Here's What NOT to Do As a Publicist Planning a Press Trip
I was just invited on the most lavish press trip of my life... until I wasn't.
A memorable Monday approached six weeks ago, just after parking my car into my space. I did a quick eye-stroll through my email to see if I missed anything in the hour I was away for a meeting. My eyes immediately widened when I saw the subject line: “You’re Invited” intertwined with “Luxury Stay at Hamptons Retreat”. My stressful week of mounting deadlines suddenly didn’t feel as daunting. I had something to look forward to the second week of January. And not just anything—a trip to the freaking Hamptons, a bucket list destination. In fact, I was more excited about a tranquil January stay than a hectic summer visit competing for air with a bunch of 20-something TikTokers.
Ask anyone who knows me, the Hamptons has been at the very top of my list for years and years. That said, as a journalist, it’s always important to read the fine print. I combed through this coveted invite five times, while noting key takeaways from the body of the email:
the distinct words: “I’m excited to offer you an invitation” and “[the retreat founder] would be so pleased to welcome you as her guest.”
a detailed overview of the trip’s incredible amenities/purpose, dates of trip and accolades this specific retreat and resort destination have boasted over the years.
the door left open to cover with no set-in-stone obligation: “If you’re interested in joining and potentially writing about the experience, would you kindly be in touch? As an intentionally intimate gathering, space is tightly limited.”
After a thorough assessment of this dreamy experience, I wasted no time replying to the invite, marking my calendar and gleefully exclaiming to my New York family members that I’d be popping my head into their neck of the woods-ish just after the new year.
My reply was clear and concise, and I didn’t think much of it since there wasn’t a whole lot I needed to say: “Hi [name], Thank you so much for reaching out! This sounds like a dream and I’d love to partake. There’s always the potential for coverage - we can discuss further. But in the meantime, would love to know the next steps in terms of attendance. Thank you again!”
She replied swiftly, but her reply had me second-guessing my excitement. “Hi Dahvi, wonderful to hear that you're interested! Next step here would be to confirm what outlet you’d be considering coverage for. Since this is a partnership with [resort], we'll take that information to the broader team to ensure approval on both sides. Looking forward to hearing, and many thanks. My best, [name].”
A Flawed Approach
Whoa. whoa. whoa. I’m sorry, what? Why am I being gaslit into thinking I reached out at random to cover this?
For what it’s worth, I immediately Googled the publicist, and it appears she graduated college a year ago. This is no disrespect to younger professionals, but I can’t imagine a veteran (or someone well-trained) would pull the trigger on an invite before checking a handful of boxes—namely, ensuring client and publicist are on the same page.
“You have to give the client all the information they need to sign off,” Purple PR Lifestyle Account Director Miles Harris told me. “This is key in order to give you the control and confidence to deliver a really good trip.”
Harris—whose clients include Edition Hotel, Paradero, Todos Santos and Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort—is no stranger to meticulous press trip planning. He and his agency have an industry reputation for assembling some of the most luxurious, experiential press trips and general events all over the world, with expertly curated attendee lists.
“There’s so much value in getting on the phone with someone you’re considering for a trip,” he explained. “By having a real conversation and being candid and honest, you can deliver your thoughts more cohesively and make a lot more sense. I also think it's important to have a paper trail, so I always follow up to reconfirm what was discussed.”
Despite being taken aback by the rep’s reply to my RSVP, I kept things going, as I really wanted to go on this trip. I replied to her confusing email immediately, offering up a prestigious publication that seemed fitting for this opportunity. Not that I had any obligation to list one, seeing as that was never part of the original invite, nor was there any guaranteed coverage in this discussion. But I digress. Her reply? None.
I gave her a little more than a full week, and followed up with, “Hi [name], I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! Do you have an update on this? My January is starting to fill up, so please let me know soonest. Thank you!”
She replied the next day: “Hi Dahvi, I hope you had a fabulous holiday as well. I know how quickly New Year plans can fill up, and appreciate your patience. We're syncing with the [resort] internal team to check on final numbers, so I will come back to you here as soon as we are able to confirm next steps! With thanks, [name].”
Rescinding My RSVP
They say “no news is good news,” but let me tell ya—that doesn’t apply when you’re waiting on a trip confirmation.
Following my reply to say thanks for the update, and that I looked forward to hearing from her again soon, I followed up two full weeks later (mind you, my follow-up was on Dec. 16, only three weeks before this alleged trip across the country was to unfold). “Hi [name], I hope you had a great weekend! Is there an update on this? Thank you.”
I told myself this would be my final follow-up, and I’d give her a full work week to reply. Crickets. It was then, after consulting with several decades-long publicists, that I decided to take an assertive stand.
“Hi [name], I was honored to receive your initial invite—what a thrilling opportunity. So you can imagine my dismay when I was given the runaround after RSVP-ing immediately with excitement. I'm writing to rescind my RSVP. I've been a journalist for 15 years, and I've never experienced unprofessionalism like this. The wishy-washy response I received to my RSVP in the first place (let alone not getting a reply to a follow-up email I sent five days ago) reflects negatively on you, [agency] and [client]. Our relationships in this industry are all we have, and this situation has been handled in poor taste. I don't know what your invite strategy entails, but I recommend reconsidering it so you don't encounter a disappointing outcome like this in the future. Best of luck, Dahvi.”
