Maria Coppola, APR, CPRC owner and lead consultant at Coppola PR, recounted a story about a cobbler. Many solo and small business owners have often talked about having “cobbler’s kids’ syndrome,” in which everyone has shoes except the shoemaker. In this account,...
consulting
The Case for Consistent Business Development
Independent consultants strike out on their own for a number of reasons from wanting more life balance to being burned out on the politics of corporate work. Yet, on day one, all are confronted with the reality that to be in business, you need clients. Getting that...
Laid Off? Now You’re Free to Consult!
“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" – Joseph Campbell The first time many people consider PR freelancing or consulting is the day they learn their job is no longer. If you’ve recently been laid off,...
New to Solo PR? You aren’t alone.
The following is a guest post from Jason Mollica, president of JRM Comm. So, you have decided that it’s time you ventured out on your own… in public relations, that is. In September, I embarked on my solo journey. Although, it wasn't necessarily on the terms I...
Focus your efforts for fun and profit
As consultants, we’re largely in charge of our own destiny – which can be both a blessing and a curse. Most (all?) of us have things we enjoy that we aren’t good at, and things we’re good at that we don’t find enjoyable. For example: I love to sing -- but no one ever...
Late Payments & Promoting Yourself
During the April 18 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed clients who are late paying and promoting yourself to your target client base. In addition to the downloadable transcript in PDF, the following highlights some of the most popular tweets from the...
When Face-to-Face Communication Beats the Internet
The following is a guest post from Amanda DiSilvestro, Online Content Editor at Business.com. Along with many other industries, the practice of public relations is changing due to the rapid growth of email and social networking. As a whole, this change is good for...
International Clients, Being A Better Boss, & More
The March 21, 2012 chat was sponsored by PitchPen, a site that allows social media consultants to get new clients and grow their business. Be the first to join their global network when it launches mid-2012 and get their free guide to getting new clients. ...
Financial Success: It’s A Numbers Game For Indies
This post contributed by Heather Rast, Content and Community Specialist for Solo PR Pro. In the corporate and agency worlds, there are resources to help career-minded professionals assess their financial place in the talent stream. I remember a rule of thumb I picked...
News Wire Services, Controlling Clients, & More
During the December 7 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed news wire services, controlling clients, and slower work periods. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1a. What news release/news wire services get your high ranking? Free or...
Year-End Advice for Pros New And Old
This post was written by Heather Rast. It’s that time of year again. The time where independent consultants think about this year's work and how to move into the new year with sound footing. Over the last three years, we’ve had several blog posts and Twitter chats...
Have A Hero In Your Corner You’d Like To Thank?
This post is by Solo PR Pro Content and Community Specialist, Heather Rast. Last week, Kellye celebrated her 16th year as an independent PR practitioner. Her post, “Celebrating 16 Years And Counting,” called out three key lessons for those wishing to commit to a solo...
5 People Who Should Never Be Solo
Not everyone is cut out to work independently, and and there’s nothing wrong with recognizing that solo life isn’t for you.. While most of us wouldn’t trade this career path for anything, if you’re considering taking the leap to self-employment, ask yourself if you...
Generalist/Specialist, Image Consulting, & More
During the October 12 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed bad PR stories, image consulting, & more. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. Is it better for a #solopr pro to be a generalist or a specialist? 2. Recently, a PR pro...
Do Indies Hold The Purse Strings?
As independent consultants, we’re often responsible for both purchasing and recommending everything from media databases and wire services to commercial printers and social media measurement tools. We thought it would be interesting to do a quick poll to quantify...
Holiday Press, Increasing Clientele, & More
During the October 5 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros shared insight on helping clients find value, garnering holiday press, increasing clientele, & more. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. Client's focused on deliverable that may...
Blogger Outreach, Klout Scores, & More
During the September 21 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros shared insight on blogger outreach programs, Klout scores, the Netflix saga, & more. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. When you build a blogger outreach program and compile...
Solo For The Long Haul, TechCrunch Drama, & More
During the September 14 #solopr Twitter chat, which was guest moderated by Amy Sept of Nimbyist Communications, independent PR pros discussed handling former clients, being solo for the long haul, the current TechCrunch drama, and interesting uses of PR. Specifically,...
Social Platforms, Tricky Client Situations, & More
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...
Media Relations, Dress Codes, & More
During the June 15 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros shared insight on reporter etiquette, solo PR dress codes, and influencer identification tools. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. Orig asked on the LI group- http://linkd.in/kArPXz -do...
Business Goals, Referral Systems, & More
During the June 8 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed business goals, referral systems, client red flags, and more. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. We're almost at 2011 half-way pt. How is everyone doing on their business...
Measurement, Monitoring, & More
During the June 1 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros addressed a variety of monitoring & measurement topics, including AVEs, low-cost tools, & time management tips. The following questions helped guide the conversation: 1. What is the difference between...
Competing with Bigger Firms, Selling Social Media, & More
During the May 11 #solopr Twitter chat, solo PR pros discussed competing with bigger firms, tricky client situations, selling social media, & working with clients in complicated industries. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. What is the best...
