Publicist

A publicist is an individual who generates publicity. The act of obtaining publicity is simply the dissemination of planned messages to targeted media in hopes of obtaining media coverage and thereby furthering the organization's interests. In most cases, the coverage is intentionally placed by an individual rather than a news reporter covering an assigned story for publication. Publicity can be sought by any individual, but those who specialize in it are called publicists. Many public relations practitioners, whose job title may not be that of publicist, usually are involved in some activities that generate publicity. Although publicity may be a strategy used in a public relations program or campaign and is often confused with public relations, public relations is a much broader concept. Skilled publicists are experts in media relations, a sophisticated specialty that involves forming ongoing positive relationships with media gatekeepers.

Publicists act as conduits for information flowing from an organization to a public through the use of mass media so that the public understand, sympathize with, and are favorably predisposed toward the organization. Publicity is a broad term that refers to the publication of news about an organization for which print space or broadcast time is not purchased, such as is the case with advertising. Unlike advertising, which is a controlled tactic, publicity is uncontrolled. Although a publicist can attempt to place a very different story than what actually appears in the media, as opposed to advertising, news media in the form of stories appear to be a third-party endorsement by the media organization.

Much of the information in the media originates from public relations sources, particularly those generated by the role of publicist. Good publicists become a trusted source to media gatekeepers, earn a reputation of accessibility and honesty, and know their topics well. They are keen at what makes news and develop messages that are purposefully planned, executed, and distributed through selected media to further the particular interest of their organization or client. Publicists know when journalists are on deadline, thoroughly understand the editorial profile of the particular media they are targeting, and are familiar with the work of the journalists they are contacting.

Publicists write a variety of public relations tactics, including news releases, feature stories, backgrounders, position papers, biographies, fact sheets, and media advisories. They produce press kits, write pitch letters, and make pitch calls and work with many different media gatekeepers, including city editors, feature editors, section editors, assignment directors, radio news directors, and television [Page 754]producers. Moreover, publicists are astute at managing online newsrooms for their organizations and clients. They work with media directories, know the editorial calendars of publications that interest them, and subscribe to clipping services so they can track coverage.

In general, practitioners in the public relations practice use publicity as just one of the many tools in the communication step of the public relations process, but there are certain fields where publicists can be found in abundance. For instance, they are commonly found in government and entertainment-related industries. Publicists working primarily for government institutions or agencies are called public information officers. Publicity also plays a large part in the entertainment industry. An entire field of journalists reports on the expansive world of entertainment to satisfy their public's interest. Publicists in the entertainment field focus their time on gaining coverage for their clients, attractions, or organizations. They prepare press materials and pitch stories to media gatekeepers. They work with feature editors of metropolitan newspapers, associate editors of magazines, assignment editors of television news shows, producers of television programs, news directors and program directors of radio stations, and a myriad of other journalists. A skilled publicist studies the work produced by a particular journalist and the editorial environment of the publication or show in an attempt to develop an interesting angle tailored for that particular media outlet.

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