How to Grow Relationships Like a Publicist
Relationships are the cornerstone of all aspects of life - from personal to professional, we are all trying to foster those connections and grow them over time. For publicists, relationships with clients and media are some of the most important and what makes us successful.
In this post, we will outline a few tips on how to make these partnerships international.
Client Relationships
Here at Choice, we love our clients and always want to put the best foot forward on their behalf. We are their support and allies in all aspects of their campaign. To start all client relationships, we set up an intro call between the publicity team and client to go over goals, expectations, and to get to know each other. It’s an open conversation that lays everything on the table and allows us to put together the best communication plan for that individual client. Once we start our work, we always like to collaborate and brainstorm creative pitch ideas together. This is the best way to connect and understand what is most important to your client at that time. Outside of work, we always like to do random check-ins to see how they’re doing, what they have planned for the weekend and connect. Open lines of communication are what make a client relationship!
Media Relationships
During our time in this field, publicists start to grow meaningful relationships with media and become their go-to’s when they are looking for a source. This comes from hard work and research. When pitching a new media person, it’s so important to understand what they cover and if the information you are sharing is a fit - if it’s not, that is the best way to get your email deleted. When you share relevant information, the media will know you are a great connection to go back to and you will likely work with them multiple times. Another important thing is to connect with the media outside of asking for something. If you live in the same city, meet up for coffee, or once you have open communication, send them an email or text to check in and see how they are doing, caring about people will go a long way!
We live in a fast-paced world, but taking the time to connect with someone in an open and honest way is so important. Instead of always emailing over assignments or pitches, ask how their day is going or check out their social media to see what they have been up to and ask. Growing trust is an important foundation and being a person clients and media feel like they can go to is always a win!