 Press Releases

Yesterday, I launched my newest Web site, the first HTML/CSS based site I’ve designed in several years. I decided not to use WordPress as my content management system for PRBeam.com, my $99 press release promotional Web site, due in part to some recent hackings that have taken place with WP.

Those problems are now behind me, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Besides, with HTML I can keep my six static pages in place and leave it at that. No temptation to add a blog post and dilute my freelance writing message found here. I’m still tweaking the site to make it render nearly the same to viewers across major browser platforms; it actually looks better in Chrome and IE than it does in Firefox. Go figure.

Of course, PRBeam.com is not an end to itself. I’m hoping that it translates into new business for me while allowing small business operators to find an experienced press release copywriter who can give them what they need for less. Under my current arrangement, customers will receive a newsworthy press release for up to 400 words and distribute it themselves.

And I’m advising these same customers to use a quality distributor and to disseminate their news carefully. SEO is certainly important as is targeting your news release to the right people. Print newspapers are fading fast, but many journalists have transferred what they do to the Internet. Those people may be interested in your news too, using your release as a jumping-off place for a fresh article.

So where is my own press release announcing my press release service? I’m actually going to wait until June to publish it so that I can tend to the needs of my customers first. Besides, if PRBeam.com is a raging success, I might want to tweak that $99 offer or add a distribution option. Stay tuned!