Be sure to check out the transcript here in PDF, or online, for astute insights from the wise and experienced Solo PR Pros who participated in the chat. A key takeaway: the most effective means of distribution and outreach will vary depending on each client’s specific needs. Another example of why there’s no substitute for savvy PR counsel.

This week also included advice on how a marketing pro could start seeking more PR contract opportunities, as well as tips on how to find useful, free Webinars. A special thanks to this week’s top contributors:

@VirtueIMC

@ruthseeley

@cherissef

@BettyEllis

@AlexisDias

@mdbarber

@jetsnow

@marketwire

@REVOLUTIONpr

Next week we’ll take a break for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. But make your plans now to join us for the December 2 chat.

What was your favorite chat takeaway? How would you weigh in on these issues? Let us know in the comments.

 Today, it’s time to come out from behind the curtain. Chalk this up as yet another way that social media has changed our world.

PR pros have never been accused of being shrinking violets, so it would probably come as a surprise to outsiders that for many of us, speaking out via social media feels just plain weird at first. Some PR consultants experience an attack of stage fright. We’re still trying to adjust to giving up control of the message, and now we need to do that while publicly on display?

 The key to feeling comfortable is to give a little thought to what your online voice will be, and then just do what comes naturally and be yourself. Be aware that there are some people (one might call them purists) who say that you should be your whole self, all the time. To them, this is what they mean by transparent. But I’m in the camp that believes you can be transparent and authentic without “letting it all hang out.”

For example, a few things you may want to consider include:

• Will you curse or be otherwise salty/bawdy? Think about generational differences in perceptions of this, as well.
• How much (if anything) will you say about your family?
• Is your outlook/personality generally snarky, positive, curmudgeonly, peppy or “just the facts”? Without thinking about it, you can find yourself sounding unlike who you are in “real life.” Giving this a little thought at the onset will help prevent that from happening.
• How much will you reveal about your location at any given time? This is a safety issue, and each person’s comfort level differs.

 While there are few rules in social media, there are some that are hard and fast:

• Never misrepresent yourself. Honesty is the only policy.
• Give before you get. We’ll be talking about this more in future posts, but social media is about sharing. Using it to sell/pitch only, and before you have established yourself, is the fastest way to be labeled a spammer.
• Don’t talk negatively about your clients, their location, or anything that might offend them (this seems like a duh, but you might be surprised!)

 Whatever your background and level of experience you have a unique point of view – join the conversations in social media and share it with the world!

 Have you ever had any qualms about participating in social media? Did you do anything to help overcome the “stage fright”?

“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, or are concerned you might be, the time to think about working as a PR consultant is now.

This may be temporary while you simultaneously seek full-time employment, or you may find you love it so much you permanently join our ranks! As a newly-free friend recently told me, “I think we’re ALL gonna do a little consulting in the new economy.”

But where to begin? If you’re facing involuntary independent status, your head is likely reeling a bit, and that’s to be expected. Beyond the traditional job-seeking advice, here are a few consulting-related items to consider in the near-term:

• If you’re still technically employed, plan to take copies of any information your company policy allows, in particular those related to your network of contacts (including business cards and emails) and work samples. If possible, retrieve any personal information you may have on your company blackberry, laptop, etc. You’ll need that information to help secure your new consulting contracts.

• Don’t be ashamed of your status. Some of the industry’s foremost leaders and thinkers have announced publicly that their positions were eliminated in recent months. In this economy, there is no stigma against those that have been laid off, and there’s no need to apologize (even implicitly) as you network. Try to quell those demons. “Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt.” – Shakespeare

• Consider your health insurance options. If you’re married, take a look at the plans available through your spouse’s employer. If the selection is undesirable or you’re unmarried, you can usually obtain insurance coverage through your employer’s COBRA plan.   This will likely seem expensive, but it is worth doing near-term while you investigate your options further. It’s important to make sure your health insurance doesn’t lapse, since that can make it more difficult to get coverage later and subjects you to the whims of the insurance industry (e.g., pre-existing condition loopholes, application technicalities, etc. – ugh!).

• Don’t worry about a business structure, name, or any of those things that might feel overwhelming at the moment. You can do independent PR consulting under your own name, and as a “sole proprietor,” with no up-front paperwork required. When tax time comes, you’ll just use the Schedule C form to report your income and expenses.

• Speaking of expenses, start keeping track of them immediately. As you may know, you can deduct some of your job hunt expenses, but you can also deduct expenses if you do any kind of consulting. Just grab a folder and start stashing your receipts for anything professional, such as networking lunches, association dues, and meeting attendance fees. If you meet a colleague at their offices and you have to pay to park, that receipt goes in the folder. Buy some legal pads to write out your consulting ideas? Receipt in the folder! You get the idea… you’ll be surprised how quickly it adds up.

• And then there’s the big question: fees. If you worked with freelance PR pros in your previous position, you probably have an idea of what PR consultants are charging in your area. If not, an excellent resource is the annual Writer’s Market publication. In addition to being available for purchase, it’s also typically found in the Resources section of your local library. Though written primarily for freelance writers, Writer’s Market includes a “How Much Should I Charge” section that offers some guidance on hourly fees for PR activities. Keep in mind that the rates for freelance writers are often lower than those for experienced PR professionals.

