THIS series is so good that GospelPundit is teaming up with two other new media heavyweights to cover it– GospelFlava.com and The Gospel According To Torrence at BET.com. It’s THAT major.
I wanna introduce to some, and present to others, the one and only Jojo Pada, gospel’s publicist extraordinaire. She is probably one of the BIGGEST personalities in the gospel music industry. She knows everyone and everyone knows her. Now 15 years into this biz, she is THE go-to person for PR (public relations) in this game and she has worked very hard to be where she is. On a personal note– I was her intern at Verity many moons ago and she is one of the people that laid the foundation of my knowledge and know-how in this business.
FINALLY, she’s sharing her PR prowess with the masses– pay close attention, take notes, and be educated in this historic three-part series across multiple media platforms.
Your roadmap:
1. Visit GospelFlava.com to read more about Jojo and what motivated her to write this editorial– http://www.gospelflava.com/articles/confessionspublicistpart1.html.
2. Read the section below, in which Jojo shares 5 tips for becoming a great publicist.
3. Hop over to The Gospel According To Torrence to read the conclusion of Jojo’s PR advice. She’s giving 5 amazing tips for anyone who’s seeking help from a publicist– http://blogs.bet.com/ontv/thegospelaccordingto/2010/02/confessions-of-a-gospel-publicist-part-3/.
Make sure you visit all three websites to read everything Jojo’s got to say– it won’t make much sense if you don’t. She wrapped up at GospelFlava by saying “I know that I’ve been called to be a publicist. But have you?”
Let’s pick up there…
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5 helpful hints if you want to be a publicist:
1. Learn how to write. I’m lucky – I actually went to college and got my degree in Public Relations. I was taught how to write for newspapers and news releases; I was taught how to analyze media and media trends and I was taught how to pitch. And I’ve had excellent training. My first real job in the biz was with the legendary Terrie Williams. Ms. Williams was probably the preeminent Black publicist for years. In her heyday she was simultaneously handling Eddie Murphy, Johnnie Cochran and Janet Jackson.
The most important thing that was constantly drilled in my head was LEARN HOW TO WRITE. Writing is our lifeline. Bios, press materials, sales pages and creative copy – it’s all something PR people must know how to do. If you want to work in Music PR, writing bios is probably the best thing to do. For me, when I write a bio, I take the time to interview the artist and listen to the CD over and over. That gives me a hands-on, intimate sense of what the artist likes to talk about as it pertains to that particular project AND what the music really sounds like – both are essential items in being able to pitch the artist and the project to different media.
After I write a bio – I know exactly what the highpoints of the CD’s are, I know what things are important to the artists – I know how to craft what media should ask.
2. Understand the story you’re pitching. One of my strengths is knowing the right story for the right media outlet. I love creating just the right pitch that works. If a gospel client says to me, “I want to be in non-traditional gospel magazines,” I have to think of a way to make it work. I wouldn’t pitch Black Enterprise with a new-CD-release pitch; I would find out if the client has a businesses or entrepreneurial ideas that would make sense for a magazine like Black Enterprise.
3. Know your media (Part 2 of understanding the story). Befriend your media compatriots. Learn their dislikes, likes, when they like to be pitched, when their deadlines are, etc.– it will help make you a better publicist. When I was doing celebrity events for the Motown Café, our job was to bring celebs in and get as much press surrounding their appearance at the restaurant. A good friend Richard Corkery, was THE celebrity Photographer for the Daily News in New York City. We all knew that if he came to one of your events and took pictures, there was a good likelihood the photo would run in the paper the next day. One thing about him is he LOVES to drink Amstel Light. The minute I saw him walk in to the restaurant, I’d have one ready for him. I know it’s a little thing … but he’d always remembered that and made a point of coming to ALL my events.
And don’t just reach out to media people just for a pitch. Actually care about their lives outside of “what can you write about this week.”
4. Specialize. Create a niche for yourself that makes you the BEST in your area of specialty. Publicity is contact and network-driven. If you start in TV publicity and stay in that field, in a few years you will know all the key players, writers and media outlets. Like in any profession, making a name for yourself is important to success. Once you’ve established yourself as a knowledgeable, experienced publicist in that particular field, your reputation will spread – a publicist’s value is based in what other people (potential clients, press people, artists) think of you.
Also, create camaraderie with other publicists in your area of expertise. So often, people try to pit PR people against each other but you never know when you’ll need to call upon other people for help on a particular project or you might even garner work from another publicist. For example, veteran publicist Bill Carpenter (Capital Entertainment) provides links to different publicists (including me) on his website.
5. Network with media and with other publicists. I know I just said pick one field and stay there, but it doesn’t hurt to get to know and connect with publicists in different genres. You can learn tips on strategies for media pitching, social networking campaigns, find out about upcoming events and TV specials. Knowing what other publicists are doing can elevate your game. Join PR societies and groups. One great example is run by another awesome veteran Publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn of GQ Media, who runs the PR listserv – a database to whom she sends all things germane to PR (job opportunities, upcoming events for clients, media stories, etc).
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I LOVE THAT INFORMATION! Kinda makes me wanna be a publicist. LOL
Okay, now head over to The Gospel According To Torrence RIGHT NOW for the conclusion of the matter (churchy!), where Jojo gives FREE advice to aspiring artists in search of a publicist.
And, leave a comment here to let me (and Jojo) know what you think of this advice!!!
Perhaps most impressive is the song’s success relative to other songs in the music industry right now. The track has jumped from #78 to #14 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hot Songs Chart. Billboard says that his jump represents 
