Stories are an essential part of how we communicate. Before babies even understand words, parents tell stories to soothe, entertain and teach them. As PR professionals, we must know how to translate the expertise of our company or clients into stories that capture...
Karen Swim
3 Tips for Living Your Happiest (Most Successful) Life
What’s your happy?If someone asked you that right now, would you know the answer? If not, it’s okay. Because Vernon Brown can help. Vernon, one of the top happiness coaches in the country and founder of What’s Your Happi, spends his days helping entrepreneurs (like...
Spotlight on a Solo PR Pro: Meet Shirley Johnson
For Shirley Johnson, taking on clients as a solo PR professional wasn’t part of some grand plan. It happened organically following many successful years in broadcast production and healthcare and pharmaceutical public relations. After living in Chicago,...
How Virtual Assistants Can Help Grow Your Solo PR Business
As a solo business owner, you wear a lot of hats, serving as the strategist, the copywriter and the accountant all in one. When you’re just getting started, it might seem exciting to handle everything on your own, but eventually you will grow to a point where it’s...
5 Solos PR Pros Share Why They’re Part of The Solo PR Pro Premium Community
Just because you’re a solo PR pro doesn’t mean you’re in this alone. There’s a whole community of like minded people you can lean on. In this monthly series, we ask five Solo PR Pro members to share their best tips, tricks and resources for managing their solo...
3 Smart Reasons to Join Solo PR Pro Premium
Although you may work as a solo PR pro, you don’t have to go it alone. Maybe you’re in need of some financial advice or you want to grow your client roster. Maybe you’re desperate for some guidance about that seemingly obscure question you’ve been sitting on for two...
3 Customer-Focused Ideas for Generating Content on Social Media
A recent report from Typeset relayed a concerning stat: 38% of writers said “knowing what our audiences want to read” was either difficult or very difficult. Put differently, four in 10 communicators have no idea what content their audiences want to read. Whoa. It...
4 Must-Have Elements for Your Website as a Solo PR Pro
You’ve probably heard the phrase “let me Google that for you” before. And although it’s often spoken with a tone of sarcasm, it can also be viewed as a true sign of the times. We live in a digital age where people do research and ask questions online...
Is That Client Worth Pursuing? How to Pre-Qualify Prospects
When a prospective client requests a proposal, do you excitedly hop right on it? Many veteran Solo PR pros have learned sometimes the best course of action is to take a deep breath and carefully probe for additional information first. In this post Solo PR PRO...
5 Solo PR Pros Share Their Predictions for the PR Industry in 2021
Just because you’re a solo PR pro doesn’t mean you’re in this alone. There’s a whole community of like minded people you can lean on. In this monthly series, we ask five Solo PR Pro members to share their best tips, tricks and resources for managing their solo...
How to Raise Your Rates in 2021 and Beyond — A Guide to Charging as a Solo PR Pro
The start of a new year is an especially prime opportunity to reflect on business earnings from the last 12 months. Were you forced to accept low-paying projects or could you hand-pick them? It’s also a great time to raise your PR rates and think about how...
Creating a PR-perfect workspace
We are thrilled to present this guest post, written by the talented Elissa Freeman. When I started my solo PR business almost eight years ago, I didn’t give much thought to the type of work environment I would need to succeed. After all, what was wrong with my kitchen...
The Very Long Fall Season and How to Survive It
The fall season, for many solo PR Pros feels like running a marathon at a sprint pace. Conferences, surveys, forecasts, trend reports, budgeting, launches, and clients squeezing every drop of PR goodness you have to offer before the year closes can be exhausting. But...
PR and Technology 2019 Trends
There’s no doubt that technology continues to have an impact on the PR industry. So much so that the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism issues an annual Global Communications Report based on survey results from PR professionals and students and, new...
2019 Meeker Report Highlights
Photo by Thom on Unsplash It’s here! Mary Meeker’s report on 2019 Internet Trends. When sharing the report, she stated, “If it feels like we’re all drinking from a data firehose, it’s because we are.” The report focuses on the “impact of the Internet on...
Let Freedom Ring! Celebrating Solo PR Pros
This week as we pause to celebrate Independence Day in the United States, solo PR Pros shared what independence means to them. Read their thoughtful, fun and inspiring answers below. "Being able to make the decisions and be responsible for the outcome -- whether good...
Chat Recap: Content Marketing
On the first Tuesday in May, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On May 1, 2018 we...
Chat Recap: Economic Ups and Downs (and more)
On the fourth Wednesday in October, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On October...
Chat Recap: How Has Google Influenced You?
On the fourth Wednesday in September, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On...
Chat Recap: Disasters, Perceived Missteps and More
On the second Wednesday in September, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On...
