By Melissa A Vitale

As the head of a boutique PR operation, one of the biggest parts of my job is to manage my clients expectations on their PR campaign. 

One of the biggest conversations I hate to have is the "I want more results, but I don't have the ability to increase the budget." 

From the perspective of my company, it may seem against my : I opened MAVPR in an effort to make top tier media relations accessible to startups and vice brands. So isn't that embodying the same ethics of the PR Agencies that don't provide certain services to clients that don't meet a certain budget? 

In all of MAVPRs proposals there's a set expectation that should be expected for the monthly retainer. I've figured out how many hours of pitching is required for vice brands in order to see results. I've also formulated a scale of my services for different budgets based on my hours and the amount of revenue I need to bring in each month to keep the lights on. 

Typically in a PR retainer, you are paying for representation, pitching and strategy (aka everything that makes a press placement happen). A publicist is not a slave so having a publicist on retainer does not mean unlimited work. It needs to be capped somewhere. 

Every story takes hours to pitch and even longer to see through to publication. The more people on a PR team, the more hours and people who can cultivate these individual stories. 

When you look at a big PR agency like Edelman or 5W, you see minimums in the tens of thousands. You also see top tier results that dominate headlines. While my results can be compared to similar results of these big PR firms, they blow me out of the water in the volume of results. If you work with one of these big firms, you're going to be in so many more relevant areas of coverage than working with a boutique firm. 

These big firms have 5+ people on a team cultivating relationships on behalf of the brand every day. PR comes down to man hours and when there's more people on the team, there's going to be more results. 

It should go without saying that unless there's an increase in budget, there cannot be an increase in services. If an account is expected to have 2-8 placements a month and a client says the account is under-performing with three placements in a month, it means they're expecting their minimum number of placements to be DOUBLE what they've agreed to pay. It may be two placements, but if one placement takes 10-20 hrs, that client just asked for up to 40 hrs of free work. I don't have an extra 40 hours in my month unless you don't want me to eat or sleep (which if you expect your publicist will physically harm themselves for your campaigns you should probably never work with a publicist). 

While I have the reports and tracking that I am one of the best options for vice brands without a big-agency budget, you shouldn't come to MAVPR or any boutique PR firm with the expectations of the same results of an agency with double my minimums. 

You don't go to Kate Spade and at checkout, ask the cashier where your Chanel bag is. You get what you pay for. If you want the results of a global agency - you need to seek out a global agency. 

In public relations, the more money in your budget, the more hours can be spent on cultivating the relationships that lead to top tier coverage for your brand.

Brands looking to maximize their startup budget can find a boutique firm that specializes in telling impactful stories in their industry.  

For Vice Brands looking to explore cost effective public relations packages, learn more about MAVPR’s services via: melissaavitale.com/services.html 

By Melissa A Vitale 

Okay here’s the scenario. You are scrolling through social media and see an article about a brand you’ve worked with. You click on the article and WOW: There’s your photo! You either took the photo on behalf of the brand or you were at an event of the brand’s where there was photography. You’re not upset about being featured, but damn, you want to be credited.
 
Totally understandable, especially if it’s a big outlet. That exposure could be so monumental to your brand or business.
 
Before we get into what happens in this scenario, you need to first understand that as much as I like to think I’m a powerful woman, there are many things in media that I as a publicist absolutely cannot control. (Shameless plug to one of my previous blog articles, quite literally titled “Things a publicist cannot control”). Does not matter how many times you ask me, or if you threaten me with consent violations to try to make your point--which yes has happened--this is an area where even my hands can be tied.
 
There are a lot of people involved in every story that gets published. For every single story published, there’s usually a writer, a section editor, a site editor and a photo editor involved. I get into the specifics more in this blog. This is why you can see mistakes in a published piece. The writer may know your name, but the 3rd editor making a pass at the article doesn’t have the same first-hand information as the writer (something like they wouldn’t know if your name was “Vitaly” or “Vitale”). The photo editor usually is the one who finalizes the image choice. They usually get sent a link that was provided by a brand which images to choose from.
 
I slipped that sentence in there so you may not have even noticed it. The brand provided the image to the photo-editor; Even if there were paid photographers, paid models, personalized props, typically the brands pay to have the photos available to them for use. Often times, the publicist and editorial team won’t always know who took the photos or what’s going on in them. They just know they were provided on behalf of the brand.
 
I’ve even had photos labeled “Must be credited to PHOTOGRAPHER NAME” but still credit was not given to the photographer in editorial. WHY? Why is that? Do journalists, newsites, publicists and journalists hate creatives so much they won’t give them credit for their work?
 
Obviously, this is not the case. Every, single, time, I’ve asked about additional credit, the writers and editors (and myself the publicist) will ask until we’re blue in the face about credit. We’re creatives ourselves. As a publicist my entire job is doing work that I don’t get credit for. A good publicist is known by brands and journalists, and everyone else doesn’t know I exist. Every day my clients tag work and are praised with getting the attention of big-name outlets. Even non-clients who get a placement from my network will forget to credit me; the only reason why they had that coverage was because of my relationships yet does my business get that credit? I know how absolutely frustrating this can be. So I don’t ignore these requests. Writers often freelance and understand how crucial credit can be so they also almost always will submit the request to their editor.
 
