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Steve asks: I had a meeting with a chef today who is looking for PR. He knows I write food for various publications, but he’s looking for representation to, yes, get him into publications, but also on television and radio. I, Linda, and not a PR person, but if I do query about him for a magazine (say Bon Appétit), should I charge him for the query? Should I charge him if editorial bites and the story gets published?
There are two ways you can work: You can charge a client to pitch him to a market such as a magazine or a newspaper. In this case, you would be more of a PR professional than a freelance writer, and you would charge the chef but wouldn’t take money from the media outlets. Or you can pitch an article about the source, not accept money from him, but take payment from the market you end up writing for. This is what a freelance writer does. If you both charge the chef and take payment from the market — in other words, if both the chef and the magazine are your clients — that’s double dipping and it’s a big no-no because the editor can’t trust that you’re unbiased about the source.
It sounds like you’re a freelance writer and not a PR person, so don’t think of this chef as a client — think of him as any other source. If you found a really cool winery and you wanted to write about it, you wouldn’t approach the owner and ask for payment — you would pitch the idea and hope to make a sale. The only difference between the winery owner and your chef is that the chef approached you. But he’s essentially asking you to use him as a source. If you do decide to pitch articles about the chef, do it because you really love what he’s doing. If you’re not inspired by the chef — don’t pitch him!
I hope that helps! [lf]
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