Take the stage and take control of your own image. Weather or not we like to think about it, we have an image. How people see you can determine how they react to something you say or something you do. This can have a major impact on ones ability to succeed in business. But I’m not going to talk about the PR Puzzle from a business point of view; instead we will look at this puzzle from the entertainment industry’s perspective for simplicity sake.
When you are song writing, when you are performing, when you are recording your next great hit, you are investing into entertainment. Entertainment is a commodity; it’s an industry that is enormously popular. Entertainers take their audiences on adventures, roller coasters rides and leave them with the feeling they had experienced something life enriching. I’ve met many entertainers in my life. Johnny Lang, David Chappelle, Bill Cosby, Charlie Hofheimer, Rodney Lucas (F Stokes), etc. : These entertainers have all invested their time, their energy, their money into their PR Puzzle. Once you’re in the public image it can be hard, perhaps impossible to step back into the world as a private citizen. Bill Cosby is no stranger to this concept. When you’re famous or on your way to being well known for something, your public image is being looked at under a microscope with a broad lens.
We give celebrities grace for some mistakes and pull out the pitchforks for other things. So who decides the outcome in the court of public opinion? How are cases ‘litigated’? What trends do we see those in the public eye?
The Media is often the first line in covering cases of public interest. They bring on correspondents, respondents, and experts to influence and perhaps change the public opinion. Public opinion is a power tool that can be used to elect leaders, change policy, sell music, sell movies, sell cars, and open doors. This is why so many people invest their hard earned money into having a PR consultant. The idea is to organize your press, all of your press including bad press.
Musicians need to work hard to get shows but should work twice as hard to make sure that show is covered in some credible news outlet. This will help them develop their Press Kit. The other side of the puzzle for developing artists is to start managing their own social media. It’s absolutely critical to spend time developing how your social media will be used and what market you are targeting. Pay attention to your audience’s interest over a calendar year, and see if there is way to emulate knowledge with a younger audience the next year.
Do not neglect social media. If you disappear from online streams for too long, it can feel a lot like starting over when you decide you want to be famous again. So stay out there, stay out of trouble, stay relevant.