By Melissa A Vitale 

As a publicist, some of the greatest people I know are journalists and editors, and I frame it like that because media is a rare industry where focusing on your social life can be a valuable part of business. Most of the editors and journalists I work with regularly have become close friends and we have both become vital sources for each other: a publicist provides new products, events and stories that audiences will be interested in, and often, the journalists will respond with a great story that thrills a client.

​Building strong professional relationships are just like building strong personal relationships; they take time, dedication, and personal and often emotional investment. This is why they so often bleed from business to casual which adds to passion of project of media relations (imagine regularly getting to work with your best friend!!). Today, some of my closest friends are the first journalists that I worked with when I started MAVPR and the result, beyond an empowered friendship, is also a number of stories we worked on side-by-side.  

Media professionals who collaborate together often have the benefit of being able to help the other out when needed. 

With my proximity to the sex, cannabis and business industries, even if someone in my client base is not a fit for journalist's specific desired source, there's a pretty high chance that I will know someone in the realm who can speak to that.

If I am the lynchpin between a need and a solution, the reformed Girl Scout in me will always help out. A handful of my non-media friends, without having ever paid for my services, have had their names in top tier outlets as a result. This happens every-so-often and is a great way to network my services by turning incoming press-requests that I wouldn't normally be able to help with into opportunities for my friends to share with their network examples of how good of a publicist I am. For that added reason, it's always beneficial to connect a journalist and a non-client source at the journalist's request. 

When the opportunity is reversed however, it could be devastating to a business. 
Often times, I'm asked by a friend to pass along a media contact. Depending on the need and reason (and person asking) I may have no problem doing so, but those are very special circumstances. Even rarer, I even offer to connect someone because I think there will be synergy between the two. 

Other times I'm asked to connect people for hopes (and potential) of a full feature, with absolutely no benefit or compensation for me. For my business, this means that someone benefits off the years of relationships I built without having to do any of the work or pay any fee. For myself, its energy spent without compensation. For the person asking for the connection, along with free ad value averaging over $7,000, feature coverage from my relationships could lead to major brand recognition that could lead to massive investor opportunities or increasing incoming sales or appointments.  I did all the work, while someone else gets all the reward. 

If done too often, this can bring down the value of my public relations services. "Why pay Melissa a retainer when she can just give away free PR?"

Along with bringing the value of my services down, giving away contact information to anyone without permission is a major no-no in today's digital world, and can be a costly mistake for publicists. 

Just like you wouldn't give your friend's personal information out to a stranger not knowing what they could do with it, I can't give out the personal contact information just because you asked for it. I can't tell if you're the person who will span their email 16 times a day, drop my name even though I don't recommend or work with the brand, or who else you will give it to. If I were to give out emails in high frequency--which is how often I'm asked for them-- I could potentially gain a reputation as the publicist who gives away emails. And publicists don't have the best reputation in the media industry as it is. In a worst-case-scenario, the contacts who feel violated remove me from their email lists or fail to inform me of updated contact info. Giving away information can burn a publicists relationship with a journalist and that could be detrimental for business. Asking for one contact may seem like nothing, but if one contact is the source of many secured placements overtime, doing anything to offend them (like sharing their personal contact info) can be a violation of trust, friendship and working relationship. 

Not only that, because I work with smaller brands only seeking limited engagement, there can be seasons of heavy turnover and seeing non-clients benefiting off of my relationships while I'm working double-time to onboard new clients is more discouraging to my business than the people making the request will ever know. 

Not that I'm always looking at my bottom line, but I do live in one of the most expensive cities in the world, something that adds to my value thanks to my proximity to so many media hubs. With high turnover and even higher rent, at some point, I need to cut out money-wasting practices and that can be connecting people because they want my help but cannot afford or do not want to invest in my services. 

I want to make PR accessible and I'm always willing to work with a great brand to create a MAVPR crafted pitch-package where I send an introduction of a brand to 100 of my closest relevant contacts for a market-friendly rate (As is industry standard, no emails or contact information would be shared in the list of targeted journalists). 

Those interested in putting their names in front of the wonderful journalists and editors I work with daily can submit a request form to initiate a proposal and on-boarding process or schedule a consultation session. 

By Melissa A Vitale 

Seeking efficiency in marketing budget, a common question that passes my desk is about a "Pay-per-placement" model of Public relations. 

Before you get your hopes up, this is not something I offer. 

MAVPR focuses on storytelling, media relations and executive thought leadership and visibility in top tier articles. This can be a combination of Full Features - a story centered entirely on you, and often the hardest to come by unless you're Elon Musk, commentary in industry and trend stories, and inclusions in round ups of category-listed articles. The strategy to securing these types of featured placements in the Forbes, Marie Claire's and Rolling Stones' of the world involves pitches that will capture an editor's attention, my strong relationships, and a deep understanding of the media environment.

