Solo PR Pro | Successful Freelance PR Consulting » collaboration

Sub-Contractors, Collective Power, & More

Kellye Crane — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:15:01 +0000

During the August 31 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros shared insight on motivating sub-contractors, hiring a full-time assistant, the collective power of #solopr, and more. The following questions helped guide the conversation:

1. Do you have any tips for motivating sub-contractors? #solopr

2. Have you ever hired a full-time (or close to it) assistant? How did you find them? #solopr

3. Yesterday on the blog, asked if we have collective power: http://bit.ly/qFFKD6 – do you think we do, and what do you need help with? #solopr

4. I find myself spending a lot of time on tasks w/little return. How do you pare these down? #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.

Blogging, Scandals, & More

Kellye Crane — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:00:57 +0000

During the July 20 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros shared insight on blog etiquette, overseas scandals, & working with subcontractors. The following questions helped guide the conversation:

1. I have a new personal blog. Not sure if I need to do a separate blog for PR/prof voice. Would rather not. Suggestions? #solopr

2. We’ve all heard of News of the World scandal-how important is it for non-British PR practitioners to pay attention? #notw #solopr

3. If you have subcontractors helping you, and they flake out at the last minute, what do you do? #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!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

Social Platforms, Tricky Client Situations, & More

Kellye Crane — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:15:56 +0000

During the June 22 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed social platforms, tricky client situations, and innovative PR techniques. The following questions helped guide the conversation:

1. With the growing number of online/social platforms, how do you pick & choose your participation? #solopr

2. Some clients say one thing and mean another. How do you deal w/poor communicators? #solopr

3. If a prospective client wants you to something outside your expertise, how do you handle? #solopr

4. What are some of your favorite innovative PR/social media techniques you’ve seen lately? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that our previous transcript service is down, so this week’s transcript is in reverse chronological order. We’re working to find an easier to read format.

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

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

Avoiding Spam, the Definition of PR, & More

Kellye Crane — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:15:38 +0000

During the March 9 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros touched upon avoiding spam, the definition of PR, partnering with non-profits, and marketing your services as a subcontractor. The following questions help guide the conversation:

1. How do you avoid sending spam emails when you need to blast news/reach a large audience?

2. Can a crowdsourced definition of #PR have any carriage & authority? What bodies do we look to for guidance in defining our work?

3. Has partnering with non-profits assisted your business development. If so, which ones?

4. How is the best way to market your services as a subcontractor to larger agencies?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. What’s your take on these important topics?

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

Biz Partners, Taglines, & More

Kellye Crane — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:15:23 +0000

During the February 16 #solopr Twitter chat, PR pros shared valuable insight on working with a partner, using subcontractors, coming up with a tagline, and doing work while on vacation. The following questions were addressed:

1. When working with a biz partner, what’s the expected turnaround time on responding to email? by EOD? 24 hours?

2. If you work w/ subcontractors, what behaviors are deal-breakers for you (that will make you stop using them)?

3. @KateWinckler asks: How did other solo’s come up with a tagline that neatly summarizes what they do?

4. From @akenn: Prepping for a week’s vacation…do I bring the laptop or not?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. What’s your take on these interesting questions?

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

Client relations, Forecasting, and more

Kellye Crane — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:02:11 +0000

During the #solopr Twitter chat this week, top consultants in PR and related fields offered insights on a variety of topics, addressing the following questions:

1. How do you make all of your clients feel important and valuable with your limited time?

2. How do solos fill the void of group brainstorms (e.g. whiteboard sessions)? Co-working? Internet conversations?

3. How do you handle year-end planning/forecasting?

4. Are clients OK’ing social media because they think it’s of long-term value, or they’re scared?

View the downloadable transcript in PDF for advice and wisdom from the #solopr community. If you weren’t able to join us, how would you answer these questions?

May 19 Chat Transcript

Kellye Crane — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:57:05 +0000

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!

for the answers, and let us know what you’d like to add in the comments!

From Productivity to Interns – #solopr Chat Transcript

Kellye Crane — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:17:05 +0000

During the #solopr Twitter chat this week, veteran Solo PR Pros and newbies alike shared tips on a wide-range of topics, including the following:

1) What are your favorite productivity tools?

2) Assuming many #solopr folks work from home, how do you manage interns and assistants? Where/how do they work?

3) Is it acceptable to apply for an internship in order to gain more exp for your own freelance goals?

4) In this economy, are you seeing more situations with clients flaking out on you (not paying, changing agreement mid-stream, etc.)?

Be sure to download the transcript in PDF for the wise responses to these questions. And stay tuned for an upcoming post detailing productivity tools – a sequel to “44 Tools for the PR Consultant’s Toolbox” (one of this blog’s most popular posts ever).

What do you think — do you have any favorite productivity tools to add? Any other suggestions to add to the discussion?

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!

New Tool for Media Relations Collaboration

Kellye Crane — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:20:20 +0000

Those of us who’ve worked at agencies remember joining forces with co-workers to develop combined pitches before conducting media relations for feature coverage. Pitching a trend is much more meaningful when you have three or more spokespeople from different companies available and ready to discuss the topic at a moments notice. As journalists continue to find their resources shrinking, doing as much legwork as possible for them becomes even more important.

But lining up this kind of turnkey story becomes more challenging for independent PR consultants and boutiques. We all foster a network of fellow PR pros that we can tap into for media opportunities (or you should!), but what if you don’t know of anyone who fits a particular requirement, or you need additional resources quickly?

Pitch with Me is a new service designed to help public relations professionals connect with additional resources to generate more effective pitches. It’s the brainchild of Heather Whaling, @prtini on Twitter (side note: we recently co-wrote the post 5 Tips to Keep in Mind When Going Solo for the PR Breakfast Club blog, in case you missed it). Heather told me why she chose to launch this service now, after just recently becoming a Solo PR Pro:

“I come from an agency background and was used to brainstorming with my co-workers about opportunities to package clients in pitches. Now that I’m out on my own, I don’t have as much access to those kinds of resources. That got me thinking about ways solo PR pros, small businesses and nonprofits could team up. I’m a big believer in collaboration. Working together, I think we can develop stronger pitches, which should lead to better results for our clients. At least, that’s what I hope to see happen with Pitch with Me!”

I took a look at the simple online tool (which operates similar to HARO, but filling a different need). You submit a request through the Pitch with Me Web site, along with your contact information, a general description of the media outlet, an overview of the pitch and the type of resource you’re looking for. It is then displayed publicly on the site, as well as via @pitchwithme on Twitter – an automated feed of submissions. (You may want to use a special email address for submissions, to avoid receiving spam on your main account from bots who might be trolling the Web looking for email accounts.)

To me, a wise aspect of Pitch with Me is the fact that you control the opportunity (and how much information is revealed) when you submit your request. We all know PR can be a competitive business, and there are bad guys out there who might try to “go around” you if they had all the information on your plans. The tool is setup so you can mitigate that risk by being highly specific about the resources you need, but vague about who and how you’re pitching. I also like that I can see who is making the request. If you find one of your Solo PR Pro buddies looking for help, you’ll likely jump at the chance to work with a trusted colleague.

This tool looks like it has potential to help independent PR consultants improve their efficiency, and perhaps their media relations results. What do you think?