Chat Recap: Vacations and Setting Boundaries While Away
On the second Wednesday in July, we held one of our popular combined Twitter chats with the wise social media practitioners of #SMchat (learn how to join us here). Our two groups of top communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice on the...
Chat Recap: Project Stalls, Doubt, and More
On the second Wednesday in June, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On June 14,...
Chat Recap: What’s On Your Professional Bucket List?
On the fourth Wednesday in May, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On May 24, 2017...
Chat Recap: Creating Customer Value And More
On the second Wednesday in May, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On May 10, 2017...
Chat Recap: How would you counsel United in light of recent events?, and more
On the second Wednesday in April, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On April 12,...
Chat Recap: Monitoring Competition, Longevity, Payment Terms, and More
On the second Wednesday in March, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On March 22,...
Chat Recap: Onboarding Clients, Differing Opinions, and More
On the first Wednesday in March, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On March 8,...
Chat Recap: Livestreaming, Multimedia, and More
On the second Wednesday in February, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On February...
Chat Recap: Alternative Facts, Investing In Your Business, & More
On the first Wednesday in February, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On February...
Chat Recap: Fake News, LinkedIn Relationships, and More
On the second Wednesday in January, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On January...
Chat Recap: Social Media – Strategies, Challenges and Gaps in 2017
On the first Wednesday in January, we kicked off the year with a joint Q&A chat with the #smchat community. Top independent communication and social media professionals shared thought leadership, tips, and advice in response to questions on the topic of social...
Chat Recap: Fake News, Changes in 2017, and More
On the second Wednesday in December, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On December...
Chat Recap: Time Off, Emotional Lows, Gratitude, and More
On the fourth Wednesday in November, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On November...
Chat Recap: Boredom, Year-End Planning, and More
On the second Wednesday in November, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On...
Chat Recap: Scariest Client Experiences, Slow Pay Clients, and More
On the fourth Wednesday in October, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On October...
Chat Recap: Red Flags, Making Boring News Exciting, and More
On the second Wednesday in October, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On October...
Chat Recap: Holidays With Clients, Business Anniversaries, and More
On the fourth Wednesday in September, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On...
Chat Recap: Influence – Defining It, Measuring It, and More
On the second Wednesday in September, we held one of our popular combined Twitter chats with the wise social media practitioners of #SMchat (learn how to join us here). Our two groups of top communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice on...
Chat Recap: Crisis, Clients and the Choices We Make
After taking a summer hiatus, on the fourth Wednesday in August, we returned and held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community...
Chat Recap: Bridging Generational Styles, Video, and More
On the fourth Wednesday in June, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On June...
Chat Recap: Journey to the Future
On the second Wednesday in June, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On June 8 2016,...
Chat Recap: LinkedIn Pages, Client Gender & More
On the fourth Wednesday in May, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On May 25 2016,...
Chat Recap: Discounting Your Prices, Working For Free, And More
On the second Wednesday in May, we held one of our popular combined Twitter chats with the wise social media practitioners of #SMchat (learn how to join us here). Our two groups of top communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice on the...
Chat Recap: Gender Pay Gap, and More
On the fourth Wednesday in April, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On April...
Chat Recap: Your Career Track as an Entrepreneur
On the second Wednesday in April, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On April...
Chat Recap: The Virtual Team
On the second Wednesday in March, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On March 9...
#SoloPR Topic Chat: The Virtual Team
Being a Solo PR Pro does not mean that you always work alone. Given the nature of consulting, you and/or your clients’ needs may evolve. Whether you need a specialized vendor for a project, another consultant as a partner or an administrative assistant,...
Chat Recap: Facebook Reaction Buttons and More
On the fourth Wednesday in February, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On February...
Chat Recap: The Role and Value of PR in 2016
On the second Wednesday in February, we held one of our popular combined Twitter chats with the wise social media practitioners of #SMchat. Our two groups of top communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice on the following topics of...
Chat Recap: Future of Work
On the fourth Wednesday in January, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On January...
Chat Recap: 2016 Business Resolutions, Challenges and More
On the second Wednesday in January, we held one of our traditional Q&A chats, where top independent communication professionals shared thought leadership, tips and advice in response to questions submitted by the community (learn how to join us here). On...
Should You Reconsider Blogging?
This post is by Karen Swim. Communications professionals often commiserate over the myths surrounding our profession. Our publics have a great deal of misinformation about the scope of our work and the demarcation of duties. Yet, when there is an opportunity to...
Press Releases and Google – What PR Professionals Need to Know to Promote Without Penalty
Recently Google updated their guidelines on links specifically calling out press releases. The update has caused some confusion among PR professionals. We asked SEO pro, Jon Rognerud to help explain the changes. Keywords, content, and links are paramount to success in...