The most important questions to ask yourself before hiring a PR company for your music are: do you really need one, can you afford it and how big do you want your campaign to be? Also, you need a specific PR goal, such as a target campaign promoting a new album. If you’re just wanting to get the word out in your town and in the surrounding region, it’s not really worth it to hire someone to do what you can easily do yourself; PR companies charge a lot of money to do what they do, money that could be better spent on things like studio costs or new gear.

If you’re wanting to get reviewed in national publications and have airplay on stations all across the country, you should be touring nationally. Then it may be worth hiring a reputable firm with national contacts. For DIY acts with a limited budget, look for someone local who has been successful with national campaigns for indies. If there isn’t such a company in your area, look for a smaller, boutique firm that specializes in niche areas, such as cyber promotion, terrestrial radio, etc. Don’t pay to have anything done without meeting them in person first. Plenty of shady PR people are out there preying on musicians who have stars in their eyes. And plenty of overly-large, respected organizations will be happy to take your money (a lot of it), add you to their huge client base and give you cookie cutter, impersonal service. You want a smaller agency or person you can trust, someone you meet with in person and follow up with on the phone who doesn’t have a large client base and is enthusiastic about your music.

Start looking by talking to those in the music biz in your town. The best way to find a good PR person is to ask the people who deal with them everyday.

–Inquire with the booking and marketing staff members at popular local venues.  These staff members at local clubs and venues deal with PR people all the time. Find out from them who they like or if they have any recommendations for or against any particular companies. Even if they don’t want to make recommendations, you can still get an idea of who’s who by talking to these folks.

–Ask indie touring acts through your region who they use. Any act that tours for a living likely has a PR company or agent. Find acts in your genre who are in town, or coming through town, and approach them via email or at the gig. Tell them you’re an up-and-coming DIY artist looking for some advice from bands you respect. You’ll find that most acts are more than willing to help out, or have a manger they can put you in touch with.

–Call or email members of the local music media. Remember, we’re talking about national campaigns here. If you only want to stay local with your PR, call these people on your own behalf, rather than asking them who they recommend for PR. But if you’re thinking larger, you probably already have a relationship with the local music media. So, ask them what local agents are good at getting the word out for indies planning to go nationwide.

You wouldn’t want a lawyer who thinks you’re guilty representing you in court, so don’t hire someone who doesn’t believe in your music.