Brian Gross: Tips from an Adult Industry PR Veteran

“I left Elektra Records in the spring of 1999 and started as the head of PR and Marketing for the Vivid Entertainment Group in April, 1999,” Gross told YNOT. “I started my company, BSG PR, in January of 2001. Some of my clients now and over the years have included Gene Simmons, Sasha Grey, Penthouse, Adam & Eve, The Hustler Stores, Adult Time, Ohmibod, PlusOne, afterglow, the Autoblow series of products, Maitland Ward, The Vixen Group, Mr. Skin, JustFor.Fans and Paradise Marketing, to name a few. In over 21 years I have had over 300 clients.”

Over the years, Gross has done his best to promote his clients “wherever consumers receive their news,” he said, the actual venues have evolved from fanzines, newspapers, terrestrial radio and TV to include websites, satellite radio, podcasts., streaming video and social media. But one thing has remained constant when it comes to effective promotion: “It is all about eyeballs, not upsetting advertisers, and pushing a message that media want to report on to their readers and viewers,” said Gross.

When it comes to writing news releases for adult stars, Gross said the basics remain unchanged. “Is it interesting? Does your news release say something important?” he said. “Do you have something of quality to promote? Answering these questions will make an effective news release.”

In writing such releases, remember that they will be read by editors. They are the ‘gatekeepers’ who will decide whether your pitch reaches your target audience or not.

So, what kind of content really grabs editors’ attention? “It comes down to information that, at the end of the day, you would find interesting if you were to go to your favorite news website, or turn on the television and watch the news,” said Gross. “There has to be a catch, a hook; something of interest to the end reader.”

A useful hint: “There are so many wonderful editors on Twitter who share what they are looking for in a story,” he told YNOT. “I strongly advise news release writers to source them out and find what they know works for their company.”

Where relevant, high resolution photos (300 dpi jpgs/pngs/tiffs) should be included with the news release. But no matter how hot the adult star being promoted, these photos need to be ‘Safe for Work’ (SFW). In other words, keep the naughty bits covered!

“SFW is a must,” said Gross. “We still live in a conservative place, and outlets will only run SFW images. (In adult media, of course, many will run ‘Not SFW’ photos.) Keep in mind that you don’t want to throw everything out there for the world to see. A bit of seduction, intrigue, and mystery will always win more people over versus putting it all out there.”

Gross’ continuing PR success proves one thing: He knows how to write copy that cuts through the ‘clutter’ of competing adult promotional messages. His secret to getting attention for his clients?

“It takes hard work, dedication, a positive attitude, a tenacious spirit, and an incredible work ethic,” Gross replied. “There are thousands of young adults trying to make it to the NBA and WNBA. What does it take for them to cut through the clutter? Hard work, dedication, a positive attitude, a tenacious spirit, and an incredible work ethic. If you have the above and you dedicate yourself to your craft, then the opportunities will open, the growth in you and your brand will increase, and the goals and aspirations you have will come to life.”