Most companies are only in it for money – not for mission or message.
That is the general way of business after all.
However, when it comes to PR,
your reps need to believe in you and your work to be convincing.
They need to care, without conflict of interest. By and large, members of the press are socially savvy. Any corrupted impressions or insecurities, coming from your own team, will not be helpful to you or your film.
Be wary of quick PR campaigns, under four months.
I’ve learned the hard way. The best campaigns might be more costly, but they make sufficient time for realistic, persistent, or better yet, exclusive outreach. They give a booked and busy press enough time to see and process who you are and what you’re doing.
*A collection of names and email addresses for cold sending and receiving, in other words, throwing films at the media wall to see what sticks in a moment, is simply not the same as activating reliable relationships with writers and media outlets or just utilizing good ol’ persuasive power and pull — all of which takes time to coordinate and to work.
If it can’t be avoided and you’re faced with a tight campaign, then, at the very least, securing interviews should be an immediate priority. They should be scheduled as soon as possible to generate momentum – to build a buzz before a release or premiere weeks away.
Lock in coverage when you can.
Any PR company that boasts a well-connected and well-oiled machine should still be pushing the urgency of it, never gambling on sustained media interest over time or perfect, no-loose endings.
However, some will do just that.
PR teams can reduce their actual workload and obligations by pushing all press efforts / activities off to a later date or set of dates (around a release or a premiere),
— and that leaves little to no room for schedule changes, complications, or corrections.
Running down the clock, so to speak, is a business strategy that works for them – and a PR strategy bound to compromise you.
For whom do they really work? — It’s a fair question.
Some will prioritize a press contact over a paying client no matter what.
They won’t necessarily go to bat for you, if their contacts get their facts wrong or mischaracterize basic elements of your work. Again, make sure your PR team is thoroughly behind you. Otherwise the relationship is wickedly exploitative. You’re just paying them to pamper and empower (ego-boost) their press relations.
Some PR companies do not have a fully vetted database of contacts.
They will waste your time and money on those unknown or untested contacts in that database, those who might be inclined to skip out on scheduled interviews or decline to write articles anticipated after those interviews. You can lose time, money, and opportunity chasing down their fresh contacts.
Above all, be warned of the following:
PR companies can continue to engage “bad apples”. Without your fully informed approval, they will knowingly invite the worst to play.
PR companies – without a care – can lay your life’s work
on the altar of “the critic” – without a conscience or a clue –
and leave you to deal with the blunder and belligerence all on your own.
Next stop: Roger’s Movie Nation
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