How To Use Your PR To Create a Buzz & Make More Money

I initially began in PR working in the entertainment industry.  I had served as an entertainment-oriented freelance writer and magazine editor, so it was a natural jump.  Since then I’ve represented clients in health, medicine, style, fine art and other arenas, but back then entertainment was my beat.  Not long after I began in the industry, an actress hired us to launch a public relations campaign for her.  She had just finished a run on a weekly TV series and was making a career shift, hoping to land more feature films.  I asked her if she could bring some of the articles and TV interviews she had been featured in.  Her response was surprising.  She had not taped one TV interview or kept one magazine or newspaper article.  That wasn’t her focus.  She thought the media coverage was nice and a part of the job, but she didn’t consider what a powerful tool it could be for her down the line.   We were able to go back and retrieve some of her media coverage, but in a sense, media-wise, we were starting a campaign from scratch.  Much of the media and PR equity she had built for herself was lost.

There is a lesson to be learned there and not just for those in the entertainment industry.  If used correctly, media begets media. It is not a process that happens in a vacuum.  When you launch a public relations or publicity campaign you want to be sure to use your TV and radio appearances and magazine and newspaper articles to interest other media. Copy the article, video, or audio tape and send it out when the media requests further information on you. Update your biography to include your most recent media appearances (unless you’re pitching a direct competitor).