TalkingWithTami: Hello Tara, weve been friends for quite awhile,your family now lol! You send me some amazing press releases, tell us how you started 360 Media?
Haha, we are family. I feel like I’ve known you forever. Thank you on the releases. We have fun crafting them. I started 360 Media thirteen years ago this past January. I had been working at a record label and the two owners were married and got a divorce. When I left, I followed my day-to-day boss who started a new label. I did that for a year and then she left to run a distribution company. I then started looking for work and Music Midtown Festival came to me as I had been an intern on the first two and they said give us a pr proposal to handle all the media. You know the festival and we would love to have you handle it. It was the door that opened that started 360. While I thought oh I will do this for 6 months and look for a job, I started getting other business including bands touring like Stuck Mojo and new release parties for bands like Jennifer Nettles Band and Josh Joplin Band. Nine months in I was like I think I have a business and that’s when I picked a name and officially became 360.
TalkingWithTami: There are soo many types of pr companies out there. Can you give us some insight on how to pick a great pr company to represent you?
When picking a PR company I think it is important to not only do research and interview multiple firms but also figure out what your basic needs are so that you can determine what type of firm you need. There are specialty firms like us who are entertainment, lifestyle and hospitality and then you have others that are technology, medical, corporate etc. You should set up meetings with the firms and request proposals to see what each will bring to the table. We always meet with a potential client first to see if it is a good fit and would work well under the 360 umbrella. We also show clients past work with wrap-up books and materials that we have done and always ask to speak with former or current clients. I always want a client to feel we are the best partner for the job and if we don’t get excited about the account, no matter how much the money we walk away. It is our reputation too and if we don’t believe in something neither will the reporter on the other end of the line.
TalkingWithTami: Can you please give some good advice on how to pitch media outlets, so that people can know the correct way?
When it comes to pitching media, it is so important to not only know your outlet whether its print, radio, TV or online but also try to learn and know the writer that you are pitching.
Do your research! Learn if the writer you are pitching covers your topic or has covered something similar in the past, uncover if that writer covers more and is open to getting other pitches.
So many writers and reporters don’t have much time anymore and you need to make it as easy as possible with credible material. Make sure all your ducks are in a row, that you have the info, someone you can arrange for an interview, photos with captions, details of your client etc. There is nothing like getting a writer on the phone and not having your pitch or your materials together. It wastes their time and yours. Journalists love when publicists make their life easy. I also always tell my staff not everything is worth pitching or worthy of a release. Take a moment, look at the material and determine why is this newsworthy and if it’s not figure out how it can be. Also, quality over quantity. Sometimes you can make more of an impact with one or two great features than 15 little pieces. It is important to assess this as you begin any outreach or campaign.
TalkingWithTami: Is there any formal training that you have to have to become a good publicist? Whats some good courses one can take,or schools to attend?
I’m not sure about formal training per say. I think that it is important to get as much experience as possible. I have a degree in corporate communications and that has helped me but it was the hands on internships and jobs that have gotten me the experience to be where I am today. I would also suggest read as much as you can. With the way the industry is changing today and with publications moving online completely or the vast increase in social media and networking, it is so important to be ahead of the curve and on the top of your game when it comes to being knowledgeable of trends and where the industry is going. Clients want agencies and PR folks to advise them on what to do to get the most bang for their buck. I am sure there are some great schools for PR but I would push folks for experience where they can get it as well as joining some of the Public Relations organizations as well as reading trades etc.
TalkingWithTami: Whats the next big thing 360 Media is working on?
360 has a number of big projects in the works. We just launched a new website at the beginning of the year www.360media.net to show our change in scope and really represent who we are now. Public Relations, Special Events and Creative Marketing. We have increased our outreach in the hospitality market from opening the W Midtown Hotel to now representing luxury cabin rentals including Watershed Cabins in NC to destinations. We also have expanding our food outreach signing Taste of Atlanta back on and spots like The Mercantile a specialty market on Dekalb. And finally we have begun to expand our personality pr services with folks like Q100’s Bert Weiss and Jessica Dauler of Jessicashops.com and even independent film mogul Dexter Davis. Lots of great stuff to come in 2009.
www.360media.net
