Am I Ready to Hire a Publicist?

As an indie artist you must be strategic and wise in assembling the team that will work with you in music and in ministry.  A publicist can and should be a vital part of your team, but you must first consider a few things.  What do you have to promote and publicize? Is your single, EP or CD ready or near completion? Have you created a measurable “buzz” in your hometown or regional market?  And, are you doing gigs or touring frequently? If you do have these steps and have these elements in place, you will probably be ready to elevate your music career and ministry a step further by adding a publicist to your team. 

It is premature to hire a publicist if these elements aren’t in place.  A publicist will be able to take what you’ve established and continue to build your brand awareness. They can do this by obtaining features, interviews and performances online, in print and on TV and begin to connect you to key media contacts that will prove valuable to the longevity of your career.   

The publicist you hire should be ready to expand the buzz you’ve generated in your home market or region. It’s their job to introduce your music and brand to a new audience and obtain favorable media coverage on a national level. If you feel you have saturated and exhausted your core fan base and home market, let a PR person with contacts and relationships beyond your reach assist you in expanding your territory and growing your brand.

You and your manager should also have a set of goals in mind before hiring a publicist. Based upon your tour schedule, music or video release dates, a publicist will be able to navigate a media plan to create visibility around activities you have forthcoming. In essence, a publicist has to have something to work with! If your schedule is actively busy, your publicist should and will be even busier creating more opportunities for you!

Probably the most important factor in determining if you are ready to hire a publicist is if you are financially ready to support a national media effort to enhance your music platform. Many times artists have created music, are getting a few gigs and may even be preparing for a CD release with independent distribution.  The missing step is that you haven’t budgeted properly to accommodate the PR portion of your marketing plan. A professional PR firm or person could cost anywhere between $800 to $2,000 per month. Make sure this is added to your budget projections when you are establishing the overall marketing plan for your music project.

If you are truly ready to take your music and ministry to the next level, have established the ground work for your career and have a viable product ready to introduce to consumers, you will need PR to aid in achieving higher goals. The publicist has a job, and that’s to tell the world about you and your music. If you’ve reached as many people as you think you currently can, then you’re ready to hire a publicist to help you reach the world.