Solo PR Pro | Successful Freelance PR Consulting » Setting Your Fees

Fish or Cut Bait

Kellye Crane — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:21:39 +0000

This week’s #solopr Twitter chat was once again a fun and informative hour. In honor of the former (and the fact that it’s April Fool’s Day), I couldn’t resist including an image that relates to an inside joke among chatters – the transcript reveals why this week’s discussion was dubbed the “fish chat” by some. I don’t know about you, but I think any group that has its own inside jokes is a true community – so thank you all for that!

This week we covered the following topics:

1) Are you charging more for social media services, or just including it in your programs?

2) How important is pricing power? Client wants to cut PR budget to 25% of original – should I cut bait?

3) Can or should PR pros play the role of reporter/blogger? Is it crossing an ethical line?

4) Do you have any clients that requires stringent legal reviews? If they make your stuff sound like gobbledygook, what do you do?

Once again, Kate Robbins showed she has a way with words by sharing one of the most popular quotes of the day:

I’ve been awfully generous this past year and it hasn’t bought me dry ground on earth or a place in heaven. I’d rather hear, “If you can get her,” than “You know who’s really cheap?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for more pearls of wisdom. Do you agree with the chatters — any suggestions to add? Did anyone have fish for dinner last night?

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!

Image credit: laszlo-photo

Wire Services, Unpaid Bills, and More

Kellye Crane — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:21:57 +0000

As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, top PR consultants discussed a wide-range of topics, addressing the following questions:

1) What wire services have you used, and which do you prefer? Is wire distribution important these days?

2) How do solos collect on unpaid bills, and can the debts be written off on taxes?

3) Do you have 2 (or more) sets of fees for different services (e.g., consulting vs. social media training)? Fee differential?

4) Do you have clients treating PR and social media as separate things? How do you educate?

One of my favorite quotes of the day came from @KateRobins on the pitfalls of treating PR and social media as separate and distinct:

It’s like setting a table. Knives, forks, spoons. Can’t eat soup with a knife.

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for more terrific insights. What was your favorite quote from the chat? Any points to add to the discussion?

Parting Ways with a Client, and More

Kellye Crane — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:36:46 +0000

As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, PR consultants offered insights on a variety of important issues, including the following:

1) Do you provide a client with a variable rate sheet, or just say “this is what I charge?”

2) How are other #solopr pros creatively using their Web sites for self promotion?

3) What do you do when you’ve become bored with a client?

4) How do you resign a client?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for interesting insights and discussion on these topics. What do you think — any points to add? Let us know your two cents in the comments!

To Free, or Not to Free

Kellye Crane — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:30:37 +0000

During a recent #solopr chat on Twitter, I made the following statement:

Remember: it’s worse to work for free than to not work at all.

While many pros agreed with me, some had serious questions about this advice (below). But aside from new business opportunities (which are unpaid in virtually all cases), working for free can often be a dead-end road. Working “on spec” – which means you get paid only if the client deems you worthy – or with a client you know is probably not going to get around to paying you, diminishes your worth.

For all of us, every time we work for a client we are establishing our value. If you work for free, then the value of your time is $0.

You may think that working for free for someone will put you in their good graces, and you’ll be the person they call first when they have a paid gig. In fact, it may be just the opposite. Similar to Groucho not wanting to be part of a club who would have him as a member, people like working with consultants who are in-demand. Working for zero smells like desperation — and isn’t it human nature to avoid being associated with someone desperate?

The economy is tough – my clients have limited budgets and I want to show I’m flexible

I have fallen into this trap myself over the last year. Though not working for free, I put effort into trying to help one long-term client stretch every dollar (rob Peter to pay Paul, kind of thing). Guess what? Shortly thereafter they decided to spend $20,000 of their marketing budget on something quite silly (wish I could tell you what – you’d be shocked!).

What I learned: organizations can find the money to spend when they want to, so make sure you’re on that list. And don’t over-compromise — it’s not worth it.

What if I want the experience and need items for my portfolio?

If you’re interested in working for free with the aim of gaining additional experience and samples to show, why not work for your favorite non-profit pro bono? Some large charities have marketing committees made up of volunteers — in those cases, you can expand your network while you support a worthy cause.

What about working on new business proposals for an agency?

This can work out well sometimes, but be careful. First and foremost, the agency should have at least one person doing the same amount of work on the proposal as you. Why? Because that makes them have some “skin in the game.” An agency will be far more choosy about the new business opportunities they pursue if they have to expend some resources to get it. You don’t want to be a dedicated worker bee on any and all long-shots that come along — there will be no incentive for them to pass up lost causes.

Also, unless you have it in writing that you’ll get a guaranteed XX number of hours for as long as they have the contract, you can also get cut out of the deal – I’ve heard of this happening to many solos. And make sure you trust, respect and enjoy working with the team on the proposal, since those will be your collaborators long-term.

In a nutshell, I believe it’s much better to spend a day in the park than toiling away on a project that helps your client’s bottom line, but not your own. In this economy, clients will push on occasion, and it’s our job to push back.

Do you agree? Are there any cases where you’ve worked for free and were glad you did? Any horror stories? Let us know in the comments!

Lessons Learned

Kellye Crane — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:46:16 +0000

This week’s #solopr Twitter chat covered a wide-range of topics, with some of the top pros in PR consulting weighing in on the following questions:

1) Do you take credit cards or some sort of online payment vehicle?

2) Have you ever relocated your biz to another city/state? How did that work? Did you keep clients?

3) How do you justify retainers over $2k/mo, and/or how do you explain your hourly rate?

4) What are some of your biggest “lessons learned” (the hard way, or otherwise)?

One of my favorite quotes came from Kristie Aylett, aka @krisTK:

Lesson learned: more clients and more money do not equal more happiness or career satisfaction.

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for more insights on these important issues.

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned as an independent PR pro? Let us know in the comments!