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There really is no such thing as a "typical" day in the lives of music publicists. Even if you spend an entire week sitting in front of your desk, sans any scheduled photo shoots, press days, networking events, press events, or other unexpected work situations that pull you away from your office, you will never, ever have a typical, cut 'n' paste day. There are always fires to put out or media miracles to facilitate.
Everything on your calendar on any given day will be moved, pushed aside, blown up, rescheduled, repeated, checked off, and changed. Because publicists are the nerve center of most the moving parts of a campaign, things are hectic and chaotic more often than not since you serve many masters, from the band to the media to the manager to the label client to the editor to the writer to the photographer.
That said, here’s a glimpse at what a "typical" day is like for me... whatever that means.
6:00 a.m.: blowing through hundreds of emails
My inbox brings in at least a thousand emails a day. That's press requests, pitch responses, band inquiries, media inquiries, management updates, back and forth reporting, and the list goes on and on. There are a lot of people to communicate with.
I like to start the day with a clean slate. I walk my dog, shower, whip up my morning fashion and beauty posts for Bustle, and answer email, all before 9:00 a.m.
By the time I put my PR hat on officially at 9:30 a.m., even though I’ve been doing emails, I want to be ahead. Therefore, I get up at 6:00 a.m. to blast through emails, addressing anything time sensitive that came in overnight, deleting unnecessary Google Alerts or emails I've been CC'd on 15 times. By 10:00 a.m., my inbox will be down to a manageable amount before the daily deluge commences.
9:00 a.m.: putting out fires, managing crises, and generally dealing
Musicians may do or say dumb things. Or they may kick a member out. Or they may cancel a tour. Or someone may go to rehab. Or a writer may have written an unfavorable review. You have to manage these issues on the back end, creating and then delivering the message to the media, spinning them, and making sure things don't get out of hand and tarnish a campaign. This can happen at any time during the day, but since shows happen at night, I tend to find myself dealing with stuff the morning after.
11:00 a.m.: conference calls
Oftentimes, publicists have to get on the phone with a band, the manager, the label, or an outlet to discuss plans, go over strategy and targets, and land on the same page. "Hey Amy, how are those late-night TV pitches going?" or, "What's the tour press picture shaping up like?" or, "Here’s the band interview protocol for the next tour." All of these conversations happen, and then those discussed topics need to be executed. These calls often happen during the late morning.
12:00 p.m.: updates and reports
Publicists have to give client updates, whether it's drive-by emails or a fully executed report. I like to do drive-bys so clients see what's going on, rather than me taking an hour away from pitching and securing press to create a rundown about the pitching and the securing of press. This way, the client is updated, and they see my plans being put into action and getting results.
1:00 p.m.: pitching
That's the main gig. Getting tour, national, online, regional, and TV pitches out there is the first inning of the game. Following up and executing is the second. It involves a lot of communication and repeat reaching out and following up. I like to pitch in the afternoon after the East Coast media has cleaned out their inboxes, and when writers and editors are just settling into their day on the West Coast.
Please note that pitching is done all day, every day. This is just my favorite pitch time.
2:00 p.m.: organizing and seeing through to completion
I keep a list of things I need to check up on and follow up on to see them through to completion, like an interview or photo shoot from last year that had no time-sensitive stamp on it. I usually check those off mid-day. Yes, I keep lists and check things off manually. It makes me feel victorious to have completed a task.
2:30 p.m.: lunch
At least I try for it here… but usually fail. No, I don't think I’m a martyr for my job; I just run out of time a lot. I admit my weakness!
3:00 p.m.: writing press releases
As publicists, we have to get information to the media, and that includes writing and strategizing press releases and media alerts. It's a nice way to cast a wide net. I like to write towards the end of the day when there’s less distraction, or early in the day, when I’m fresh, bright eyed, and bushy tailed.
4:00 p.m.: managing schedules
Band schedules are filled with interviews, which is super time consuming. You make the pitch; follow up; get the confirm; sync the band’s and writer’s schedule based on location, time zone, and band's status (on tour or at home); and get them on the phone, making it happen. As the day winds down, I like to finish and send over schedules to managers and tour managers so that all new requests that came in during the day or were confirmed during the day get added.
5:00 p.m.: wrap up
Any loose ends that need tying off? That happens at 5:00 p.m. Sure, I’ll answer emails at night or deal with someone texting me over an MIA photo pass in Milwaukee. But I like to start shutting down at 5:00 p.m.
The main takeaway here? Publicity is not a job; it's a lifestyle.
Amy Sciarretto has 20 years of print and online bylines, from Kerrang to Spin.com to Revolver to Bustle, covering music, beauty, and fashion. After 12 years doing radio and publicity at Roadrunner Records, she now fronts Atom Splitter PR, her own boutique PR firm, which has over 30 clients. She also is active in animal charity and rescue.