This is where the rope comes around our wrists.
 
We’re usually hit with one or the other reasons: site capabilities or editorial guidelines. Sometimes in order for a magazine website to be able to have video popups, interactive ads, newsletter signups, the web team is limited on the other functions of a site. For brand stories, often times, photography credit is limited to a handful of words. That’s not an editorial guideline. Photo captions can be limited to a few words because of the website’s limitations. This is a big “something a publicist cannot control”. I cannot ask Business Insider if I can try to code their backend to try to get someone, who was already paid for their work on behalf of a brand, credit on an already published piece.
 
Sometimes, in places like Forbes where many of their articles are self-submitted by contributors, it’s nearly impossible to go back and change crediting.
 
So let’s go through what can happen if you were not credited in a photo you are a creator of in some way.

1. You can ask the publicist that you’d like to be credited. To make our lives easier, please put the requests in all at once. Provide the link you’d like to editors to include, and correct spelling of your name. Also let us know what to do if we cannot add credit. Do not follow up excessively with the publicist. This falls very low on the To-Do-list of editors and journalists and a publicist won’t risk her relationship to follow up aggressively on this matter, therefore following up with the publicist during her workday won’t do you any favors.
2. When you make the request, be aware that there is a very high probability that you cannot be credited for something we cannot control. If that is the case, please let the publicist know what you would like in that instance. Often, this means either accept the credit for the brand that the work was done on behalf of, or have your image removed. Telling us beforehand will make the request more seamless for the editors aka more likely to be considered. 

I know this sounds harsh. Again, I understand how hard it can be when you’re not the one whose name is outlets like Forbes and Allure. I know. I know. I know. It's literally my job to do work I don't get credited for. If you don't want to be included without credit, that's okay! We can have your image replaced, often times they replace with a stock image. Until I have one of the biggest PR firms in the country and every media outlet knows my name, there’s not really much I can do when I’m told no.
 
Because many of my brands are startups, I’m often in this situation where brands work with tons of creatives in their network to create their media assets. Even when the magazine cannot credit the photographer, those involved with the article will tag everyone who made the article possible. Press hits always take a village and we love to credit those involved in whatever capacity we can.

If you have a credit request, please submit it to info@melissaavitale.com and we will give you an update about what to expect once the request has been received by editorial. 

By Melissa A Vitale

​Unless you're a publicist, journalist or CMO, you're likely not familiar with the different types of press coverage the litter the everyday vernacular of a media professional. 

There are three basic types of media coverage: 

• Commentary: Most media coverage focuses on topics, trends and predictions, not material products or brands. However, brands and publicists can still be very valuable for these. Often, journalists are on a tight deadline and need quick, reliable sources to help illustrate an industry trend or give a prediction on a market. Publicists ensure reliable insider insight at a quick turnover rate. These interactions result in brands and their leaders being included in what publicists dubs "commentary" opportunities. It can be a quote in a forecast on a specific niche in the industry or giving consumers insight on how to buy a product in a saturated market. 
• Roundup Inclusion: I'm sure you've read an article like "Best gadgets to trick out your pad," "Must-have skincare for summer," and "The Secrets of Success from Disruptive Entrepreneurs." These are what the media biz calls round-ups! A round-up can be of people, products or brands. There's really no limit to what these can be. I've seen favorite in-office work-out tips from entrepreneurs, dating advice from boss babes, travel secrets from porn stars. If it will get a click and drive affiliate links, there's a headline for it. 
• Full Feature: This is the Mac-Daddy of all PR! If your publicist sends you a full feature one day, don't bother them after 5pm; they're out celebrating! When a publicist says "Full feature" they're talking about an article that is purely dedicated to a brand. There may be a mention of another brand to showcase a larger trend, but overall, the article is dedicated to the client brand. These can be for announcements like funding raises or celeb partnerships, or just because an editor thinks their audience would benefit from learning about a company. A full features ad value can start at $5,000 and can go as high as $250K for print placements. 

All three of the above can also be classified under one of the following: 

• Seasonal: Coverage that pertains to a specific consumer season. Can be as basic as Valentine's Day, Holiday Gift Guide's, or more niche like Election cycles, Football seasons or Back to School
• Breaking News: Stories that include client products or commentary as a result of breaking news. Some examples include, "work from home essentials" in the time of Corona, sexperts commenting on viral celeb romantic-drama, or "AI tools that could have predicted Trump's Win" 
• Timely: It's very rare when a brand gets to dictate a media timeline, but in these cases this type of coverage is considered "Timely." Funding announcements - both stand alone and inclusions in roundups of funding news, new product launches, and collaborations usually fall under timely. 
• Evergreen: This term is thrown around a lot. Anything that isn't seasonal, timely or breaking is evergreen. If it can be published in April or August, January or June, it's evergreen. Examples include: "Best CBD essentials for sleep and stress," "The pleasure products you didn't know you needed" and "Why AI will take over Finance." Brand profiles that aren't tied to a timely or seasonal announcement are usually considered evergreen. 

Dedicated publicists utilize a strategic & nuanced approach resulting in a variety of the above types of coverage over the course of a campaign. 

For brands looking to have regular headlines, be sure to check out MAVPR's suite of services: 
https://www.melissaavitale.com/services.html