Why Being Called A Publicist is Not Enough

[Aerial M. Ellis]

If I say I’m a doctor, there would be a general assumption that I have degrees in my area of study, hold a significant amount of professional expertise to maintain creditability, and possess a verifiable list of clients that can vouch for my work. That’s how it works for most professional titles.

I was bothered when I saw a Gawker.com post about “the most famous publicist” who blasted a press release about her dinner date with Cheers sitcom actor, John Ratzenberger, to the media. The random email with “MEDIA ALERT” leading its’ subject line included the restaurant’s location and a welcome for all media to come cover the event.

Needless to say, these are the type of antics that would be not approved by the Universal Accreditation Board for PR.

I hope that this whole thing was just a fluke and no one really makes the assumption that most publicists pull these stunts. It stinks like all kinds of wrong. Better yet, I hope that this improper, self-serving practice does not leak into the mindsets to future PR practitioners.

I’m not extremely fond using of the title of “publicist” but I do use it at times. It’s the easiest way to describe what you do as a PR practitioner. Publicist is the most commonly known title that most people will recognize and relate to. It’s also the most abused and misused job title in the PR.

I don’t question colleagues on their expertise or experience. If you say you’re in PR or you’re a “publicist,” I trust you. However, respect is another issue. If the reputation that proceeds you is an unstable one, then you’re watering down the game for the rest of us.

A title means nothing if you don’t respect the method by which it is earned.