| Feature: 9 Critical Things You Should Know About Publicity Before You Make Your First Move Even though my master classes are about Social Media, traditional media still plays a large part in an artists overall strategy (more so in Europe I do believe). In Europe, many musicians asked me to help them understand what publicity is and how it fits into their overall planning. This is an past article I wrote which I have recently updated for you for navigating the world of traditional PR. So, it’s back to the basics today… I talk to musicians all day who call looking to hire a publicist, and I’ve noticed that many artists don’t really understand what publicity is. The following list will clarify the concept of publicity for you.
1. The Definition of Publicity. First, we are going to start out with the very basics – some definitions of what publicity is exactly, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Publicity – “An act or device designed to attract public interest; specifically: information with news value issued as a means of gaining public attention or support. Also: The dissemination of information or promotional material.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. Publicity is exactly these things. A music publicist is hired as a member of your team to represent you to the media. Media is defined traditionally as editors and writers at newspapers, magazines, college journals, and television. Some publicists may also cover radio for interviews on tour stops. But if you want to get on the radio charts (like CMJ), you will need a radio promoter. More and more publicists also cover Internet PR, like my company. But not all traditional publicists do this, so make sure to ask before you hire. A publicist’s job is to liaise with the press. They are not hired to get you a booking agent or gig, a label deal, a distribution deal, or any other type of marketing deal. That is what a manager is for. A well-connected publicist may be able to hook you up with all of the above-mentioned things, but it is not in her job description. 2. You Are in the Driver’s Seat. Remember, as the artist, you are the buyer here, and you are shopping for PR. You are in the driver’s seat. It’s your money and your music that keep publicists in business. Hiring a publicist is like hiring another guitar player for your band. Choose one you like, who fits your vision and your goals. All too many times I’ve heard that a publicist was hired in spite of the artist’s personal opinions. You should like your publicist, and she should be the right one for you.
3. With Publicity, You Pay for Effort – Never for Results. I have had disgruntled artists call me and say, “I hired a publicist and I only got six articles. That cost me $1,000 per article!” Sadly, this is not how you quantify a PR campaign. How you quantify a PR campaign is by how many albums were sent out and what the responses were, even if they were inconclusive or negative. You pay for the amount of effort the publicist made on your behalf. Of course, you should get some and even many results. Getting nothing is totally unacceptable. But you never know when your publicist’s efforts will show up months, and sometimes years, after your campaign is complete. 4. A PR Campaign Needs to Be Planned Well in Advance. For long-lead press (that means magazines with national distribution like Spin andRolling Stone), the editors put their publications to bed three full months before they hit the newsstands. So if your CD is coming out in October, you must have it pressed with full artwork and ready with materials to mail in July. Of course not all PR campaigns focus on national press, but no publicist will take you on with zero lead-time, so you definitely need to prepare lead-time in every case. Recommended Publicity Campaign Lead Times: - National Campaign – 3-4 months before the release
- Tour Press Campaign – 4-6 weeks before the shows
- Local Campaign – 4-6 weeks before placement
- Online Campaign – 2-3 weeks before placement (minimum)
(Placement = article, CD review, calendar listing, TV/radio interview, etc.) | 
