Solo PR Pro | Successful Freelance PR Consulting

In addition to offering the usual practical tips, during this week’s #solopr Twitter chat participants shared some of their personal stories about why they became Solo PR Pros, and what keeps them inspired to stay independent. Both new and long-term solos drew inspiration by sharing our individual motives.

This week’s questions were:

1. @mdbarber recently shared her reasons for going solo at http://bit.ly/cfyYkO – what is important to you?

2. Should surveys be performed in-house (polldaddy) or contracted? Experiences?

3.  Have you ever had to move (your home and/or your office)? How do you maintain uninterrupted service for your clients?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the excellent insights and advice shared by some of the top pros nationwide. And let us know what you think in the comments!

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!

Each week the #solopr Twitter chat – held Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – addresses topics and questions submitted by the community of Solo PR Pros.  Though the chats attract primarily independent PR consultants and those interested in learning more, information shared during this week’s discussion is relevant to anyone in public relations or related fields.

The questions included:

1) Have you ever been burned by a journalist, as in promised to write but didn’t, screwed up the piece, made you look bad, etc?

2) How do you handle these disappointments with clients?

3) How do you get in the creative zone when you are feeling anything but, and deadline looms?

Because our transcripts come from What the Hashtag, and that service likes to keep life interesting (as in, buggy), this week’s transcript is in two parts. There is great info in both the main, chronological transcript in PDF, as well as the middle 20 minutes PDF (from 1:30-1:49 p.m. ET) which is in reverse chronological order. Apologies for the technical snafu, but I think you’ll find both documents worth saving.

Have you ever encountered difficulties with a journalist’s follow through? How did you handle? Let us know in the comments!

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!

During the #solopr Twitter chat this week, PR consultants shared their top tips on topics that are key to running an independent PR business successfully. The questions included:

1)  Does anyone have a co-op, biz partner or share office space? How’s that working out?

2)  How do you charge for full-day sessions w/a client? Hourly rate? What if clients asks for a “day rate”?

3) Do you include a termination notice in their contracts? How do you manage if a client won’t?

4) How do you handle clients that don’t pay/honor contract? Are you worried about reputation if you fight?

Download this week’s transcript in PDF for the answers, and be sure to add your tips in the comments!

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!

As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, pros in PR consulting offered insights on a wide-range of topics, including the following:

1. A community member wanted to discuss @ginidietrich’s post: It’s Time to Rid PR Firms of the Billable Hour. What do you think of billing by the hour?

2. How do you deal with PAPER? Beyond electronic storage. What about old client, project files?

3. If someone who isn’t a #solopr is approached to do freelance projects, what would you advise?

3a (follow-up question). [What if someone] asks for a finder’s fee or commission to pass along business?

4. What are the top skills you find clients are looking for right now?

Just download the chat transcript in PDF for the full discussion. What do you think — do you have any extra tips to share?

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!

Lately, there seems to be a recurring trend among many independent PR consultants – stress! For most of us, it comes as no surprise that PR was recently named among the top 10 stressful fields.

With so many of us feeling stressed out, and since our longevity as Solo PR Pros depends on effective stress management, this week’s #solopr Twitter chat focused solely on this important issue. We discussed:

1) What are some of the most stressful situations you’ve faced as an independent consultant?

2) What steps do you take in your personal life that help you manage stress?

3) What work-related stress relievers have you found?

4) What steps can we take in our businesses to avoid stress in the first place?

Find out some of the tricks used by your fellow solos by downloading the transcript in PDF. On a side note, so many of us noted that our pets are important stress relievers, just for fun we’ve started sharing pictures of our furry “co-workers” on the Solo PR Pros Facebook page. Take a look and join in the fun!

What additional tips can you share for identifying and managing stress?

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!