• When it comes to setting consulting fees, the biggest newbie mistake is failing to consider the extra financial responsibilities you have as an independent. In particular, a full 15.3% of your income will go to the self-employed version of FICA (versus half of that — 7.65% — when you’re an employee). That’s in addition to your tax rate. Add it up, and you can easily find 40% or more of your pay going to Uncle Sam. Now before you go slamming your fist on your desk cursing the IRS, just remember it’s nothing to get upset about if you plan ahead and take this into account when setting your fees.

• Another mistake is forgetting that you now will be responsible for a variety of non-billable work (sending invoices, new business plans, etc.) related to maintaining your business.  You might have a billing rate in mind, but when you consider these factors you may find you should be billing considerably more than that. It will of course depend on your skills and experience — just be sure not to short-change yourself!  In many ways, the market will perceive your level of expertise based on your fee level.

This is just a quick-hit list of initial considerations.  It’s my hope that regardless of what direction you end up heading long-term, the result will be an even more satisfying career that brings you fulfillment and enriches your life.

Are you considering PR consulting, or have you recently “hung out your shingle” as a freelancer?  What issues are you finding most challenging? Veteran solo PR pros – what advice do you have for those just getting started?

Photo credit: mufan96

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 more conversational approach to communications, made possible – and necessary – by social media.

Though it’s a common mistake in PR today, we should not look at social media as simply a new set of tools. It’s not just an emerging channel for pushing your same old messages, or a new medium to exploit with “viral marketing” campaigns. In fact, thinking in terms of “social media campaigns” misses the point entirely. Social media ushers in the era of two-way communications , and we must respond by entering the next wave of PR practice.

In essence, the next wave of PR is just the latest evolution in doing what PR has always done:  communicate, using the best methods at our disposal. As our focus moves away from one overly dominated by media relations, we now must look at employing all the methods available for communicating with the people who make up our publics. We must no longer think in terms of “hits,” audiences, and eyeballs, but instead create and participate in conversations and community.

But let’s be clear: the days of PR exerting at least some control over all of the public expressions regarding a company are over. Finito. Someone play Taps. Today, no one “owns” the message – an organization’s positioning is created organically as the result of its actions and the conversation around it. For example, if a company is saying things that clearly differ from reality, the crowd will set it straight. The people formerly known as the audience are no longer passive, and the time to recognize the affect on PR is now.

Such a shifting of the sands can feel very frightening and discombobulating to PR professionals, especially those of us who came along at a time when “control the message” was a mantra. But rather than fear the change, we should see that the next wave of PR actually presents unique opportunities for us and the organizations we represent.

The Next Wave and the Solo PR Pro
In the same way that one shouldn’t dabble in media relations, neither should you pretend to be social media savvy if you’re not. If you’re just getting started, the key is to start by listening. Join and participate in social media networks as an individual, long before you start interacting on behalf of clients.

The good news is that as consultants, we are already well-versed at being chameleon-like. Listening first, so we can fit into a new culture, is second nature to those of us who work in varied industries with a number of different organizations. Staying abreast of the latest theories from thought leaders by reading blogs and participating in conversations is critical as we all continue to learn and expand our understanding of what it means to do PR today.

The potential rewards for this effort are vast. Not only is PR as a whole changing, but confused organizations are hungry for savvy communications assistance, and who better to shepherd organizations into this unfamiliar communications territory than PR? And with in-house PR teams increasingly lean and strapped for time, who better to serve this role than an independent practitioner?

As outside consultants, we offer an excellent alternative for organizations currently locked in political battles over who should handle these initiatives. We’re also blissfully free of the social media site bans that large IT departments often put in place. Invest the time needed to become educated about the next wave, and then you can step up and take your rightful place as a PR consultant who leads rather than follows.

Obviously, the evolving PR landscape is an area we’ll continue to explore on this blog moving forward. What do you think? Are you seeing more consulting opportunities as a result of the changes? Are your clients thinking about these issues, or are they still in avoidance mode?

——

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More from the Modern PR series:

• Modern PR Series: What You Need to Know About Public Relations Today
• Modern PR: New Incentives to Behave Professionally
• Modern PR Pros and the Breaking News Dilemma
• Modern PR: The Media’s Changing with You or Without You
• Modern PR: The Next Wave (this post)

Photo credit: colmsurf

If you’re working in marketing communications or PR, you’ve no doubt encountered this already. With the now fast-changing media landscape, in many ways we’re in the Wild Wild West. The rules have yet to be established, and not everyone agrees on what the future will hold.

In this atmosphere, PR-bashing has become quite a popular sport on blogs, as has pontificating about the prospects for the public relations industry as a whole. But a few key themes have emerged in recent months that have real and lasting implications for the practice of public relations and for our profession.

In many cases, there’s a lot of “inside baseball” involved in the coverage of these hot topics, as top bloggers build their case upon the writings of other thought leaders (and sometimes assume a certain amount of prior knowledge on the part of the reader). But what if you were on a mad deadline during the period a particular topic was most vigorously discussed, and missed half (or all of) the story?

