Fooling your way through publicity with Clifford J. Pendleton III

gig economy, a Nashville number, Best Voice in the Triad, having gusto, and the advice of an acclaimed music publicist

To kick off April, I’m (Zoe!) bringing you an interview with my longtime family… friend Clifford J. Pendleton III, a publicist for independent musicians and authors working out of Walkertown, NC–as well as his number one client, the musician second only to the Avett Brothers for “Best Voice in the Triad” 2021, (and my old man) Clay Howard. Both are, by all accounts, local legends–and were kind enough to fit this interview with Pine State into their schedules. The following interview was conducted via email. 

Zoe Howard (ZH): It’s an absolute pleasure to chat with you, Cliff! To get us rolling, will you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about what you do? 

Clifford J. Pendleton III (CJPIII): Hi! My name is Clifford J. Pendleton III, and I am the creation of musician and children’s book author Clay Howard. I was created when Clay was singing in the band Stratocruiser and was trying to receive some media attention for the band’s latest release, as well as his debut children’s book The Lightning Thief. After numerous attempts to reach out on his own, Clay created an email account and my name and began reaching out as Pendleton PR. Clay gave me a phone number from Nashville (for the music world) and off we went… The returns were immediate. Press Releases that had gone unanswered, or unnoticed, began to receive followup calls, and being run in alt-weeklies in the Southeast. 

Publicists are essential. Sure, you can get press, or receive recognition without them, but the credibility added to your release or work is exponentially greater with a publicist.

ZH: Talk about reinventing yourself–Clay certainly went for the gusto with that move. Can you tell us more about the forms of media outreach that you’ve done on his behalf, whether that’s scheduling interviews, coordinating speaking appearances, or getting other coverage of a release or gig? It’s interesting to get a peek into music publicity, and the overlap with what we do at Pine State. If you don’t mind my question-within-a-question–What do those press releases look like? Who are you reaching out to? 

CJPIII: Through press releases, I have put Clay on television, radio, and in print. In the music world, I have found that a combination of release and gig is key to receiving coverage, and the same is true of coverage for books. A reading in coordination with publication gives the media outlet a story. My biggest success was getting Clay on the front page of CNN.com during the recession of 2008, pitching Clay’s music as an example of a side-hustle.

The press releases themselves follow the classic inverted-pyramid style: hook and story revealed in headline, quote for personalization, etc. The audience is pretty well-targeted based on the output we are looking for–and the press releases are written in such a way that the smaller alt-weeklies can run them as a story, with minimal editing. 

ZH: I love that you think about the story of a pitch as the combination of appearance & release–angles like relating a release to a gig (what might look more like a reading, workshop, or panel in the writing world) is so useful on our end, especially when it comes to pitching local news media. Cassie has mentioned before that most local newspapers have a community calendar that anyone can submit events to–here’s one path in. If you have a sample press release–what Cassie and I might refer to as our pitch–that you’d be comfortable sharing, I’d love to see what that looks like for you. 

CJPIII: This coverage is word-for-word from my latest press release, as run by Greensboro alt-weekly, YES! Weekly: “Clay Howard to release new single, a cover of Neil DIamond's Forever in Blue Jeans”

[Excerpt, but go read the full piece!]: “Clay Howard returns with a fresh take on a classic hit with his latest single, "Forever in Blue Jeans." The North Carolina-based singer-songwriter puts his own spin on the Neil Diamond classic, infusing it with his signature blend of rock and pop. 

With his soulful vocals, Howard captures the spirit of the original while bringing a modern edge to the song. The result is a lively and heartfelt tribute that's sure to get listeners singing along and hitting rewind…”

ZH: Oh, I love this! Do you feel like your comfort level writing about yourself and your own work–Clay’s work–has changed, as you’ve done more self-promotion? 

CJPIII, or, let’s be honest, Clay Howard (CH): I would much rather have someone else doing it… Even hiding behind the mask of Cliff it is hard, but I have to remember that I am pitching a story, and that story needs a hook. A real publicist understands the need for the story, how to find the hook, and then how to put that hook in front of the keepers of the media space we are seeking to inhabit. 

ZH: Speaking of those gatekeepers, earlier you mentioned targeting a specific audience. How have you determined who will be the most responsive to Clay’s work, and exactly what media output is the most useful? Are you looking for sales, streams, listeners?

CH: Since I am a regional artist, I target newspapers, radio stations, and television stations that I know will feature local artists. I also target those writers, DJs, and presenters that I know have an interest in the local arts and send releases directly to them. Sales, streams–All of these. Awareness in general. Radio play is a different beast and that is another method of contact. Same general theme though–research the market and target the most likely suspects.

ZH: Have personal connections fed your success in publicity? How have you made use of your connections to other regional artists? 

CH: Honestly, in regards to media sources, I have made the connections via Cliff… and then come clean with them. I wait until I have succeeded a couple of times before confessing, and at that point, they know I am feeding them content of quality. No matter who is doing your publicity–that is really the key–providing quality leads to the outlets.

ZH: Thanks, Dad. Look, now there’s one other thing I’ve wanted to ask about–I understand that there is some, let’s say, tension between you and another of Cliff’s clients, Thurston Howard III, of the esteemed Piedmont-Triad yacht rock band Camel City Yacht Club–how has Cliff made the most of their conflicting personalities in doing promotion for each of them?

CH: Cliff will not do promotion for Thurston. Thurston can be, well… a little hard to work with.

(Well, Cliff  has not so far, but a few things are underway where he might be helpful. So far, I have been able to use the aforementioned personal connections…as myself).

ZH: You know I have to ask (and what kind of publicists would we be if I didn’t?), anything to plug?

I have a few new singles on all the streaming places: an original called “Im Here..” and a cover of Neil Diamond’s “Forever in Blue Jeans.” 

–

Thank you so much for sticking with us through that–if you haven’t caught on by now, APRIL FOOLS. But also, we think that Cliff/Clay/Thurston (what can I say, he’s a man of many & large personalities) has a great perspective on making an entrance into local coverage of independent arts in your community. And while we don’t necessarily recommend reaching out under a pseudonym–that coming clean part that he mentioned does, unfortunately, matter–I’ll say I have fantastic memories of sitting in news station green rooms from Winston-Salem, NC to Grand Rapids, MI, watching him record a segment with an acoustic guitar across his knee, getting the word out. 

We pulled a few publicity prompts for you from the interview to set a starting point–and once you finish these, sincerely hope you’ll go show Clay’s music some love over at Clay Howard (solo), Clay Howard & the Silver Alerts, or his (Thurston’s?) upcoming Camel City Yacht Club show on April 15 at The Playground in Clemmons, NC, and April 22 at Bender’s Tavern in Greensboro, NC. He’ll be the big guy on stage with a fan blowing wind through his hair. 

Here’s your prompts:

• Give your release a story: Have you reached out to community calendars, newspaper calendars, weekend editors and local news media about the event you have coming up? Write a pitch connecting your “gigs” to your upcoming release!

• With minimal editing: Write a pitch for your book that could be published, as is, in a local outlet. Include a quote from the book, or attribute one to yourself!

• Features local artists: Spend an hour researching which local newspapers, magazines, television news programs, or radio stations are already featuring local authors. How do you fit into the books that they cover? 

As always, the Pine State calendar of events lives here. Join us across the US (& Norway and London and Dublin) in the coming months! Request books for review & interview & feature here, add yourself to our reviewer list here, and buy our books here! You can also contact us through our website, Pinestatepublicity.com.