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...
Finding Clients
What Are Agency Partnerships? Why It May Be Smart as a Solo PR Pro to Work With an Agency
The pandemic hit my business hard, creating a need to diversify and utilize new revenue channels. My mix has always included agency partnerships, but 2020 forced me to get creative and leverage those agency partnerships to stabilize my business. (Even though I...
Navigating the Business Impact of Coronavirus
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of upheaval. Coronavirus has swept through the world and left us with a mountain of uncertainty. Many solos are anxious about the future. Some have already experienced clients pausing services. Chip Griffin, Founder of...
5 Sources of New Business Leads for Solo PR Pros
A common challenge with new and seasoned solo PR Pros is developing new business. For many consultants, referrals are a primary source of new business, and that is great! However, it is unwise to depend solely on the generosity of your network. As the old saying goes,...
Self-Promotion is Not Evil
Many professionals have a hard time using their professional skills to promote their business. You are bold and confident when doing work for clients but uncomfortable putting those same skills to use to promote yourself and your business. By failing to do PR for...
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...
Beyond Your Borders: How to Work with Non-Local Clients
Working with clients in your local area is a satisfying and viable way to run your independent consultancy. It can deepen your sense of community, reduce your need to travel and allow you to dominate your local market. Knowledge of the local culture and norms can also...
How to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile [Infographic]
LinkedIn launched in 2003 with 4500 members. Today, the site has more than 433 million members and is the world's largest professional network on the internet. While other social media channels are a mix of news, silly photos and viral videos, LinkedIn continues to...
Keeping the Funnel Fed— Summer Strategies
We’re all familiar with Aesop’s fable, “The Grasshopper and the Ant:” in the summer time when the living was easy, the grasshopper sung and played – neglecting to store food for the winter like his friend the ant. When winter came the ant was ready, but the...
Training Clients on the Do’s and Don’ts
There is nothing more thrilling than ringing the new client bell! The last thing you want to have happen is to win the client, but lose the opportunity for a successful engagement due to unclear expectations or faulty communication. Every situation is different, but...
Knock ’em Dead with SWOT Analysis
Labor Day marks the unofficial end to the summer season. This means many solo professionals are kicking it into high gear to finish the year strong and set the stage for a better-than-ever next year. Whether you’re putting together new business proposals or engaging...
They Said “Yes!” – What to Include in Your PR Proposal to Get Them to Say Yes
A popular jewelry commercial celebrates the joy of a marriage proposal with the catch phrase, “She said yes!” For PR pros, a business proposal that’s met with an astounding “yes” can prompt the same exuberance. There's cause for celebration when we've proposed to the...
5 Facts About Working with Solo PR Pros
There are many advantages to working with independent PR consultants, and thousands of organizations every day select the benefits of working with a Solo PR Pro over the alternative options. Members of Solo PR PRO Premium recently had fun brainstorming around this...
Your Guide to the Challenging Client
Clients are the best - except when they aren't. For your reference when you're out "in the wild," the following infographic offers a fun guide to the challenging variety, including look at what to look for, and how to handle. Thanks to the folks at Ciplex, a digital...
Save the Date: Solo PR Summit to be held February 20-21, 2013
Finally, an event specifically for us! Mark your calendars now for the Solo PR Summit – the first-ever in-person event and conference hosted by Solo PR Pro, being held February 20-21, 2013, at the Regency Suites Hotel in Atlanta, Ga. With an emphasis on real world,...
Public Listings Now Available Via Solo PR PRO Premium
We’re always looking for ways to help the best independent PR consultants – and the clients who seek to hire them - find each other. Today, we’re happy to unveil our new Public Listings and PR Pro Search feature, which offers members of Solo PR PRO Premium a...
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...
Words matter, except when they don’t – ending my ban on personal branding
Yesterday, I spoke at the Public Relations Council of Alabama's annual conference on personal branding. Except I asked them not to call it that. I’ve always shied away from the term “personal branding,” primarily because some of my early influencers in the online...
Advice on Setting Fees [video]
What do you charge? How do you set your fees? These are the most daunting - and among the most important - questions PR consultants ask. Though a one-size-fits-all answer would be nice, unfortunately there isn't one. There are many variables that go into setting the...
Get In Early On Our New Solo PR PRO Member Site!
We’re happy to unveil the premium Solo PR PRO membership site, now in public beta (at special beta pricing). Specifically for us, this premium PRO content offers road-tested deliverables and downloads, a members-only Forum, a special upcoming Show Me the Money! series on setting rates, and much more.
You May Be An Image Consultant (And Not Even Know It)
As a follow-on to our recent discussion during the #SoloPR Twitter chat, this guest post is from Atlanta-based #SoloPR community member Tiffany Rogers. As a solo public relations professional, people always ask me, “What is PR, and what exactly do you do?” Depending...
Top 10 Ways To Find Clients
As most successful solos will tell you, networking is the key to your long-term viability as an independent consultant. We've talked about some foolproof excuses to reach out to your network, but where do you go to make new contacts? You don’t have to attend every...
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...
Surefire Ways to Limit Your Speaking Engagements
An important technique for building your profile and credibility is to speak at events. Speaking at conferences that target your peers can lead to new business referrals, and events that target your prospective clients can yield a nice stack of interested executive...
