Publicity That Works: Building Media Momentum for Your Book with Kourtney Jason of Pacific & Court {ep. 198}
December 3, 2025
Publicist and author Kourtney Jason joins Alexa to break down how authors can effectively pitch their books to media outlets, set realistic expectations, and collaborate for long-term visibility. Learn how to use earned media, build momentum, and make every publicity hit count toward your author brand.
Summary
In this episode, Alexa Bigwarfe talks with Kourtney Jason, president and co-founder of Pacific & Court, an award-winning Brooklyn-based publicity and digital marketing agency. With more than 15 years of experience in the PR industry, Kourtney shares invaluable insight into what it takes to get media coverage for your book—whether you’re an indie author or working with a small press. They dive into timelines, realistic expectations, the value of collaboration, and what successful campaigns actually look like.
In this podcast, Alexa and Kourtney discuss:
- How Kourtney went from journalist to celebrity publicist to indie author advocate
- Why traditional and digital PR matter for authors outside the “Big Five”
- The best time to start your marketing and PR efforts
- The difference between book marketing and public relations
- How to set realistic PR goals and timelines
- What success actually looks like in a media campaign
- Why collaboration between author and publicist is key
- How to use local bookstores and media to build buzz
- The importance of earned media and how to make it work for you
- Budgeting expectations for PR and how to gauge ROI
- What to do after you get media coverage to make it count
- Why nonfiction authors have a PR advantage—and how fiction authors can find their story angles
Guest Bio
Kourtney Jason is the president and co-founder of Pacific & Court, an award-winning publicity and digital marketing agency based in Brooklyn, New York. A former journalist turned publicist, Kourtney has led PR campaigns for celebrity authors, chefs, and independent publishers. Her clients have been featured in The Today Show, The New York Times, People, USA Today, and more. She is also the author of five nonfiction books, including Lights, Camera, Booze, which appeared in the Academy Awards swag bags.