Wondering how to hire the right publicist to help you promote your book?
There seem to be publicists everywhere.
But there is one special thing to look for that helps you make the right choice.
Hire the publicist with the “blink factor”.
What’s that? Well, they instantly know why are you good and how to get you booked on the media of your dreams.
Not all publicists are created equal
Experience matters. Some book publicists have lots of experience booking guests on media opportunities. These publicity experts know where the good publicity opportunities are and how authors can fit into these publicity opportunities. Others are just starting out and they still have to learn the ropes, make a few mistakes along the way and waste a bit of their client’s money on these mistakes. To be a really good publicist it takes lots of time and plenty of real life experience.
Work with the insiders. They have been around awhile. They have deep contacts within the industry. They have a strong brand name.
And they have the blink factor. They just know. They just know exactly what to do.
Real Story: The blink factor in action in everyday life
Imagine for second that you are a 16-year-old boy.
Just starting his junior year in high school,
In badly need of a hair cut…
He does not want to look like a dork,
But has NO CLUE how to explain the cut he wants to the hair dresser.
(Most teenage boys don’t know how to talk hair at all)
All that he knows is that he wants to look OK, fit in and not be made fun of at school.
So, this kid goes to a hair dresser with about 20 years of experience. Her name is known around town as being the best.
The kid sits down in the chair.
He mumbles something or another about his hair.
The hair dresser says “Don’t worry. I know exactly what to do.”
You want this, you want that, shorter here, longer here, a little off the sides but keep the top…
YO!
What does the kid wind up with?
The perfect cut. He is happy. He does not look like a dork.
So the kid tells his mother, “wow, she took one look at me and knew exactly what to do!”
Exactly. That is the blink factor in action.
People with vast experience in their fields – they develop a skill set that rises far above their competitors.
So, would you rather get your hair cut by someone with the blink factor?
Or a newbie hoping she does not mess up your hair?
Would you rather hire a publicist with lots of experience and can walk you into the right doors,
Or someone who keeps wondering why all of the doors are always locked?
Hire a publicist with a proven history of booking the media. If you want to be a guest on a major morning show, find out if the publicist you are interviewing has experience booking the show. If you want to be in trade magazine, ask if they are actively booking the trades. If you want to be the guest on the bigger radio shows in the bigger markets, find out if your publicist has a strong history of booking those shows.
You can put a team together. Once you identify where the publicists excel, put a team together. This is the wave of the future for PR. Hire a variety of professionals, each with a proven track record in their area of expertise. And at the end of the day, everyone is happy!
Want to learn more about the “blink factor”? Be sure to check out Malcolm Gladwell’s landmark bestseller Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
By Annie Jennings, Creator Of JenningsWire: The World Of Success.