Pitching is a great skill to have; that said, many do not do it well. However, for myself as a publicist, that is what I excel at: pitching my clients for opportunities and coverage, so if you want to stand out to someone like me, I’m going to give some realness few ever will on the subject.
The main thing to know is that yes, when a person who is interested in me representing them reaches out, I am one-hundred percent scrutinizing your pitch process and your existing brand presence, not just outwardly but how you communicate expectations of people in general.
From my perspective, here’s how that can go south and has when potential clients have pitched me.:
1. Did you properly address me by my name?
If you know anything about my personal background which has been widely publicized, you’d learn I am a transgender publicist in knowing that, I seek to align myself with clients who have the emotional depth of understanding that with someone who holds my identity that I very much earned the name I have and that a simple “Hey” when speaking to a professional such as myself does not make a favorable impression.
Think about it: if you can’t take the two seconds to address someone by their name, it’s highly likely to me as a publicist that you would be a lazy and disrespectful client. I can’t be attached to people like that, as it would damage my professional brand, which is one of respect, merit, and attention to detail.
2. Did you send an actual pitch or subscribe me to your email newsletter without my authorization to get my attention?
Do not do this. Number one, it’s the laziest first impression, and number two, that’s actually illegal.
As a publicist and former marketing agency owner, I am very well versed in online communications laws. Signing up someone’s email without their authorization is a violation of the CAN-SPAM Act.
It also shows me there was zero effort to personalize any communication and that you are unaware of communications laws; in my field, that is not a client I will undertake. I do not seek to teach professionalism and ethics to anyone; they must show up already having a firm understanding and practice of both.
3. Sending a random event invite when we are not familiar.
This happens to me often. I’d rather it didn’t for many reasons.
It’s asking a lot of a stranger who’s never spoken with you to allocate time, put together a look, travel, and then have their brain picked about PR. That’s not a financially sound expectation of anyone you do not know.
Still, as a publicist, it tells me that you don’t put effort into building a dynamic and that your personality expects instant results and a lot without factoring in another person’s experience. In that case, I am out.
If I get sent emails like these, I ask to be unsubscribed. If you ever hear a publicist tell you to unsubscribe them from something you sent without us personally authorizing the placement of our email address in your list, know that isn’t going to be something you’ll be able to come back from, at least with myself, because as a publicist I clock that as red flag behavior to distance myself from.
4. Ever communicating to someone like me the phrase “What can you do for me?”
Again, context here is key, but right off the bat I don’t take kindly to people who I can see haven’t done their research on my professional body of work. That statement right there tells me you know nothing about my professional background because you invested not one second in reviewing what I have done professionally.
The thing here is, it’d be one thing if I gatekept what I’ve accomplished professionally and for whom; the reality is I’m a very public publicist, so when a semi-known singer said that to me many years ago, I knew they were too lazy to do their homework on me and that professionally would not be a match in terms of undertaking them as a client. That’s where my interest in and participation in the conversation ceased.
My policy on this statement is, again, it’s a red flag and not someone I will professionally align with. The lesson here is that your words carry weight, and when you speak to any professional you are considering contracting with, you should speak to them with respect, not hesitation or ignorance. Speaking as a communications professional, this is basic common sense and professional business etiquette for the emotionally aware population.
As a publicist, I seek to only align with those who are emotionally conscious of their words. I do not teach people how to be good humans; that’s not why people contract me.
5. Being familiar with us on some level and saying you’ll send an invite to anything or that you’ll be sending over anything and simply not following through.
When you don’t keep your word, and I’ve become slightly familiar with you, that is where our familiarity will cease. I do not have time to be wasted. Time is the most precious resource we all have; if you do not respect my time, I will not be available to you ever.
In Conclusion
On items 4 and 5 here, I will say my own transgender community could do significantly better in terms of respecting my body of work when approaching me about that of their own. Bring your A game in terms of professionalism.
That said, I do not seek to represent performative individuals so, my representation services offered within the entertainment industry are specifically only open to service providers (below the line professionals of high merit), entertainment corporations and/or production companies that have a track record of inclusivity and honorable business practices, small business clients that again have a track record of inclusivity and honorable business practices, non-profits, humanitarians, and activists.
I do not represent actors, singers, musicians, or dancers.
At one point I was open to that, but I am no longer. There is no exception to be made here. If you are seeking a publicist and fall within the categories of acting, singing, playing music, or dancing, I recommend researching talent publicists specifically, as they are more likely to be interested in representing you as a client.
Upcoming Media Relating to Professionalism in The Workplace
All that said, tomorrow, August 6th, 2026, I will be featured in the Associated Press speaking on workplace professionalism. Click Here to Read Full Article.
I’m looking forward to you all reading about how you can make a great first impression when interviewing, whether you’re the interviewee or the interviewer. Being mindful of words communicates your level of awareness and professionalism. There are also many ways people may communicate an unspoken level of professionalism through appearances in the workplace, and we discuss that in depth.
That said, if you’re ready, willing, and funded, pitch me if you’re in the market for a publicist and operate in the aforementioned fields that I am open to representing; you can find me at cotterthecreative.com or read about me in the press. I talk a lot; it’s what I do.
To your success.
Rebel with a cause, driven by authenticity, self-expression, and liberation for all.
Rev. Dylan Thomas Cotter is a strategist, public relations leader, and brand communications executive with more than fifteen years of experience at the intersection of entertainment, media, and technology.
Cotter is known for securing numerous Tier 1 (top-tier) and Tier 2 media placements across key markets including but not limited to The Associated Press, Fortune, ABC News, GQ, Rolling Stone, Out Magazine, The Advocate, Pride, Inked Magazine, Real Simple, VICE, KTLA, Reader’s Digest, Mashable, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Life UK, Newsweek, Men’s Health, Parade Magazine, Betches, U.S. News & World Report, Women’s Health Magazine, NursingColleges.com, Women.com, South China Morning Post, Truthout, MIC, The Manual, Curl Magazine, International Business Times UK, TechRound, GB News, The Irish Star US, The Mirror, MSN and AOL.
Cotter is an advisor to founders, artists, and executives on brand positioning, reputation, corporate social responsibility, and strategic communications. As an openly gay transgender professional, Dylan Thomas Cotter is committed to fostering inclusive, respectful, and affirming work environments.
His latest books, Dear Cisgender Reader Walk Beside Me: An Invitation to Understanding My Big, Exciting Gay Transgender Life and Think Like a Transgender Thought Leader, are out now.
