FAQ
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Most people ask what arts PR costs, how a campaign works, and whether an independent publicist or an agency fits them better; the 46 answers below cover those and more.
Every answer about Susan von Seggern's practice comes from her published materials. Where a detail such as pricing is not published, the answer says so and explains how to confirm it.
They ask about cost, timing, and fit. The short answers: pricing is scoped per campaign and not published, earlier is better for events, and an independent publicist suits clients who want a senior person on one clear milestone. Jump to a topic below.
Arts PR is public relations for cultural work: festivals, exhibitions, concerts, films, books, and the organizations behind them. It aims to earn media coverage rather than buy ad space. Susan von Seggern approaches it through four pillars: sustained media outreach, press releasing, lead service monitoring, and events, adapted to the timeline of each show, release, or opening.
Cultural PR services usually include story development, press releases, media outreach, interview pitching, and event publicity. In Susan von Seggern's practice that also means podcast pitching, hyper-local coverage, daily monitoring of journalist lead requests, and event tactics such as media cocktail hours, luncheons, sponsorships, and gift bag inclusions. Each campaign is individualized, so the mix depends on the project and budget.
A publicist turns an event into news before, during, and after it happens: announcing it to the right outlets, pitching interviews and listings, inviting press, and following up for coverage. Susan von Seggern has worked hundreds of events, including festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events, and premieres, and built a dedicated events PR framework from that work.
Advertising is paid space you control. PR is earned coverage that journalists, editors, hosts, and producers choose to run, which carries third-party credibility. Susan von Seggern’s main site quotes Richard Branson on this point: a good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad. PR results are never guaranteed, but they can travel further than one ad buy.
Media relations is the work of building and using relationships with journalists, editors, producers, and podcast hosts to earn coverage. For Susan von Seggern it means identifying target outlets and contacts, pitching for coverage, servicing press releases by email, and answering journalists who post requests for sources. She draws on more than two decades of media contacts.
Hyper-local coverage is press from neighborhood and city-level outlets that reach people close to an event or venue. For a Los Angeles festival, opening, or company launch, local outlets can drive attendance more directly than national press. Susan von Seggern pairs hyper-local coverage with newer tactics like podcast pitching and established ones like events and press releases.
This site does not publish prices, because Susan von Seggern builds each campaign around the client and her published materials list no standard fee. Cost usually depends on campaign length, the number of announcements, whether a newswire is used, and event scope. The fastest way to get a figure is to describe your project through the contact page and ask for a proposal.
Campaigns are individualized rather than sold as fixed packages. A typical scope combines some or all of the four pillars: sustained media outreach, press releasing, lead service monitoring, and events. You can ask for a scope matched to a single launch, a season of events, or ongoing corporate visibility. Confirm what is included in writing before work starts.
Newswire pricing varies by wire, length, and distribution, so check current rates with the wire itself. Susan von Seggern recommends Business Wire for its respectability and has an annual deal with it that she says significantly saves clients money compared with one-off releases on Business Wire or other wires. Wire posting is optional and used only if budgeted.
Yes, though the scope narrows. Lead service monitoring and targeted outreach can earn coverage without a wire budget, and a small media intro event such as a cocktail hour or luncheon costs far less than a large celebrity event. Share your budget up front so the plan focuses on the tactics most likely to reach your audience.
No. Earned media is decided by editors, producers, and hosts, so no honest publicist guarantees placements. A campaign can promise the work: target lists, pitching, releases, follow-up, and event planning. Susan von Seggern's lead service work has placed clients in Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, the New York Times, HuffPost, and Best Life, but each result depends on the story and its timing.
The main drivers are the weeks of outreach, the number of announcements, whether a release goes on a newswire, and the event format. A large celebrity and media event takes more production than a small press luncheon. Sponsorship, conference exhibit, and gifting event fees are paid to the organizer and sit outside the cost of PR time.
She builds campaigns on a four-part media relations framework: sustained media outreach, including podcast pitching; press releasing with an exclusive or pre-brief model; daily lead service monitoring; and events. Each campaign is individualized, combining newer tactics such as podcast pitching and hyper-local coverage with established methods like press releases and sustained outreach.
It is a way to give one outlet a milestone first, or to brief selected journalists before the public announcement. In Susan von Seggern’s framework, the exclusive or pre-brief is followed by email servicing of the release to a wider list and, if budgeted, posting to a newswire. It gives key outlets a reason to cover the news early.
