In addition to the downloadable transcript in PDF, the following highlights some of the most popular tweets from the chat:

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, weigh in on the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

1. How much “social media” presence will you have during the holidays (btwn Christmas & New Yr). Same as always or taking break? #solopr

2. What do you use for accounting software? Looking to switch at year end — Pros/cons? #solopr

3. How do you organize biz cards/new biz leads? organize leads, business cards, etc.? Programs used? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1a. What news release/news wire services get your high ranking? Free or for a fee. What has worked for you? #solopr

1b. Do you ever get inbound media interest solely from an announcement over the wire these days? #solopr

2. How do you handle a client that thinks they can control the media’s coverage (the angle, or picking the shot, for example)? #solopr

3. Does your work slow down at any point in December? If so, when? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. What tool, if any, do you use for online bookmarking/sharing? #solopr

2. If low-profile prospect asks for references from your high profile clients, & you don’t want to share contact info, what to do? #solopr

3. Will you send a snail mail, ecard, enewsletter or other holiday greeting? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

Below is the video interview, which is also available on YouTube (while you’re there, check out other great segments!).

 

 
Highlights from Matt’s presentation:

• People spend 27% of their time on their news feed. The feed gets 45-150x greater impressions than the brand’s Facebook page (ComScore analysis).

 

• A “like” is like a handshake – it’s fleeting. The conversation and demeanor that follows helps determine one’s impression.

 

• People are at the core of content that gets shared. When you get ready to post something, ask yourself “Why would anyone be interested in this?” Think about whether you’re helping solve a problem, shed light on an issue, or highlight someone doing remarkable work. Sure, there’s probably a marketing reason to post an update. But how can you make it more relatable and genuine?

 

• Establish a personable style and tone of voice for the page. Say what needs to be said in as few words as possible (a link to a longer-format blog post or an uploaded video can expand on the topic). Include a specific call to action (“What’s your opinion?”) to prompt people to publicly share their opinions and experiences.

 

• Openly encourage members to tell their own stories, both on the page and off. Be a connector, a facilitator.

 

• Consistently update your page. Research suggests that with each recurring day of posting, you may experience incremental 2.5% greater fan reach.

 

• People don’t expect outrageous or monumental content all the time. Page updates can correlate to the weather, seasons, holidays, events, news, or issues common to the group.

 

• Remember that you can issue messages to targeted lists from your brand page. How can you increase relevancy an interest by drilling down?

 

• Take note that individuals can block 3^rd party publishing apps like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck. If you exclusively post from a 3^rd party app, you may find you’re reducing your reach.

 

What are your best tried-and-true tips for growing a brand community on Facebook? The comments are yours!

During the October 12 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed new business for 2012, working from a home office, charging for trade show work, and renegotiating client contracts. Specifically, the following questions were addressed:

1. What are you doing right now to get more business for 2012?
2. If you work from a home office, are you pleased w/the set up and how it looks?
3. Client is trade show. How do you charge for three 10-hour days?
4. Client recently hired someone, now says out of money- seeks to renegotiate contract $, w/same responsibilities. What to do?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

In that time, there have been some opportunities missed because of the public nature of our various channels. Many of you have also stated this – there are things you’d prefer not to send out to the whole world, but you’d be happy to exchange this information with others in our community.

To meet these needs, we’re happy to unveil the premium Solo PR PRO membership site, now in public beta (at special beta pricing). Specifically for us, this premium PRO content offers road-tested deliverables and downloads, a members-only Forum, a special upcoming Show Me the Money! series on setting rates, and much more.

Why do we need a PRO membership site? I did a quick video to explain the reasoning, and some of the benefits:

If you can’t view this video, watch it on YouTube.

Though some of the Solo PR PRO membership site features won’t be available until after the first of the year, we wanted to go ahead and share this beta content with you at a low initial rate (locked in for life for those who sign-up early), which will increase slowly over time for new subscribers as more content is added. That way, you can start putting the current content to use as you plan for 2012 (never too early to start!).

What does it cost?
As indie consultants, price is always a key consideration – as it should be. Though we’ve seen membership sites that cost $50 a month or more (and they have generic content that often doesn’t apply to indie consultants like us), we’re doing our best to keep costs low so everyone can participate.

The deal: While we’re still in beta for the next few weeks, you can join for just $14 a month, and be a Charter member! The cool part is: you’ll lock in this monthly rate for as long as you maintain your PRO membership (but, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial, you can cancel any time). We’re also offering a money-saving Annual Subscription for just $120 for the year. In addition to the price break, the Annual Subscription offers the tax benefits of purchasing now for the year ahead.

For more details of all the offerings and to sign-up, just visit: Become a PRO Member.

We’re excited to offer something that can help you be more efficient, effective, and profitable in your business, and we fully expect that this content (especially the fee-setting info) will help many PRO members increase their profits by thousands of dollars in 2012. That’s the mission that will drive everything around this effort.

If you have any questions, just let us know in the comments. Hope you can join us!

1. Is it better for a #solopr pro to be a generalist or a specialist?

2. Recently, a PR pro got caught using f-bomb, etc. re: blogger: http://bit.ly/ospMji Do these stories make us all look bad? #solopr

3. What place does image consulting have in PR world, or how closely does it relate to PR? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. Client’s focused on deliverable that may not meet his goal. How do I help him find value in other objectives/outcomes? #solopr

2. What are your best tips for garnering holiday press? #solopr

3. What if client only wants “big” coverage, and isn’t willing to speak with smaller outlets? #solopr

4. How would you recommend increasing clientele for ppl who are just starting? #solopr

5. Is anyone going to the PRSA Conference in Orlando? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. How do you handle not securing any media coverage for your client? (or more generally, failing to meet expectations) #solopr

2. @TexAnne noted, HARO now has a Premium service (helpareporter.com/subscriptions). How do you decide what’s worth paying for? #solopr

3. Do your clients care about all the recent Facebook changes? Do they look to you for guidance (or not even noticed)? #solopr

4. What is the best marketing-related book you’ve read lately? (will build a list for Solo PR Pro) #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.