Page 164 - 597 Business Ideas You can Start from Home - doing what you LOVE! (Beginner Internet Marketing Series)

1 56 Your Idea, Inc.

They work on a "performance" basis, meaning you only pay them if
you get "placement" in a magazine or on a television show. Regular
PR firms earn their monthly fee, whether or not any of their efforts
have materialized.

In your search for a publicist, once again, ask for referrals from
colleagues whose success with the press you admire. If that fails,
use your industry's trade magazines to see if any firms place ads or
are mentioned within articles. Or visit the Public Relations Society
of America (www.prsa.org) and use their Membership Link to go
into the Membership Directory to get to the PR Firms and Counsel­
ors list which takes you into the "Counselor Connect" search fea­
ture. Counselor Connect is the online directory of publicists who
are members of their organization. You also want someone with a
successful track record and established contacts and relationships
within your market that they can call on immediately.

You cannot be guaranteed results from a publicist (no matter
what he says). But you can have him list all the things he will
do for you. Insist on specifics so you can hold him account­
able for those tasks. Most public relations firms will tell
you that it takes at least six months to generate their leads
and see them in print, so if you can't afford to be patient,
consider putting that money into your own grassroots cam­
paign. You can do a lot of marketing for the cost of one
month of public relations efforts that may turn up empty.

Work Successfully with a Publicist

If you decide to take on a publicist, be in close contact with her
so you know she is working diligently on your behalf. Here are
some tips for a successful partnership:

• Discuss in detail what she will be doing daily, weekly, and
monthly. Ask for progress reports. Communicate frequently.