Small Press creators: What's your experience with getting PR on NRAMA, The Pulse etc?

[Thomas Mauer]

I just got a message from the publisher at Th3rd World that yet again, NRAMA, The Pulse, and the various other comic online news sites ignore the press release he's drawn up. this time for Space Doubles - I posted that earlier.

The same thing happened before with their Omega Chase mini series which I also letter, and which has been getting good reviews across the board, eventually also at Newsarama. Still repeated emails to various NRAMA people fall on deaf ears, and even extra introductions from other, established small press creators to the head honchos lead nowhere.

This pisses me off because it means my friends who've been working hard and put great care into producing quality work and not jumping the gun before they were ready to go live with their little company are being denied access to readers and retailers. The best series can't gain an audience if no one can read about them!

Now I know that things fall through the cracks. Hell, I've been guilty of letting things fall through the cracks, but I'm a glass half full kind of guy who prefers to see the good in people and situation.

What I'm wondering is, have any of you guys had the same problems, and how were you able to overcome them?

[nihilance]

Get a Bendis or Warren Ellis quote...that might get your foot in the door.

[Thomas Mauer]

Hah!

[Thommy Melanson]

Chapstick.

Kneepads.

Mouthwash.

A lot of mouthwash.

[Thomas Mauer]

Thommy, I appreciate the humor, but for once, I'm actually interested in serious answers.

[Thommy Melanson]

Thommy, I appreciate the humor, but for once, I'm actually interested in serious answers.

Oh, the other dude gets a "hah!", but I get a newspaper across the nose.

You're a bad pet owner!

>slams door<

[PhilipClark]

Jen at the Pulse is generally very good at posting PR. If it doesn't show up as a headline, it'll pop up in the sidebar.

Same thing with Matt at Newsarama and Jonah at CBR. Realize they have a lot of higher profile news to report, so sometimes we small pressers get passed by. But a well constructed press release consistently mailed with forethought to the project really shouldn't go unnoticed.

I know Jen at the Pulse is very picky about the format by which you submit the release. The text has to be formatted in the email and not a separate attachment.

Like all media, I think it's a matter of raising your profile and coming with some kind of buzz or track record. That's showbiz.

[Thomas Mauer]

Oh, the other dude gets a "hah!", but I get a newspaper across the nose.

You're a bad pet owner!

>slams door<

There, there. This should cool you off:

[Thomas Mauer]

Jen at the Pulse is generally very good at posting PR. If it doesn't show up as a headline, it'll pop up in the sidebar.

Same thing with Matt at Newsarama and Jonah at CBR. Realize they have a lot of higher profile news to report, so sometimes we small pressers get passed by. But a well constructed press release consistently mailed with forethought to the project really shouldn't go unnoticed.

I know Jen at the Pulse is very picky about the format by which you submit the release. The text has to be formatted in the email and not a separate attachment.

Like all media, I think it's a matter of raising your profile and coming with some kind of buzz or track record. That's showbiz.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Raicht has been helping out on drafting the PR as far as I know, so that should be okay. Keeping my fingers crossed that they get the word out because I want to see them succeed.

[PhilipClark]

Worse comes to worse, there are sites out there that will allow you to post your own Google-able press releases.

And also, focus on local markets. If they have a local paper that's online, they should be submitting their PR there as well. I've gotten a few actual newpaper articles that way.