This discussion made clear that there are many different perceptions and connotations, often changing based on your skillset or industry of specialization. Here’s just a sampling of the opinions:

@CaSuPe15: I think a consultant develops suggestions for a PR strategy, and a freelancer would take the next step and implement it

@rockstarjen: I see freelancers as more behind the scenes (don’t manage clients, etc.), supporting solos, agencies, etc.

@karenswim: “Freelancer” the label does have baggage, but see that changing & “consultant” is not always viewed favorably

@KCDPR: I think the word freelance has a stigma of “cheaper” attached to it as well. Consultant encompasses a lot of areas of expertise.

@ActiveIngreds: Often times I refer to myself as a partner vs freelancer or consultant because of issues with both that I’ve faced.

@Power_of_M: I think consultant is overused, and not specific, and freelancer implies creative trade… not lesser-skilled… A copywriting ‘freelancer’ as an example, is not a consultant. They are a doer. But a great one is highly strategic & billable.

@akenn: To me a freelancer is a sub-contractor; a consultant is the lead.

@PRProSanDiego: Sole practitioner is my preferred term. This is what lawyers call themselves. It denotes expertise worth paying for.

@KeeyanaHall: A consultant will offer strategic advice. A freelancer takes strategic advice & gets “down & dirty” w/implementation.

@jillvan: I once used the term “freelance” with a client, and he freaked b/c to him, it implied I wasn’t going to be around much.

@IndigoSevenPR: I think it makes you more credible when you say you are a consultant than a freelancer when competing with PR firms.

For dozens more fascinating comments on this topic, be sure to check out the chat transcript. The key is to know what your clients are looking for in the solo PR pro they’re seeking. If you’ll be providing copywriting services, “freelancer” might be the right description. But if you’ll handle their PR in its entirety, “consultant” could be a better fit. Regardless, it’s enlightening to know about the different perceptions and keep in mind there’s not just one right answer.

Also during the chat, we discussed whether you can be a Solo PR Pro right out of college. Though many thought it would be too difficult to pull this off effectively, a few of our participants – including @zakmo and @SoloDovePR – said they have done just that.

The fact that some entry-level PR pros (not those noted above) are being asked to accept “full-time freelance” positions, sans benefits, was disturbing and noted as illegal by several on the chat. For additional background, @PaulaJohns shared a CNN article: Auditors crack down on ‘independent contractors’.

What do you think – are there any advantages or pitfalls to the various Solo PR Pro monikers we didn’t discuss? Have you learned any lessons around the way you position your business? Please let us know in the comments!

On a side note, I’m happy to announce that I’ve created a Solo PR Twitter list, and on Tweepml you can now follow the members of this list with one click! If you’re not on the list and would like to be, just let me know.

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!

Photo credit: Marco Belluci

1)  How do you handle vacation, maternity leave, sick days, etc.?

2) What do you do when you get TOO much work? Touchy subject given the economy?

3) Do most solos have their own logo?

4) Would you enjoy a Solo PR Pro Facebook page?

See the full chat transcript in PDF for key insights from top solo PR pros on how to handle these situations.

How have you handled issues related to your own downtime or workload? Any additional bits of advice you can 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!

This is a guest post from Kevin Dinino, Founder & CEO, KCD Public Relations Inc.

I started out like many in the PR field, as a generalist Account Executive at a mid-size PR agency pre-Internet bubble.  Once the sky started to fall and clients such as Neopets.com disappeared overnight, I was moved to start supporting large financial firms involved in venture capital and leveraged buyouts.

It was a rewarding job, working with these masters of the universe and becoming immersed in the financial media and learning how no news  sometimes was a good thing. Two years later, I was lured to the wonderful world of Wall Street, working in PR for a large brokerage firm, promoting financial advisors in their local markets. It was great to travel across the country and drive media interest in local markets help build their brand.

A move across country to sunny San Diego allowed me to head the PR department for a similar brokerage and help craft PR campaigns with some of the larger and reputable independent financial advisors in the country. No one expected the great financial collapse of 2008 and before I knew it, my position had been jettisoned.

Eager to continue my love affair with the financial media, my former employer and I agreed that I would hang out my own shingle and offer my PR services to their clients. I was always an entrepreneur at heart and slowly started the process of founding my new firm, KCD Public Relations.

What I learned early on was that I had a very unique network of contacts and a former employer that was willing to market my business. These factors led me to the easy decision to position my firm as a specialty shop, working directly with financial services firms (and financial advisors) on PR campaigns, leveraging my 10+ years of industry experience.  I have found that clients want to work with a specialist vs. a generalist – so every marketing piece for my agency (Web site, social media, brochures, etc) is geared to appeal to a financial services firm.

The results have been tremendous – KCD PR has grown from two initial clients to close to 10 and I’ve been able to leverage more industry expertise to work on behalf of the firm. In some ways it might sound counterintuitive that the more you specialize the more success you find, but that’s certainly been my experience. Find what you do best and then reap the rewards.

What have you found in your own business? Are the benefits of specializing worth the perceived risks?

Like an old Looney Tunes cartoon, there are throngs of pros about to stampede by and leave you in their dust. I wanted to offer up one final tough love post on the importance of social media, because for PR consultants no one else is going to tell you this – they just won’t hire you.

We’ve talked before about diving into social media, and how being online and using tools like Twitter are important to your business. As yet another example of the critical role social media is playing in public relations today, a national survey recently found that an overwhelming majority of reporters and editors now depend on social media sources when researching their stories:

• 89% said they turn to blogs for story research
• 65% to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn
• 52% to microblogging services such as Twitter

So, even if you consider yourself a traditional PR person targeting traditional media, social media has invaded your turf. We can’t look at social media as “someone else’s problem” – if you don’t use and engage with social media, you’re putting yourself and your clients at a distinct disadvantage.

This blog (like most other PR resources) will continue to cover social media information and tactics, but there will be less remedial information included to provide you with background. No one knows everything there is to know about social media and where it’s going, but we all need to be out there learning and experimenting.

Are you one of those who’s realizing that 2010 is here and you forgot to learn about social media? No time like the present! Here are a few resources you may find helpful:

• The Modern PR series (on this blog)
• Luckie’s 30-Day Social Media Makeover
• Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (book)
• The New Rules of Marketing and PR: by David Meerman Scott (book)
• Social Media Trends for 2010, by Jeremiah Owyang (excellent slides for intermediate and advanced social media “learners”)
• What the F**K is Social Media (PG-13 rated slides)

What role do you think social media will play in public relations (agree or disagree)?  What resources would you add to the list?