Five tips to get the most from your artists’ nominations during “awards season”

Although the Latin entertainment industry doesn’t have an “awards season” like that for the general market, there are many events that take place through the year that you, as a publicist, can use to maximize the exposure of your clients. This not only applies to the A-listers stars that everybody wants at their events, but also to up-coming and independent artists that sometimes aren’t considered to be part of a show. Take advantage of every opportunity that is available to your artists.

1. Press Conferences to announce the nominations or finalists– If your artists released a record or a TV production during the past year, keep track of the upcoming awards and contact the organizers in advance. If there is any chance that your clients make the cut to the nominations/finalists list, they may be invited to be presenters during the press conference to announce the nominees or finalists. By taking the initiative to offer your talent, you ensure that they won’t be left out when the production is considering its options. This will be a valuable publicity opportunity since top media reporters will be covering the event and your artists will have an opportunity to be interviewed on the spot. Make sure that you know how many awards your artists are competing for and the names of the categories as that information is not always at hand when needed, for example, in the middle of an interview.
2. Press release with quotes– If your artists are not available to attend the press conference, draft a press release that includes one or two quotes and have it ready so that you can distribute it as soon as the organizers make the announcement. Remember that these stories will be published very quickly as all media outlets attempt to get their stories out first. So adding quotes from your artists will increase the likelihood that they will be included in the stories. Don’t forget pictures. Provide outlets with current pictures, so they don’t have to use old ones in which the artists may have a different look.
3. Other opportunities– Based on their availability, offer your clients the opportunity to be part of the organizers’ activities or any other activities related to the event. Can your artists be a part of a Facebook chat or a Twitter party? Can they be guest bloggers who discuss their experience as nominees/finalists of the upcoming awards? Can they perform or serve as hosts of a pre-party or after party? Although these opportunities may not be seen as good as performing or presenting at the awards show, they will provide additional exposure to a captive audience and, therefore, to more potential fans.
4. Social media– Don’t forget to feed your artists’ fans with compelling information about the awards that they are competing for. If the awards ceremony is a fan-based event, be sure to develop clear, call-to-action messages that include the official hashtags, handles and the website where fans need to visit to vote for your artists.
5. Work, work, work– When accepting the award for best TV publicity campaign for Jane the Virgin, at a recent ICG Publicists Luncheon, Arpi Ketendjian, director of publicity for CBS Studios, stated that the show’s cast did all the interviews they were asked for even forgoing their meals to do so. If the cast of Jane the Virgin and many other artists could do this, your artists all can work hard in order to achieve maximum exposure.

All these opportunities will require a compromise and great level of organization from the artist’s team as a whole. It’s important that you discuss them with your clients prior to developing the strategy and plan so you can avoid conflicting schedules or cancellations during the execution. The opportunities can be great if you can get the most from them.

Last but not least, since we tend to think about us at the very last minute, plan to acquire your black cocktail dress or suit with plenty of time so that you look great at the awards ceremony as well. Enjoy it!

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