Time-Keeping, Media Connections, & Small Biz Publicity
During the April 27 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed time-keeping systems, connecting with the media, and generating publicity for small businesses. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. What do you use for time keeping...
Performance & Proposals & Payments, Oh My!
During the February 2 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros touched upon pay-by-performance, RFPs, and more. Specifically, they weighed in on the following questions: 1. Have you ever worked on a pay by performance basis? e.g., a bonus if you hit X objective, or...
Time management, monitoring and more
This week’s #solopr Twitter chat was once again jam-packed with helpful tips. New and established PR consultants alike offered insights on the following topics: When budgets are small, what methods do you use to track clips (both online and print)? How do you "fire" a...
Subcontracting, SEO and More
Experts in PR consulting once again offered hundreds of pieces of sage advice in this week’s #solopr Twitter chat. During the discussion, there was a universal sentiment that subcontracting or outsourcing non-core services is important for long-term success as a PR...
Freelance PR Consultants – 2010 is Our Year
Public relations is listed as one of the top careers for 2010, and this year, consultants are in the catbird seat.
New Tool for Media Relations Collaboration
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...
Mentors for Each Other – 10.28.09 #solopr Chat
October 28, 2009, the date of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, was a proud day for me. Why? Because I was unable to participate in the chat due to travel, and it proceeded full steam ahead without me. What a terrific testament to the community of Solo PR Pros that...
PR Consultants: It’s Twitter Time
As PR consultants, it’s our job to be a resource to our clients and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to new strategies, technology and tools. For this reason, the time has come: all PR consultants should be on Twitter… now.
Success Stories: Shonali Burke
Our latest Solo PR Pro success story is the fascinating and always engaging Shonali Burke, ABC. Based in the Washington, D.C., area, Shonali is the IABC-accredited, award-winning principal of Shonali Burke Consulting. She blogs at Waxing UnLyrical, under the watchful...
Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter
We've talked before about using the #solopr hashtag on Twitter. Now, by popular demand, we've scheduled the first #solopr Twitter chat for this Wednesday, September 2, 2009, at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Prominent PR pros Heather Huhman (@HeatherHuhman) and Shonali Burke...
Using Social Media – Come Out from Behind the Curtain
Most PR consultants have been trained from early in our careers to work behind the scenes. We've typically served clients or company executives as the spokespeople, and it's deeply ingrained that the spotlight should shine on them alone. Today, it's time to come out...
Readying for the Upswing
Some PR consultants are facing challenging times. While there's still lots of work to be had, in this environment clients occasionally slash their budgets mid-stream. Others are putting planned projects on hold for an indefinite period of time. When you get word of...
PR Consulting Questions? Let’s Share
I'm frequently asked all kinds of questions about becoming a PR consultant. Though we cover the full spectrum of being a Solo PR Pro on this blog, it has occurred to me (perhaps belatedly) that it would be beneficial to publish answers to the specific questions I...
Consultants: Celebrate Independents’ Day!
As the U.S. prepares to observe its Independence Day holiday, it’s an excellent excuse for consultants to pause and celebrate the many joys of being independent in business. Even in today's sometimes difficult market, being your own boss is extremely gratifying. Among...
Can You Leave Your Job to Consult Today?
To me, being a PR/MarCom consultant is the greatest job in the world. I'm so passionate about the virtues of working for yourself versus someone else, I started this blog! But I don't advocate everyone take the leap willy nilly. The truth is there are times when a...
Modern PR: The Next Wave
Whether you call it PR 2.0, New PR, or some other catchy moniker, it’s clear that public relations is moving into a new age. As we’ve noted, Modern PR means evolving, adapting and embracing new challenges. At the forefront of this evolution is PR’s incorporation of a...
Modern PR: New Incentives to Behave Professionally
We know they’re out there. The people who say they’re in PR, but they really just play a numbers game – sending as many emails as possible, in hopes of getting a small percentage of recipients to cover their clients. In fact, most of us have probably competed for...
End of Year Tips for Consultants
The end of the year is fast-approaching, but there’s still time to think about some of the items that should be on any independent consultant’s radar: Consider hiring an accountant – Most accountants become insanely busy as soon as the new year arrives, and many do...
Look Before You Leap
Just before Thanksgiving, the brilliant David Meerman Scott wrote a post titled “Quit your job” that garnered quite a bit of attention (most of it positive). I was taken aback, because David is truly a great thought leader in the PR space, but on his point about...
The Time to Think About Your Solo Career is Now
There’s an elephant in the room – in fact, there’s an elephant sitting on this blog. It’s the economy, and it’s become a central issue for just about everyone. Whether you’re already a PR consultant or currently in a traditional job, we should all take steps now to...
Welcome to Solo PR Pro!
I decided to start Solo PR Pro because I’m often asked to recommend online resources that focus just on independent PR and Marketing Communications consultants… and I realized there really aren’t any. Solo PR Pros have a great life, and I firmly believe that more...