Every single editor, journalist, editorial director, digital site manager,  and outlet itself have their own editorial schedule. Just because a client wants to be featured in outlets, doesn't mean that the writers who want to feature you will have time or will get commissioned for those stories, especially if there is nothing time-sensitive anchoring a journalist's interest. This is why PR plans typically cannot be less than three months, because there needs to be time for the press to align their interest in a client with their editorial schedule. 

With strong relationships, sometimes features come before the contract is signed, other times, there could be two months passing before traction starts to build. 

Securing press interest involves writing, editing, emailing, calling, face-to-face meetings and even events to present a client to a journalist in the way that will be most receptive. After all that, you may get a feedback along the lines of "I love this! I'm swamped right now but catch up with me after this month and I'll revisit the topic!" That feedback usually leads to a story or inclusion, as long as that journalist is reminded. 

Due to the media landscape, press efforts can often be a game of Russian roulette, where sometimes round after round of pitches yields very little, and then BAM, three features right after another. Its for this reason you work with a skilled publicist who can navigate the murky waters of media relations and still make sure your name has an established presence. 

I explain all that to paint a quick picture of all that is required to secure a story. The reason that pay-per-placement firms are very rare (to this day, I know of only one that operated in 2016 but whose cofounders have hence moved on to more lucrative marketing services) is because they could involve intense amounts of work for little reward. 

When you ask a publicist if you could pay per placement, you are asking if they could bear the costs of your media efforts, while you will pay when you deem their work has produced the result you desire, and not paying for the work they did to achieve those results. 

In a competitive marketplace where a NYC-based freelance publicist is in high-demand for brands, the choice to work for clients who will pay for all the work instead of the result isn't difficult to make. 

If I were to charge a pay-per-placement model, it could mean charging the equivalent of up to three full retainers to encompass all the unpaid work, and at that point, you may as well look into sponsored post options, something that MAVPR does not specialize in. 

By Melissa A Vitale 

My goal for MAVPR is to be the ANTI-PR firm: to do more than send media alerts and press releases, but actually curate brand stories and trend conversations that audiences can't help but click on. Not only do I craft more curated pitches than a long press release, but I research each and every contact before pitching. 

I am human: If you received a pitch that isn’t a fit for your beat, I may have found a specific assignment of yours and assumed you cover the topic regularly. Sending me a note of your personal and professional coverage preferences will make sure I only send you the most curated pitches for what you and your audiences will find innovative. I work across Sex, AI, Tech Startups, and Cannabis, Wellness, Luxury and everything in-between and I'm sure I have an angle you'd like to sink your teeth into. 

Let me take a moment to introduce myself: I am the publicist that “knows what’s up”. I’m a sex and cannabis positive Brooklynite with roots in New Jersey so I don’t like to beat around the bush. I smoke way too much weed to follow up 5 times on a single email as I’ve seen some publicists do. I even have an app that tells me if you’ve read an email so sometimes, I use that to avoid follow up at all. Nice right?

I’ll go out of my way to make sure I don’t come off as a pushy, coverage hounding publicist. If you want to feature my clients, great... I’ll have all image and quote assets ready for you on your deadline. If not, keep them in your inbox for future stories. I try to make sure all my pitches are engaging and all my targets are relevant. If they are neither, please let me know! I welcome feedback and thoroughly enjoy writing emails I know press will love.

When I send a pitch, I'm not expecting you to stop what you're doing and cover that angle. But I know that in the coming months, it may be useful to have that pitch sitting in your inbox for when you assigned a relevant topic. 

I only work with brands I love and support, so if I’m telling you a product is great, it’s not because I’m paid to do so; its because I actually work with some amazing clients and therefore I want you to try them, and make sure your audiences know about them. Along with brands I adore, I genuinely love working with media who are great and passionate about what they do. From an early age I've always respected journalists and held them on a pedestal. The journalists I work with are more than just a field in an email blast: I see the human behind each headline, and I'd rather build a strong relationship than make you feel used with every pitch you get. 

Being based in NYC, I work with a number of event producers and brand events taking advantage of New York’s media hub. If you get an event invite, please RSVP without worrying that I require coverage or will hound you for weeks after the event. I am not the Coverage C*nt! During the event, I won’t even be the pesky fly on your shoulder asking you if you see an angle yet from an event. If you come to an event, that is great! If you cover an event, you will be invited to every single event I ever host. If you come to an event and cover a related topic without including my client, then maybe lets talk, lol! Come to an event, enjoy, and if something sparks your interest (and I do some cool events from erotic off-broadway plays, immersive play parties, CBD self-care nights and cannabis speakeasies and dinner series, so I’m sure your fancy will be tickled), we’ll make sure you have all the event details, photos and b-roll you need. One thing to note, I try to offer plus ones and press bags to all plus ones, but with startups and emerging brands, my clients don’t always have the budget to do so.

Beyond pitches and product samples, if you’re in or traveling to NYC, I would love to make sure you get to an event I host and take things offline and actually get to know each other. The more I know you and what and how you like the cover topics and brands, the better I can communicate to you in the long run (aka the more enjoyable our working relationship can be).

