Whether you’ve been in the business for years or are just launching your studio, PR can be a powerful tool for boosting your reputation and visibility as a designer. But, as an independent creative or small business, we know your daily to-do list can seem insurmountable. Is doing PR on your own worth the effort? What can PR really offer, and how do you get started? As design fair season ramps up, Sight Unseen has partnered with Hello Human, a PR company for creative entrepreneurs, for a new series that breaks down some of the most common questions about the often nebulous world of public relations. Here, we’ll introduce you to the basics. 

What’s the difference between PR and marketing?

While some use “publicity” and “marketing” interchangeably, the truth is they are worlds apart. In the simplest terms, PR is what other people say about you, and marketing is what you say about yourself. What other people say about you is what builds your credibility in the market. How much of your business is already driven by word of mouth and referrals? Think of PR as working with an authoritative and well-read voice that’s vouching for you to potential clients. Being seen in design magazines and publications can be a fast track to elevating your reputation. 

What are the benefits of PR?

Publicity is not just about gaining credibility. It’s also a way for you to build on your brand vision through storytelling. In the world of design, images are everything. They are the visual currency for communicating your identity and selling your product, and a lot goes into creating those images. PR is a powerful way to get your images out into the world and broadcast your vision.

A cornerstone of consumer psychology is that it takes multiple touchpoints for potential buyers to react. Getting your designs in front of people repeatedly is key, whether it’s through PR, trade fairs, social media, events, direct marketing, newsletters, gifting, or collaborations. PR is one more avenue for this visibility because when your work is covered in the media, you automatically tap into a larger market. You can build your audience yourself through social media and outreach, but media brands are in the business of audience building. Lending your brand story to a trusted media publication is a targeted way to connect with the people you want to speak to.

How do I get started with PR?

Figuring out how to tell your story in a compelling way is the first step to good PR. Stories are told through words and images, and there are some tangible ways to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward.  

Form a written narrative.

The first thing is to take the time to ask yourself a set of introspective questions — interviewing yourself like a journalist would. For example: What motivates you? How would you describe your creative process? How did this individual project or your studio come to be? Is there a set of visual references that you often work from in your practice, or is there one that correlates to this particular collection? Once you answer these deeper questions behind your work, you’ll see a narrative start to form, which you can use to write a design statement and/or a press release for new work. We’ve distilled these questions from Hello Human’s PR Starter Kit, which is a step-by-step guide you can use to get started with PR.  

Bring your narrative to life with images.

If you’re a visual communicator as opposed to a written one (designers, we see you!), hire a copywriter to help write your story. Find someone who specializes in the design world by looking at bylines in your favorite design publications. If the writer is freelance, they’ll often be willing to help you with copywriting. The same goes for images: Pin a board together of all the publications you’d like to be in. What do their images look like, and how can you present your work in a similar way? Research the photographers and stylists in the images you like, and if you can’t afford to work with them directly, use your image research as a brief for the photographers and stylists you do hire.

When pitching furniture or products, you’ll want to present editors with a variety of images. There are several different kinds of images — from process, to sketches, to hero, to lifestyle — but you should aim to present at least two different types of images. Well-lit, silo images — taken against a white or colored background — should be the most basic element of your press kit, in addition to a suite of images that are either lightly styled or taken in situ in a beautiful interior.

Think ahead, and hone your pitch

In general, there are a few things to keep in mind when you set up a delivery deadline with your photographer and start putting together final assets that will make up your press kit. First, if you’re pitching to print magazines — known in the business as “long-lead” — editors are planning those issues at least three months ahead, so be sure to have your photography assets ready at least three and a half months ahead of your first outreach. If you’re pitching to digital outlets, things move quickly so you have more time to gather your press kit assets. They can sometimes be published as soon as a week from the first outreach, but digital calendars can vary wildly. Finally, if your story isn’t tied to a launch date (i.e. not a news story, but instead a studio profile, for example), the time frame for images is more flexible and will mostly depend on editorial calendars.

Don’t have anything new or newsworthy to pitch? Consider creating something newsy by drumming up a new collaboration or co-hosting an event, or pursue more “evergreen” stories focused on your practice, creative process, or studio space.

No matter what you’re pitching, be aware of the timing and ask yourself, “Why does this story matter now?” Figure out what you can link your work to that will make for a timely news story. Are you launching a new product or initiative that’s tied to a global design event like NYCxDesign or Salone del Mobile? Or maybe it’s linked to a more general holiday like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s/Father’s Day. Perhaps there is something sustainability-focused behind your studio or project and a launch could be timed with a global event like Earth Day. Think about cultural festivals and holidays such as AAPI month, Pride, International Women’s Day, or look at calendars in other creative industries such as fashion or tech. It will help if you can find something external to tie your work to, all in service of giving your pitch a better chance of getting attention by showing it’s timely.

Know your audience

Wondering who to pitch to? Research publications in your creative sector (interior design, architecture, product design, visual art, etc.) and get to know the journalists and editors at the publications where you’d like to be featured. Read their writing, and target your pitches to journalists whose stories are in line with the type of work you do. When you’re ready to pitch, remember that editors are humans too. Find ways to connect and reflect their work back to them. Remember, even if your pitch isn’t accepted, just getting your work in front of editors can reap huge dividends down the road. PR is a long game, so don’t be afraid to get started.