Lead service monitoring means watching services where journalists post requests for sources, then pitching the requests that match a client. Susan von Seggern monitors five lead service feeds daily, plus emails and Substacks from journalists seeking leads directly. This has placed clients in Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, the New York Times, HuffPost, Best Life, and many other outlets.
Yes. Podcast pitching is part of sustained media outreach in Susan von Seggern’s framework. For cultural clients, podcasts suit artists, authors, filmmakers, curators, and festival producers who can talk at length about their work. For companies, they can position founders and executives as voices in their field. Shows are chosen to match the audience the client wants to reach.
It depends on the project. A single event or release needs lead time for announcements and pitching, while corporate visibility often runs as sustained outreach over months. Susan von Seggern scopes each campaign individually and has not published a standard duration, so ask for a proposed timeline when you inquire about your dates.
As early as you can. Many outlets plan coverage well ahead, and listings, previews, and interviews need time to land. Bringing in a publicist before dates, venue, and lineup are public leaves room for an exclusive or pre-brief announcement. Confirm the specific lead time your event needs with Susan von Seggern when you inquire.
Agree on a reporting format when you scope the campaign. Most PR engagements share coverage links and pitch activity, and the four pillars of outreach, releasing, lead monitoring, and events each produce trackable activity. Decide how often you want updates and which outlets matter most to you before the campaign starts, so reporting reflects your goals.
Yes, press releasing is one of the four pillars. The archive on susanvonseggern.com holds dozens of releases she has issued, covering festivals, film, music reissues, books, audiobooks, nonprofits, and technology companies. Releases announce significant milestones and are serviced to journalists by email, with newswire posting added if it is budgeted.
Her event work spans festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events, and premieres. Releases on her site cover the Hollywood Carnival parade and festival on Hollywood Boulevard, the CONTACT in the DESERT conference in Joshua Tree, the DIY Convention in Hollywood, SewDown during Los Angeles Fashion Week, and Bay Area launch events for the book Redesigning Nonprofits.
Inviting press is a core part of event PR, though attendance is never guaranteed. Susan von Seggern’s events framework covers large celebrity and media events as well as smaller media intro events such as cocktail hours and luncheons, which give journalists a reason to meet a client in person. Strong visuals, access, and timing all improve the odds.
A media intro event is a small gathering, such as a cocktail hour or luncheon, that introduces a client to journalists in a relaxed setting. Susan von Seggern lists it alongside large-scale celebrity and media events among her event PR options. It suits galleries, companies, and new ventures that want lasting press relationships rather than a single headline.
Yes, as PR tactics. Susan von Seggern’s events pillar includes event sponsorships, exhibiting or speaking at conferences, exhibiting at gifting events, and gift bag inclusions. These put a brand in front of attendees and media at someone else’s event, which can cost less than producing an event of your own while still creating a story to pitch.
Yes. Susan is based in Los Angeles, but releases on her site include events in Joshua Tree, Indian Wells, and the San Francisco Bay Area, plus clients in Miami, London, Iceland, and Cambridge, England. Media outreach and press releases reach national and trade outlets from anywhere. Ask about on-site support if your event needs it.
Yes. Her main site notes that PR News interviewed her about her events PR framework, which she developed through decades of PR and hundreds of events. The framework covers how to announce, pitch, and follow up around festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events, and premieres, and it underpins the event campaigns described on this site.
Yes. Corporate clients are one of the four client types Susan von Seggern consults for, alongside events, causes, and cultural clients. Her background includes globe-trotting corporate PR and work as CEO of a boutique PR agency. Releases on her site cover technology, energy, and blockchain organizations including Remotesome, IceWind, and Bitcoin Association.
Companies that sponsor festivals, back exhibitions, host cultural events, or launch creative products can earn coverage through culture as well as business press, and a cultural angle gives journalists a fresh story. Susan von Seggern works across both worlds, so one publicist can handle a company’s business announcements and its arts, event, and sponsorship activity.
Yes. Press releasing is built for significant milestones such as launches, new services, and partnerships. Susan von Seggern’s portfolio includes a pre-product buzz campaign for IceWind, Geoship’s equity crowdfunding campaign, and an October 2026 release announcing Remotesome’s AI Transformation service. Releases can go out as an exclusive or pre-brief, then by email and wire.
Yes, through sustained media outreach, podcast pitching, and lead service monitoring. Journalists post daily requests for expert sources, and matching an executive’s expertise to those requests often leads to quotes in national outlets. Susan’s lead service work has placed clients in Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, the New York Times, HuffPost, and Best Life.