Outside of events, I love to take things offline for a drink, a smoke, a night on the town, an evening in hanging out with my 20-lb Maine coon over a bottle of champagne and some snacks Italian-mom style (cheese plate, meat plate, and dessert plate all served at different times). Just because we work together doesn’t mean it has to be dry. We work in media this is why we do it! These are the perks!!

Sadly, I’ve had some journalists say that I ruin all other publicists for them, and I probably will. I hate that some people in my industry are so pushy and ill-mannered that they ruin the name publicist (one of the reasons I wrote this post). I’ve met some other incredible boss babes who “get it” as well and we focus more on telling great stories and offering great angles, products and education to strong media relations, but we probably only make up 1% of the PR industry.

Because I don’t work for a larger firm, I often miss the gossip of public relations. As a result, bad PR tactics are my erotica, so if you have a horror story you’d like to share, I’d love, love to hear it. Seriously I would love to know how bad some people can get because this way, when I pitch a lot one week, I don’t feel as bad.

I’m happy that I provide the best service I can not just to my clients but to the journalists I work with every day. 

PR is not the only goal in the next 20 years, I want to be president, and I want to transform human rights conditions globally, and I have the 20 year plan to prove it. For that reason, I’m passionate without being jaded, because I know media is just the first of my many careers (and if you’re politically minded, we could literally talk for hours!)

If you saw something that made you laugh above, let me know. I’d love to know what we already have in common

By Melissa A Vitale 

One of the hardest parts about running a public relations brand is the uncertainty and the ambiguity of the media industry, and trying to explain to clients that just because they want PR, doesn't mean that press want to write about them right at that second. 

Public relations is the least immediate form of marketing: you can hire a social media manager tomorrow and have increased following and engagement by the end of the month; you can hire a Google-ad-words specialist and see higher website traffic in a day. In public relations, you can often go the first two months with no live coverage. 

When you hire a bigger PR firm, they compensate by having junior staff focus on blog, regional and niche placements that fill end-of-month-reports but often have no tangible ROI in the long-run of the campaign, while senior staff go after the top tier, longer leads that clients actually want. The result: using a big PR firm, you will not only get large placements, but you get many placements frequently. 

With a freelancer its a bit different and that typically has to do with timing and budgets. Clients hire freelancers because they are not yet at the stage to hire either a global firm or a full-time employee. Therefore, it should be expected that every retainer has a limitations of hours that can be applied to an account. 

For my Public relations operation, I offer all the services of a larger PR firm, but at a freelance rate, and therefore, the expectations should be relevant to the retainer. While I still offer media training, content and press release writing, and speaking engagements and other services you find at a larger PR firm, I do so with the understanding that rather than having a team of five actively pitching a client, there is only one senior publicist pitching the client. Often times this is what emerging brands want when they seek my services. 

Before we get into what a PR retainer covers, we should first examine the often-rocky media landscape in regard to media relations.

Every single editor, journalist, editorial director, digital site manager,  and outlet itself have their own editorial schedule. Just because a client wants to be featured in outlets, doesn't mean that the writers who want to feature you will have time or will get commissioned for those stories, especially if there is nothing time-sensitive anchoring a journalist's interest. This is why PR plans typically cannot be less than three months, because there needs to be time for the press to align their interest in a client with their editorial schedule. 

Due to the tiered nature of media explained above, press efforts can sometimes be a game of Russian roulette, where sometimes round after round of pitches yields very little, and then BAM, three features right after another. Its for this reason you work with a skilled publicist who can navigate the murky waters of media relations and still make sure your name has an established presence. 

Because a press campaign can often times take two months before a press hit comes in, a lot of clients ask me what their PR retainer is actually paying for? 

To give you an idea, every $1000 per month spent at MAVPR equals up to 10 hours of outbound pitching. Outbound pitching includes pitch curation, strategizing the best journalists to pitch, any exclusive rounds the pitch includes, finding contact info and reaching out to journalists. This is a majority of the work involved in a PR campaign, but it is by far all of it. 

Pitching is just part of the process though: once a journalist is interested, a single story can require up to 40 man-hours on my end depending the scale of the story. Interview prep, sending along photo and video assets, media training, on-site interviews and filming can add up quickly. The best stories can sometimes take the most time. With MAVPR those hours are unlimited in any retainer. I work until the job gets done, its why I never accepted hourly work and always worked with a retainer. This is also why outbound pitching isn't a concrete number. If a brand has 5 stories coming in one month, in media, certain angles get paused when a journalist is interested. If you offered to give someone a cake (a story) and in the time they took to pick up the cake (get confirmation from editors, interview subject and write the story), you offered it to someone else but offered to give the original customer the chewed up regurgitated bits (no longer new, fresh or uncovered, now old news) they would be pissed and angles in the media industry can be the same. 

A monthly retainer also covers any needs for content writing or press release writing as required in the campaign. Any client-requested writing that is not for press efforts as designated by MAVPR are billed outside of the monthly PR retainer. 

PR campaigns can take as many turns as the media industry does, and it's not always quantified in secured press hits until the strategy really starts to unfold.