ACT Like A Child Magazine – How Do I Choose A Personal Publicist?

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ACT Like A Child Contributing Writer Liz Rodriguez

Issue6

Since living in LA I have noticed that some people are ‘gun shy’ with already having some experience with ‘publicists’, not all good either, so knowing how to choose the right personal publicist to be on your team is ultimately all about your confidence in them that they can deliver what they say they can – in other words, “Will it do what it says on the tin?!” – that along with will they fight for you and do they have a mutual respect mixed with chemistry?

Many times a manager will have a relationship and history with a PR team so they can recommend one for you, but what if you don’t have that luxury or just don’t get on with them? Or they don’t understand your vision, or you want to feel like you picked the right person that fits you yourself?

When you buy a product or a brand you are pretty confident that you will get what you expected, but when it comes to buying a service there are too many variables which is why doing due diligence is essential. Some questions to ask are: What has that publicist done? Why are they so cheap/expensive? Who does that publicist represent already? Are they selective in their clientele or do they have a plethora of clients, will I be there priority and can I afford/justify what they are asking?

The other essential question is: Are they trained in doing this job and offering this service? I mean – I have always found it interesting that there are so many publicists in Hollywood how can that be so? What background really gives them that title? Do they have any case studies to prove they can do the job for you, and do they have the right relationships in the industry you need to get ahead and justify that monthly retainer, as if you aren’t moving ahead at a faster rate than you can do yourself, why ever hire a publicist in the first place – save your money and buy a dog or those fabulous Manolo Blahnik’s you’ve been drooling over!!

Do they have a background in marketing, communications, journalism, media or similar? If any are a yes and you like them and their own values, chances are you can try them out, like dating, and after the standard 3 months, evaluate their work and what they have produced for you, if it all looks great then get married!

Please note though, a publicist cannot wave their magic wand and turn you in to Tom Cruise or Penelope Cruz overnight. As talent you will need to do your part with going to auditions and landing those roles, after all a publicist isn’t your fairy godmother, but they should try hard to make magic happen for you using their relationships in the entertainment industry, so they can introduce you to the right people, get you on those high profile red carpets, pitch you to the media and get you placements. You need to be known by your peers and the public, so can this publicist really achieve that for you?

Another important factor is you and your talent is a business. Like any business you need to evaluate the work your Publicist is producing for you each month, set new goals together which continue to shape your public profile, keeping ‘the business’ on the path to success together.

How you and your new publicist can keep you relevant and fresh in the news I’ll uncover next issue!

www.act-likeachild.com

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