Which Is Better? Retainer-Based Book Publicity or Pay-Per-Placement

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 It’s a debate that doesn’t have a right or wrong answer when it comes to book promotion.

Retainer book promotion or pay-per-placement (PPP): Which is better?

 Pay-Per-Placement

 An author pays nothing for PPP up front, and only pays if a book publicist obtains media coverage. If no coverage is acquired, then no fee is paid.

This means that firms aren’t compensated for poor performance. On the other hand, if they do perform very well, an author may spend much more than they would in a retainer-based arrangement.

Retainer-Based Book Publicity Service Programs

Unlike PPP, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to retainer book publicity programs. The charge per month spans anywhere from $2,500-$8,000. The publicist implements a holistic, multi-dimensional plan customized for various media types. Rather than only targeting “high-probability” media targets, all appropriate media are considered.

With the proper research into a firm’s history, performance, experience, references and reputation, you can typically get the best ROI with a retainer based publicity firm, and spend less. If a firm has a well-established, positive track record, chances are they’re probably going to be successful for you too.

 Three Different Outcomes

 Securing media coverage is every author’s goal as they start a campaign. There are three different outcomes when it comes to book marketing.

  1. You can hire a PPP firm, but if they are very successful with your campaign, you’ll pay for it; and probably pay a lot. Again, more than had you hired a retainer-based firm.
  2. There’s the chance that the PPP firm you hired doesn’t do well, which means you won’t pay much.
  3. For a set price, you can hire a retainer-based, well-regarded, experienced book publicity firm and have faith that they will come up with a well thought-out plan and implement an extremely successful campaign.

If you are an author looking for book publicity and marketing, look no further than Smith Publicity. Our extensive media connections and innovative publicity process puts our clients in the best position to obtain media coverage. It doesn’t matter if you are a self-published author or traditionally-published — we work with everyone. Reach out to us today by calling 856-229-0807 or fill out a contact form on the website.