According to a recent study, Public Relations Executive ranked as the seventh most stressful job in America – above Electrical Engineer (that’s for my husband), Neurosurgeon and Senior Corporate Executive.
In its most basic form, the job of a PR professional – or publicist – is to promote his or her client (a person, brand or product) to a specific target audience, almost exclusively through the help of the media.
At Cave Henricks, we promote great books and their authors. I’m energized by the game-changing ideas our clients bring to the forefront, and I get great satisfaction in spreading those ideas through strategic and creative publicity efforts. But alas, there is a reason – or two – that PR is so stressful.
Perhaps the biggest of these reasons is a matter of mixed agendas – that of the client and that of the media, with the publicist striving to serve both. The client’s goal is to tell the world – or at the very least a specific target audience – about their new book. The media’s goal is to tell a story that informs, entertains and/or impacts the lives of their readers or viewers.
On occasion, these goals intersect – the media gets access to the perfect source (the author), the author gets their message heard, and the publicist does a celebratory dance for bringing the two together. But more often than not, the new book – as important as it is – is perceived as “evergreen” and not particularly newsworthy on its own, leaving the media to ask, “What’s the story?,” “Why should I care?” and “Why should I write about this right now?”
And this is where things get stressful. Publicists must find a way blend the agenda of the author with that of the media – going beyond the book to pitch a story that addresses a felt need in the community and ties into the current news cycle, while positioning the author as the expert on the topic and the book as the blueprint of the solution.
The ability and the fortitude to blend these agendas and secure media coverage for our clients is what makes our job challenging. But it’s also what makes our job incredibly rewarding – because nothing feels better than aligning those goals and getting that big hit for the client.
As you work with your publicist to secure coverage for your new book, be mindful that you are a key player in the equation. You understand your area of expertise far better than anyone else, and it’s likely that you’re most tuned in to the stories impacting your industry. Work with your publicist to monitor the news cycle and look for opportunities to weigh in on an issue being covered in the media right now.
These news tie-ins are often the best opportunities for coverage for your book and your ideas; what’s more, they offer the ability for you to position yourself as the expert on the topic and open the door for building relationships with journalists – something that will serve you well far beyond the book launch.