Designers are great at taking an empty room and making it sing, but they often don’t know how to amplify their work to get more recognition, clients, and grow their business’s bottom line. Some outsource that job to a publicist. For others, PR feels too intangible to make it worth the often pricey monthly fee of a pro. With the litany of tasks and costs that come with running a business, should you prioritize hiring professional publicity? What can you expect to get in return? We asked nine publicists and designers, and the answer is more concrete than you think. Here’s exactly how to figure out when it makes sense to hire PR and when it’s better to do it alone.
Hire a publicist when…
“As long as there’s a story to tell, we’ll have PR,” says Ari Heckman, founding partner and CEO of AD100 firm ASH. “It’s about brand awareness.” No matter where you are in your career, a publicist’s job is to tell people who you are as a designer. And there’s more at stake than just reputation. Sarah Natkins, a communications and PR consultant and the former head of Camron US, tells AD PRO that PR is key to growing your business and boosting your bottom line. “Building awareness in a smart and strategic way can have a huge impact,” she says. “If done in the right way, it can help expand a studio and drive the right business.”
Lauren Urband, founder and president of The Consultancy PR, says a publicist can also be a great strategic partner when honing a business’s strategy. “PR plays a pivotal role,” she says. “We provide a road map and advise on best practices that help set up a designer for success in the long run.”
That doesn’t just apply to emerging designers: The right messaging can also help more established firms reach a new clientele. “A great publicist is especially helpful if you’re trying to speak to a particular audience or get the message out about a product you’re creating,” Heckman says.
Publicist Christina Juarez, president of Christina Juarez & Co, says she thinks holistically about business development, networking, and mentoring for her clients, sometimes looking a decade into the future. “In the initial interview process…I ask a series of pointed questions about their existing business and where they want to go in the next 2, 4, 6, 10 years,” she says.
How will you know when your PR strategy is working? Publicist Laura Bindloss, founder of Nylon Consulting, says although everyone’s business goals are different, you should regularly see your name in a variety of publications. “You want a real smattering and you want it consistently,” she says. “You want coverage monthly that can range from quotes to full features, and you want it in a variety of outlets. You want to be positioned as an expert in your field.”
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In order for a publicist to do their best work, Natkins says a designer needs to have a clear brand identity and know who their ideal client is, although they don’t need every detail hammered out. “A good publicist will work with you to help figure this out, and then develop a media strategy that communicates your vision,” she says.
Sarah Barnard, principal at Sarah Barnard Designs, credits a previous publicist with encouraging her to craft a specific message and find a niche in the market. Says Barnard, “We really care about a few specific things and those are the things we repeatedly stand on, come back to, and share.”
Bindloss says her firm wouldn’t take on a client who didn’t have a strong point of view and a professional website. “The first place we’re going to drive people is your website, and if your website isn’t communicating what we’re trying to pitch, there’s no point in paying us because you’re going to lose the customer when they get to your site.”
Publicists need finished work to publicize, so wait until you have plenty of projects under your belt to hire one and hit the ground running. “In my experience, it helps to have photos and content ready. Or at least a project that you have ready to pitch,” says interior designer Kelly Martin, of Kelly Martin Interiors. “It’s an expensive investment, so you don’t want to waste any valuable time.”
A good rule of thumb, Bindloss says, is between 5 and 10 projects that are photographed and ready to publish, with several more lined up over the next 6 to 12 months. Remember, there’s no benefit to paying a monthly retainer until you can fully take advantage of a publicist’s time and expertise. “You get what you put into it,” Martin says. “It really depends on what you are pitching and how much content you have for them to work with.”
You’re better off on your own if…
“Don’t hire a publicist if it’s a cost that’s going to keep you up at night,” Bindloss says. It’s usually about the price of hiring a full-time employee, she says. “Don’t think about PR as a monthly retainer but as an annual cost, like you would be bringing head count into the firm.”
“It can be an investment!” says designer Ali Davin of AD PRO Directory–listed studio Jute. “I have found [that] what works best for us is to do à la carte PR—to pay for placements versus having a monthly retainer.”
If a full monthly retainer is too pricey, some publicists might allow you to dip your toe in the water and pay a lower fee for less of their time. Urband says her firm’s fees can vary greatly depending on the scope of the work. “Each partnership is scalable based on available resources and priorities,” she says.
Natkins agrees that monthly retainers tend to vary significantly, depending on what that client needs. “A small firm might start in the $6K range, a more established studio could be upwards of $10K, and a large firm with many projects around the world would go up from there,” she says, adding that a recent increase in independent consultants like herself “offers more options for smaller and medium-size studios, and likely more flexibility to find a fee that fits.”
If that sounds too costly for your business right now, it’s probably best to wait until you have the cash to do it right. Publicity really service where you get what you pay for, Heckman says. “Probably like anything else in life, working with a publicist is a good idea if you work with a good publicist. I don’t know that it would have any value if you were just to hire anyone.”
If you do shell out the cash, make sure you’re getting enough out of the relationship. Ultimately, the investment really should boost your bottom line, Juarez says. “Any engagement with a consultant should, over time, see an ROI [return on investment] in my opinion, or what’s the point?”
A publicist can make or break your reputation, so be sure you take the time to find the right person. “Wait until you find someone you really trust,” Bindloss says. “This is someone who represents you to the press, so make sure you’re proud to have them speaking on your behalf.”
Martin agrees. “It’s important to hire a publicist that really gets you,” she says. What can you expect to gain? “Exposure, connections, honest feedback. When you find one that really fits, it can be an amazing partnership.”
Heckman says it’s a two-way street. Just as you’re searching for a firm to represent you, most publicists want to sign clients with a similar worldview. “A good firm is not just going to take on a retainer from any client. They realize that their credibility as a mouthpiece for their clients is based on who their collection of clients are.”
Urband says that, like any other relationship, it’s about chemistry. “The relationship between a designer and PR is built on chemistry and trust,” she says. “A designer’s work is deeply personal and often emotional, so they should seek a partner who believes in their work and wants to see them succeed.”
“There is the small road, also, for those who have the fortitude to do it,” Barnard says. As the owner of a small design studio, she prefers the grassroots approach over professional PR, because the authenticity is more representative of the actual experience her clients will have. “The primary benefit is I’ve maintained control over how I present myself to the world because it really is me. An overly polished, less personalized, sterile presence wouldn’t be a match for what [the clients] are getting anyway. That level of refinement is not real.”
And some social butterflies just love the hustle. Gail Davis, principal at Gail Davis Designs, says she loves meeting people at events, and she’s gotten many opportunities by simply striking up a conversation. “You need to be authentically nice to people, not looking to get something, because you never know who will think about you for a job,” she says. “That’s how it has really worked out for me. We can all benefit by helping each other.”
Both designers stress that, especially if you forgo PR, professional photography is something you should never skimp on. “Snapshots on a job site for your Instagram feed—totally,” Barnard says, “but when it comes time to document your finished work, always hire a professional architectural photographer. A filter can only take you so far.” Davis agrees: “Pictures really tell a story and I want to make sure my story comes across clearly and that a person will think, Yes, I need to work with her.”
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