If you’ve ever wondered what a great PR agent does, look no further – the experts at MN2S PR are giving you the lowdown.
So you want to become a PR agent…
Publicists, often known as celebrity public relations managers, are in charge of a famous figure’s image. This could entail boosting the celebrity’s profile and dealing with any negative publicity. Understanding what these experts perform can help you determine whether or not this is the correct career for you, as well as how to prepare for and thrive in one of these positions.
What Is Public Relations?
In terms of the level of control you have and the amount of money you spend on media coverage, public relations differs from advertising. Because you pay for advertising, you have power over the message. Because you are asking media outlets, journalists, social media channels, and bloggers to mention you, you have less control over your message with public relations.
Developing a broad contact list of media experts and delivering them news about your customer are examples of public relations initiatives. Sending press releases to media sources, planning activities and events for your client, researching and responding to news about your client on the internet, and devising plans to get your client in the news are all examples of what PR agents do.
Learn the Celebrity’s Brand Plan
Celebrities frequently use marketing firms to develop a brand for them. This is frequently done by marketing personnel at agencies that represent athletes, singers, actors, politicians, and other well-known personalities.
You must figure out who the celebrity’s marketing team is aiming for and what message they want to send about them. Is the famous person a good girl or a bad boy? Is the celebrity straight-laced or a renegade? Your public relations efforts must help in spreading this message.
Develop Media Contacts
You’ll be able to get more press for your client if you know more journalists, writers, editors, bloggers, and social media influencers. During PR job interviews, one of the first questions you’ll be asked is how big your contact list is and who’s on it. You’ll be required to demonstrate specific articles you created for certain media outlets as a result of your relationship with the writer or blogger.
Learn Social Media Marketing
To be successful in celebrity PR, you must master the usage of social media. To do so, you must first comprehend how social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat function. You’ll need to know how to make your posts, tweets, and videos go viral once you’ve mastered the technical side of social media.
You’ll need to figure out how to get a large number of followers and users. Celebrities must stay in the public spotlight via social media on a weekly, if not daily, basis in order to optimise their media coverage. One of your responsibilities will be to assist in the upkeep and updating of the celebrity’s website, which contains biographical information, job history, videos, and schedules.
Understand Crisis Communications
In today’s modern culture, celebrity publicists must know how to handle scandals and unfavourable assaults, whether the star is guilty or not. Working with the celebrity, their manager or agent, a sports team, record label or movie studio, marketing team, and sponsors are all part of the process. You don’t wait until a problem occurs to teach your client how to handle unfavourable media as a publicist.
You may role-play an aggressive reporter asking harsh questions and create and rehearse media interviews. This is especially useful if you anticipate negative media attention, such as after a divorce, termination, suspension, or arrest. You’ll be in charge of writing the celebrity’s reactions to negative publicity, which could include denials, explanations, or apologies. These responses will need to be turned into press releases, internet pages, tweets, and videos.
Create Corporate Relationships
Celebrities frequently earn more money from sponsorships than from their actual profession. Tennis players like Serena Williams and Roger Federer, for example, may only earn a few million dollars from tennis winnings during a bad year, but their endorsements might bring in tens of millions of dollars.
You’ll need to know how to work with your client’s corporate sponsors as a celebrity publicist. If your customer is still working their way up the corporate ladder, you may need to assist them in locating possible sponsors and pitching the client. If your client is just starting out and doesn’t have a strong management or agency, this is more likely to happen.