Publicists Are Not Mind Readers! The Importance of Being Up Front

By Melissa Sileo

Before a relationship can get serious, a couple needs to be up front with one another about their bottom line in terms of goals, expectations, and so forth. You can’t really move on without knowing if you are both on the same page, correct? Same thing goes for book promotion – as an author, you need to be honest with your publicist about your goals and expectations for your publicity campaign from minute one if you are to get the most out of your publicity experience.

When you first meet with you publicist to discuss campaign strategy and a tentative rollout plan, there are several answers that you should come prepared with, including:

What specific media outlets do you want to target? – You should come armed with the name of specific media outlets you have in mind that you believe will be a perfect platform for you and your book. Your publicist should put aside some of your suggestions and plan to make a personal reach, and be honest about those that they believe may not be a good fit, providing reason – this is not to veto your ideas, but to make the most of your investment.

What kind of media outlets do you want to target? – Jot down specific subject matter that you want to reach out to in terms of beats covered by the media. Odds are, your publicist will have a good idea of the appropriate beats to tailor pitching to, but ultimately you are the expert that knows your topic through and through, so there may be a beat or two that are less obvious and may not occur to your publicist initially.

What media do you not want to reach out to? – There may be a topic out there that relates to your platform, credentials, book, etc., that you may not feel comfortable enough to tackle in an interview. If that is the case, you must notify your publicist right away so that they avoid wasting time reaching out to this type of media that you identified.

What do you expect to get out of a campaign? – Virtually every author wants the “big” hit – a TV spot on a national show or a feature in a highly circulated magazine. Your publicist will certainly aim high and provide you with the best opportunity to secure this caliber of media, but a good publicist will remind you that you MUST be patient – publicity is a steady, uphill climb that requires a lot of foundation laying to get there.

Don’t forget about the little people – Your publicist will likely tell you that they will not only be shooting for the top tier media, but will also stress the importance of reaching out to local and regional media as well. For one, you never know who is listening – a lot of media at higher levels are staying attuned to what is going on at a local and regional level, and may look to “pull” stories up. Second, local media coverage can really add up – if you set up 20 interviews set up in cities and regions across the country, you have, for all intents and purposes, “gone national” in that sense.

Bottom line – honesty is the best policy (imagine that coming from a publicist!)