While this was an exchange and execution with the PR team, this absolutely put a terrible taste in my mouth from the client.
“As a publicist, the only reason a client hires you is to forge relationships they otherwise wouldn't have been able to make themselves,” The Brand Agency founder Priscila Martinez explained to me. “You are a steward of these relationships, and you have to take that very seriously. Your number one job is to make your client look good.”
Acknowledging that “there are a lot of situations out of our hands as a publicist,” Martinez—whose clients include Sephora, Hulu, Disney and Kering Eyewear—continues to reinforce the importance of keeping a client’s reputation untarnished.
“As a publicist, one thing you can be sure of is that things will go wrong,” she said. “We constantly have to be quick. We have to think on our toes. We have to be nimble and creative. If you do come across an issue, you need to ensure that you communicated to outside stakeholders in a way that doesn't affect your client, doesn't make them look bad, or that doesn't make the experience you’re creating look amateur.”
At any point, had the publicist said the trip would no longer be happening, had been postponed, or they decided to go in a different direction, it would have been disappointing, but I would have had closure. I understand things happen. I’m just not a fan of blocking out dates in my calendar and turning down other opportunities due to uncertainty.
Anyaway, the rep replied to my final email almost immediately. This is where our back and forth ended. I appreciated her taking accountability (well, blaming the client, but still acknowledging something)—but again, we never should have reached this point in the first place.
“Hi Dahvi, I do sincerely apologize. I was actually just writing back to you on this front: Unfortunately our team has been at the mercy of [client] guest services and, despite pushing diligently to get final confirmation on bookings so that we can give answers to press, we have not received final word on travel compensation for press. Candidly, we were told to expect a decision by mid-week; this has clearly not been delivered. It has at no point been my goal to leave you hanging, and it has also been a frustration on my team's end to not receive the timely confirmations we need to ensure ample space for invitees to block calendars, book travel, and clarify itinerary and logistics in advance. We are taking all of this into consideration as we plan event partnerships for 2025. I want to emphasize my regret that this has been a disappointing exchange for you. I understand your frustration and am very sorry. I'm wishing you nothing but warmest wishes for a lovely holiday season and happy new year. My best, [name].”
How Did We Get Here?
While I can’t speak on what went down behind closed doors, I can say this could have been avoided with proper research and communication.
I’ve gone on a wide range of press trips, and each one’s coordination has been executed differently, yet clearly. My seven-day Carnival cruise, for example, was arranged with a transparent attendance-in-exchange-for-coverage agreement from the jump. The Carnival team really wanted coverage on a family site, and LA Parent asked if I would attend and write an article. Then there were my Allergan trips (to Rosewood Miramar with Skinvive and Austin with Coolsculpting), which did not require upfront coverage. I’d previously covered injectables and aesthetics in-depth (including Allergan clients), so my thought is that the team selected media who seem like a natural fit for these more education-driven brand trips.
Then there were trips like Sausalito with EO Products, which seemed more brand awareness-driven. There were no upfront coverage requirements, but the team invited targeted press along to a beautiful getaway up north for an intimate look into the brand. My guess is they figure greater knowledge/connection to the brand can lead to more coverage where fitting down the line.
There were, in fact, a couple trips that ended up not being a fit. The key, once again, is research and proper upfront communication. There was one trip centered around a Michelin-starred restaurant opening at a newly revived resort. It sounded great, and I was indeed interested, but as we went back and forth, it was clear I wouldn’t be able to give them the type of coverage they wanted (which they hadn’t explicitly asked for in their initial email). Bottom line: I’m not a foodie writer (sadly). Then there was another trip that was indeed clear about wanting upfront coverage. but upon further inquiry, however, there were so many other stipulations that made the trip unappealing—especially since I wasn’t familiar with the brand to begin with.
In the case of the Hamptons retreat, it could have been a research flop. Perhaps they saw one desired outlet I’ve written for, and failed to notice it’s only been one or two articles—or the context of what I’ve written hasn’t been press trip coverage or retreats.
But, really, it could be a number of things. As Harris pointed out, these trips have many moving parts.
“The number one thing is getting the client to sign off on a budget,” Harris said, regarding the lead-up to sending actual invites. “How many people are you bringing? Where are you flying them from? Take into consideration how flights might increase depending on when they’re booked. So I always do that. I always over-inflate my budget and add a 20% contingency. I send that to my client, along with pitch angles and target publications. I’m also clear on a proposed itinerary. Once a client signs off on all that stuff, it gives the publicist free reign and control to come back to the client in two weeks and say, OK, we’re starting to book these people’s flights, here’s their itinerary and so on.”
While this situation was a let down for me, I hope I’m at least able to help others planning a press trip or major event. While I didn’t make it to the Hamptons this time, let’s talk if any of you have opps in the area. I’m not letting go of that (almost) manifested destination. ◡̈
PLEASE leave your thoughts in the comments! Dying to know, has this happened to you as a publicist? Has it happened to you as a journalist? What do you think transpired in this instance? How have you reacted to a similar experience?
Stay tuned the rest of the year for many 2024 recaps and insights!