This is the first in a series of posts that will strive to help, by delivering an overview of the latest insights and expert commentary. As independent PR and MarCom pros, it’s our responsibility to remain forward-looking and provide leadership to our clients. The Modern PR series will cover the critical issues that have been the source of much discussion recently, like embargoes, social press releases, PR’s reputation, and more.

I’ll look forward to hearing your responses and feedback, as well. While there may be some current prevailing wisdom on these topics, all of us in this business bring our own valuable experiences and understanding to the discussion.

Without question, this is truly an exciting time to be in PR! Those who stay abreast of the changes and adapt to the evolving climate will thrive. So, stay tuned for the next posts in the “Modern PR” series, and subscribe to Solo PR Pro to learn more about the evolution underway in the public relations business.

More posts in the Modern PR series:

• Modern PR Series: What You Need to Know About Public Relations Today (this post)
• Modern PR: New Incentives to Behave Professionally
• Modern PR Pros and the Breaking News Dilemma
• Modern PR: The Media’s Changing with You or Without You
• Modern PR: The Next Wave

Like this post? Consider subscribing to Solo PR Pro, either by e-mail or RSS Reader. It’s free!

Photo credit: onlyberlin

There many periods when it’s OK to take the leap into PR consulting without knowing exactly where you’ll land. This is not one of them.

That’s not to say you can’t be outrageously successful as an independent PR consultant right now, or that those who are currently employed can’t go out on your own during this phase. You can! Nothing should ever dissuade you from following your bliss.

It’s just that different times call for different measures. I suggest that employed people find their next opportunity first (and that doesn’t have to be traditional employment, it can be a consulting gig or two), before quitting. The key is to prepare in advance, and like the tortoise know that slow and steady wins the race.

Working at a job you hate can be truly exhausting (believe me, I’ve been there), but don’t forget that the stress of trying to find consulting work when there’s no money coming in can be lousy, too. Having been successfully independent since 1995, I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs, and all present unique opportunities. There is consulting work to be had right now, especially at those agencies and companies experiencing a hiring freeze. Find these openings before you quit, and you’ll sleep much better at night.

There’s another (perhaps controversial) point you may want to consider in this climate: if layoffs are occurring at your company, you could wait to see if your position is among those being eliminated. It actually can be a blessing in disguise to get laid off from your current job, since that may allow you to collect benefits, giving you a cushion/runway for launching your business. If you’re worried that  there’s a stigma to being laid off – don’t. During an economic downturn, people understand that layoffs have nothing to do with performance.

Given the focus of this blog, it would probably in my best interest to agree with David. In fact, I had prepared a post very similar to his – espousing the joys of being an independent and encouraging the employed to join our ranks ASAP – and had planned to publish it when this blog launched. But in the few months that Solo PR Pro was in production, the economic situation continued to change, and so my advice has adjusted. Everything I say on this blog is exactly what I would tell a friend (and that’s my promise to you).

What do you think? How would you advise a friend right now?

The advantages are clear. In a 2006 PRSA study of independent practitioners, ninety-nine percent of PR consultants reported that “being in control of their work life” was important in their decision to go into business for themselves. This was followed by 91 percent who valued having more time to devote to family, 84 percent who said building a substantial client base, and 83 percent who said making a lot of money.

With little or no initial start-up costs or overhead, being a solo PR pro offers a great quality of life. Among my favorite benefits:

• You get to be the boss of you
• No “calling in sick” or a measly 10 days of vacation time
• No dress code
• No commute
• No soul-sucking assignments – you have the power to choose your clients, and can select only projects that interest you
• Focus on what you do best, with no bureaucracy
• Work where you want, when you want
• No trying to look busy when you’re not
• No dread on Sunday evening, knowing that another unsatisfying work week lies ahead

And you need not sacrifice income for this increased quality of life – in fact, just the opposite. The US Department of Labor reports that “full-time, independent contractors earn more than average traditional workers.” In addition, the PRSA Solo Practitioner survey above reveals that the average gross profit for solo PR consultants in 2005 was $112,107.

If you’re worried you don’t have enough experience, this is probably less of an issue than you think. I started my successful consulting business after just four years of working in traditional agencies. On top of that, I had a brief stint as a low-end PR freelancer after just two years of experience. While your fees will of course vary based on your background, at virtually every step of your career there are opportunities to freelance as an independent public relations professional. You may love it so much you decide to do it forever (as I have), or you may choose to freelance periodically between jobs, or part-time on the side.

Does all this sound too good to be true? I’m no snake oil salesman, and I’m not going to say you can be lazy and still make wheelbarrows of money. We’re also going to see some challenges in the coming months due to the current economic climate, but the good news is you can start slow, and with some hard work you can become a full-time success – and be well-positioned for the next boom.

The key to remember is that Solo PR Pros are not born, they’re made. If you’re already an independent, what are your favorite benefits? If not, what has you most eager to break free of the cube? Let us know in the comments!

Photo credit: Jay Dugger