Susan von Seggern’s published framework focuses on generating coverage through outreach, press releases, lead monitoring, and events, and it does not describe crisis communications as a service. If you face a reputation issue, describe it through the contact page and ask directly whether it fits her practice or whether a specialist would serve you better.
It suits festivals, galleries, museums, artists, musicians, filmmakers, authors, cultural nonprofits, and companies that support culture. Susan von Seggern consults for event, corporate, cause, and cultural clients, and her best fit is an interesting, newsworthy, active client with something real to announce, such as an opening, release, launch, festival, or milestone.
Galleries fit the cultural client type Susan von Seggern serves, and her tactics apply directly: opening announcements, small press receptions, and local listings. Her published releases lean toward festivals, music, film, and books rather than gallery shows, so ask how her event and media relations framework would map to your exhibition calendar before you commit.
Yes, cultural clients include individual creators. Susan began as a major label publicist, and releases on her site cover an anthology from the Lafayette Afro Rock Band on Manifesto Records and a David Lynch cover from darkwave band Liminal Shade. Artists with a concrete release, show, or project give the press the clearest hook.
Yes. Cause clients are one of her four client types. Releases on her site include launch events for the Wiley book Redesigning Nonprofits, the Sleep To Live Well Foundation’s partnership with Family Paths, and the Kids for Kenya campaign benefiting NextAid. Fundraisers are also among the event types in her events framework.
Yes. Her portfolio includes crowdfunding and release campaigns for the documentary Mantra: Sounds into Silence and an announcement for David Donnelly’s documentary DETOX and its Indiegogo campaign. Premieres are one of the event types in her events framework, and the DIY Convention release covered film screenings alongside music and books.
Choose an independent consultant when you want a senior publicist working your account directly with a scope built around one project. Choose a larger agency when you need many people across many markets at once, or services beyond media relations. Susan von Seggern has worked both sides, as CEO of a boutique PR agency and now as a consultant.
Los Angeles PR agencies range from large firms with entertainment, consumer, and corporate divisions to boutique shops and independent publicists. Published rankings of LA agencies often feature large entertainment names. For cultural and event work, the deciding factors are usually relevant media contacts, event experience, and who does the daily pitching on your account.
The titles overlap. A publicist usually focuses on earning media coverage, while public relations specialist can describe broader communications roles. Susan von Seggern works as a publicist and PR consultant focused on media relations: outreach, press releases, lead service monitoring, and events, rather than advertising buying or social media management.
In everyday use, yes. People say PR agent, publicist, or press agent for someone who pitches the media on a client’s behalf. A talent agent, by contrast, books paid work. Susan von Seggern is a publicist and PR consultant who seeks coverage for clients rather than booking performances or negotiating contracts.
You can, especially for small local news: writing your own release and contacting local outlets costs time rather than fees. A publicist adds existing journalist relationships, daily lead monitoring, newswire access, and event experience. Susan von Seggern monitors five lead service feeds daily, which is hard to sustain while running a gallery, festival, or company.
Susan von Seggern is based in Los Angeles, where she has worked in PR for more than 20 years. Her career includes major label publicity, running a boutique PR agency, political PR, and global corporate PR. Her campaigns reach well beyond LA, including Bay Area, desert, national, and international clients and events.
Use the contact page on susanvonseggern.com to send your name, organization, and a short description of the project, its dates, and your goals. Include any budget range and key deadlines. That gives her what she needs to suggest which of the four pillars fit and to scope an individualized campaign for you.
Have your key dates, a short description of what is new, images or video, spokespeople who can be interviewed, and any past coverage ready. Know your audience and the outlets they read or listen to. Clear assets and an available spokesperson make pitching faster and give journalists what they need to say yes.
The Work page on this site summarizes event, corporate, cultural, and cause campaigns drawn from releases on susanvonseggern.com, and her main site hosts the full press release archive and portfolio. Her LinkedIn profile lists her career details. Each release shows the kind of announcement she writes and the clients she has represented.
Yes. Her contact page also invites members of the media to share their outlet, beat, and location so she can send relevant story ideas. That two-way relationship with the press is part of what she describes as a broad media and service-provider network built over more than two decades in public relations.
Start with the arts PR Los Angeles overview, read about event PR, or compare options on the comparison page.
Send the dates, the news and your goals. Susan von Seggern builds an individualized campaign around them.
Published by Susan von Seggern