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Topic: Undervalued as a publicist
| Author | Message |
| lara12 | Posted – 7/21/2008 2:07:41 PM | show profile | email poster I got an email from the CEO of a multi-million dollar gaming company about doing PR for an event. They offered me a free seat in the poker tournament. I replied that I charge a fee for events and companies to do PR. He actually email me back and said in part "keep in mind I'm jewish and I like to hold onto my money". I replied with "keep in mind I'm human and I like to eat". I work independently and have several nationally known celebrity clients (in gaming of course). What annoys the hell out of me is constantly being undervalued for PR services by people in general. (My clients are thrilled with the work I do and certainly are not included in that.) Any "venting" thoughts?? |
| dmaw | Posted – 7/21/2008 6:50:20 PM | show profile | email poster undervalued as a publicist People always want something for nothing. In any case, how did you email him back the first time - did you ask him for an overview of the project, or a phone meeting or in person meeting? Then after you have all the necessary information, you could give him an appropriate proposal with a daily, hourly or project rate, based on your experience and assessment of the project? How you approach your clients first and foremost sets the tone. I have about 19 years publicity experience in the corporate world and moved over to freelance about 18 months ago. I'm still learning. Case in point - One of the networks asked me to do unit publicity work on a show, and offered me $200 for about 8 hours worth of work on set. I got him up to $300 and that's all he/she could give me. I took it, since this job market is not great. But everything that I do each day is a constant negotiation. |
| lara12 | Posted – 7/21/2008 7:09:50 PM | show profile | email poster That's the sad part...I have already met with them twice and sent them several proposals. However, it was a couple of months ago and its possible that they think I have "forgotten", either that or that it would be MY privledge and honor to work with them for nothing ;) Good luck on freelancing! It is worth it. I have been doing it for 10 months and love love love it! Only answering to my clients is a breath of fresh air! Lara |
| Cyrus | Posted – 7/22/2008 12:21:53 AM | show profile Lara, Your situation is why I say NEVER, EVER send someone a proposal for free. Why? Because there are some in the world who will take it and use it themselves without paying you one dime. It's a dangerous bet to make. I have created proposals themselves for a fee and the company didn't go on to become a retainer client, but at least I was paid for what I created. ------ Cyrus Afzali Astoria Communications www.astoriacomm.com |
| marianna | Posted – 7/22/2008 3:10:56 PM | show profile Hi Cyrus, I totally agree with your strategy but am curious: how much do you charge to prepare a proposal? (in general) Have you ever included a media contact list with the proposal? If yes, how much did that add to the price of the proposal? Mari |
| thestudent | Posted – 7/28/2008 4:53:41 AM | show profile I always make sure to let a prospective client know that I bill for money. Things such as media lists, email messaging, and phone calls are not free. Well, they're free for me -- but clients don't know that -- regardless, many companies purchase systems that help them do basic tasks such as those. If he offers a free seat in the poker tournament, tell him all the things you can offer that doesn't immediately impact your wallet -- maybe a press release but no distribution. Let him know about newswires and their pricing. |
| LoDo | Posted – 7/30/2008 3:42:19 PM | show profile | email poster Lara, that was one of the best responses I've ever heard. Cyrus, I watermark my proposals with CONFIDENTIAL. I know it may not prevent my ideas from being stolen, but it's always a Catch-22 when it comes to submitting a proposal. I've actually worked for a few agencies and they never charged a fee for proposals. What's your strategy? Thanks! ------ Lori |
| marianna | Posted – 7/30/2008 8:07:28 PM | show profile Hopefully the always-helpful Cyrus will weigh in but in the meantime...I've noticed that proposals from big PR agencies are pretty general and rarely give really specific details about how they're going to approach the problem. Probably because they have no idea until they conduct in-depth meetings with the client, and there's no way they'll do that without getting officially hired. I'm currently looking at a proposal from a huge agency for a $60,000 3 month gig, involving "media rehabilitation" for a financial person who got indicted. Its only 3 pages long (not counting the bios of the agency people) and is divided into a bunch of categories. It explains what the agency would do in VERY general terms without giving any juicy details. And since a large part of the proposal involves "media training" its not really possible to give much away. Here are the sections: OVERVIEW (a rehash of what the indicted person's current situation is) OBJECTIVES (i.e. we will make him look better in the press) PROGRAM STRATEGIES (we'll create new messages about him , give him media training and tell his side of the story) OUR APPROACH (again, we'll pitch the press and give him media training) MEDIA TRAINING (we'll teach him how to talk to reporters and do interviews) MEDIA OUTREACH (we'll create a media list and then pitch these people). And so on...so, assumming that a proposal like this actually entices people to hire this agency, it is possible to create something that can't be stolen. |
| Ryan M | Posted – 7/31/2008 1:15:41 AM | show profile | email poster Lara, I wouldn't think much of this. Some people can't and won't ever truly understand the value of a sharp Publicist - the 2nd most important person in any company. How you say? A Publicist can come up with a brilliant idea for a company and if that idea is embraced by the media, thousands possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars pour into that company. Sales through traffic driven to their site increase their bottom line, their reputation grows (that's priceless), and their message is seen, heard, or read about by millions. When crisis befalls a company, a Publicist can implement a crisis plan and if that plan is accepted by the media, hundreds of thousands of dollars (possibly millions) are saved by that company in what would be lost sales from a damaged reputation. A company, individual, product is only as good as it's reputation and perception in the eyes of the masses. A Publicist is an architect of reputation. Remember that next time anyone undervalues you Lara12. |
| Cyrus | Posted – 7/31/2008 12:53:31 PM | show profile I think some folks are getting confused between contracts and proposals. Yes, it's true that no one charges for proposals that are essentially a couple of ideas and financial terms, but when someone wants a full proposal, there's nothing to stop them from taking it and using it, cutting you completely out -- UNLESS YOU CHARGE. So the only things I give out for free are brief story idea sketches. If someone wants a full proposal, they have to pay for it. The only time when I vary from that rule is when I decide to participate in a formal RFP process that's being sponsored by a well-known organization. To me, there's a difference between giving out a proposal for free as part of an RFP process by a recognizable organization and giving a prospective client that you may know very little about a free PR plan. Lori, with all due respect, putting confidential on a document really does nothing from a formal, legal perspective to protect you. There's nothing other than ethics to stop someone from stealing the whole thing. Don't know about you, but in today's business world, I don't rely on someone to have high moral character when it comes to potentially stealing free ideas or paying me for them. ------ Cyrus Afzali Astoria Communications www.astoriacomm.com |
| lara12 | Posted – 8/2/2008 2:13:48 PM | show profile | email poster I agree with everything you are saying Cyrus. My proposals are broad, an overview of what I can do. I would never give away too much information without being retained. I really appreciate all of the feedback here and am proud to be part of this community. :) Lara |
