Above: Simultaneous covers and multipage features in the top two newspapers in St. Louis for client the Miss Gay America pageant the week of the national Miss Gay America competition in St. Louis, October 2019. The cost of publicity was a tiny fraction of what it would have cost to take cover wrap ads, not to mention the 5 page features in both. Think about it! More Miss Gay America 2018 press in the video below.
“The extreme cost of advertising is no longer in the budget for many entrepreneurs. Lifestyle websites, mainstream magazines, newspapers and broadcast media are all very expensive. Most requiring minimum commitments that are now far beyond the reach of many. So what’s the alternative? You have to promote or go out of business.
More than ever, companies are turning to the enormous power and cost effectiveness of professional publicity campaigns. In fact, publicity can work far better than advertising. Think about it. When you are reading a magazine, what are you paying attention to, the ads or the articles? Yes, advertising can work — but you have to run it so many times to get people’s attention nowadays, few can afford to do it effectively. Whereas, one national media interview or feature article can have equal or better results than an entire advertising campaign.”
– Garis PR
Furthermore, anyone can buy an ad, but not everyone can get the valuable endorsement inherent in a publication’s decision to feature a particular artist or product. Editorial coverage positioned and secured by a sharp publicist not only costs far less than an ad taking up similar space on the page (print or web), it also holds far more value in the eyes of the reader.
Compare the cost of buying a full page ad, web or social media campaign in a national publication to the cost of a national publicity campaign and it’s starkly clear where the smart money is spent.
Finally, what’s the dollar value of the publicity your artist or product is receiving? Check the respective rate card for a one-time ad equal to the size of the editorial coverage your artist or product received in a particular publication and you’ll have it–as well as a case of sticker-shock–and perhaps a deeper appreciation for the value of the publicity you are receiving. •
Popular Publicity 