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Where can you find a publicist?

How do you find a good publicist?

  • What questions should you ask in an interview? How do you determine if they are good at their job and thus worth the expense?

  • Answer:

    I am assuming this is an in-house hire for a new role or bringing on a single consultant not a PR agency. Just like hiring in any field or any position you want to determine if the person has the (1) experience, (2) has the right mindset, and (3) is a cultural fit. Experience - outline the areas that are most important to you (e.g. vertical of expertise, b2b vs. b2c, social media expertise, strategic thinking, etc.) and then ask questions to determine if the candidate has experience with your particular needs. Go one step further and ask for a portfolio of placements, writing samples and case studies to see first-hand if the experience truly is there and up to your standards. For example, you want on-air placements - ask what their broadcast experience is, how they train their clients/team members for on air interviews, what their top broadcast placements have been and then ask to see a case study or portfolio of broadcast clips. Mindset - what does it take to succeed in your organization? If you are a startup, it might be flexibility and cool under pressure. If you are a large corporation it might be strategic thinking and planning. Determine the ideal mindset for success and ask questions that demonstrate whether or not the candidate fits. For example, you need someone that is fast, flexible and wont be bogged down in process, logistics or politics - ask questions about what their typical process is like for launching a new product to media and then follow up with questions on experience with situations that compromised that timing or ideal scenario process. Fit - does this person seem like someone you would want representing your organization. Publicists are story-tellers for the people they represent and the face/voice of their organization. That doesn't mean you need a publicist who is an avid surfer if you are a surf brand but it does mean you want someone who can represent that lifestyle in the most authentic and positive way even if they've never been in the water. So you might ask questions like: have you worked with companies in our space before?, or what is your comfort level and experience with our products/services?

Victoria Shaw at Quora Visit the source

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Thank You!

Kelly Anderson

Nitty gritty questions about the firm and its practices: "How many other accounts is each person on my team working on?" I've heard of people working on as many as 10 accounts at a time. There are only so many hours in a day -- account overload and it's possible something on your account might fall through the cracks. "What's everyone's professional background?" "How is the account work divided?" Who's doing the bulk of the day-to-day work -- seasoned pro or junior-level newbies? "What's the story we're telling?" PR is all about storytelling -- by asking them about your story, you'll get a good sense of how well they "get" you, and whether or not the plan they lay out makes sense. Also, sometimes it's interesting to know how long a firm has been with certain clients -- do they have solid relationships that span for years or is the client roster a constantly revolving door? The latter might suggest a number of unhappy or unsatisfied clients.

Jennifer Latkiewicz

Ask about past results, and how they measure success. A measurement question may help separate the pros from the poseurs.

Dan Howe

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