Does It Make Sense to Blog If No One Is Reading It?
Many of the Solo PR Pros I meet express intimidation around the idea of blogging: “What will I say? I’m not known enough to get much traffic, so what’s the point?” I recently attended an excellent presentation by Mark W Schaefer on “Why you should blog, even if no one...
Personal Profiles, Assessing Client Interest, & More
During the August 3 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros shared insight on personal social media profiles, assessing client interest, buying Twitter followers, & more. The following questions helped guide the conversation: 1. Can you have a personal profile,...
Business Strategy, Insurance, and Tact
During the July 13 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed business strategy, insurance, and branching out. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. Do you use tact, bluntness, or both for business? #solopr 2. Do you have errors and...
Extra Costs, Website Leads, Summer Vacation & More
During the May 18 #solopr Twitter chat, solo PR pros shared insight on adding mileage expenses into client contracts, building your own website, getting leads from your website, and taking a summer vacation. The following questions helped guide the conversation: 1....
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...
Unbilled Work, Tracking Client Progress, & New Business
During the May 4 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros shared insight on responding to clients who ask for unbilled work, tracking client/campaign progress, and speeding up the new business process. The following questions helped guide the conversation: 1. What do...
Social Media Non-Believers, Stubborn Clients, & More
During the April 20 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros shared valuable insight on social media non-believers, stubborn clients, offering discounts, Twitter best practices, and the stressful world of PR. The following questions helped guide the conversation: 1....
Pondering Pay for Performance
This is a guest post from Alison Kenney of KPR Communications. Recently I met and won over a new client (thank you) but was surprised when presented with a contract that offered bonus payments for achieving media coverage (in addition to a decent monthly retainer). I...
Ethics & New Business
During the March 2 #solopr Twitter chat, solo PR pros discussed ethical boundaries and new business. Specifically the following questions were addressed: 1. What are some situations where a client rep could cross your ethical boundaries? How would you handle? 2. What...
Project Management, Social Media Opportunities, and More
During the January 19 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed issues relating to project management, awards programs, and the opportunities in social media for finding work, speaking gigs, and more. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1....
A Chat Re-Cap Twofer
Thanks to the ongoing woes of favorite chat transcript site WTHashtag, there was a delay in compiling the recaps for our two most recent #solopr Twitter chats. I'm happy to say the wait is over -- transcripts and overviews for the December 1 and December 8 chats...
Proposals, Pricing and More
As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, pros in PR consulting offered advice on two key issues in running your business, addressing the following questions: 1. As discussed in today's Solo PR post, have you used value/fee-based (rather than hourly) pricing?...
New Business, Networking and more
What are the networking secrets of the top Solo PR Pros? As part of the #solopr Twitter chat held the week of August 23, pros in PR consulting shared their experiences and advice on this and other topics. We addressed the following questions: 1. How do you follow up...
Discussing Video and Social Media
During the August 11 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR consultants offered their insights on topics submitted by the community. We addressed the following questions: 1. Are you using video with your press releases? How? 2. As a follow-up: How much old-school...
Solo Self-Promotion, and More
This week’s #solopr chat on Twitter was a lively discussion (as always!). Questions included the following: 1. Do you have recommendations for the best ways to track radio and TV PSAs? 2. How important is it for PR pros to promote their own (personal) image, i.e....
First Steps, Marketing, and more
The #solopr Twitter chat this week was once again a varied discussion, with expert advice in response to the following questions: 1. What do you do for tech support? 2. What do you do when a potential client calls, then calls two more times & sends two emails...
New PR Tactics, and More
As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, top pros in PR consulting shared their thoughts on a wide-range of topics, including the following: 1) When trying to estimate hours for a blogger outreach program, how do you handle? 2) Has anyone used CNN's iReport.com or...
Chatting at the Mid-Year Point
As part of the #solopr Twitter chat this week - at the halfway mark in 2010 - we covered a variety of questions/topics submitted by the Solo PR Pro community: 1) Looking for ideas/advice when announcing new client relationships. Get permission? Make a big splash?...
Holiday Pitching, Renegade Spokespeople, and More
This week’s #solopr Twitter chat was once again a fast-moving hour full of useful tips from some of the top pros in PR consulting nationwide. We covered some timely topics this week, covering the following questions: 1. Is there a "dead zone" around the US 4th of...
New Business, PR Timing, and More
As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, pros in PR consulting offered insights on a wide-range of topics, addressing the following questions: 1. When in between projects and working to gain new business, what are the best practices? 2. I graduated in December and...
Managing Your Solo PR Business
As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, pros in PR consulting offered insights on a wide-range of topics, including the following: 1. A community member wanted to discuss @ginidietrich's post: It's Time to Rid PR Firms of the Billable Hour. What do you think of...
Thinking Big Picture
During the #solopr Twitter chat this week, we addressed questions from the community that centered around looking at the big picture for your business. The topics included: 1) How do you know when it's time to start hiring staff and turn your solo practice into an...
10 Foolproof Excuses to Network and Reconnect
We’ve all been there: one day we look up, and we haven’t done our professional networking in a while. But if you haven’t spoken to a contact since the last millennium, what excuse can you use to reconnect? Of course, if you have a great relationship with one of your...
What Are You?
During this week’s #solopr chat on Twitter, we had a lively conversation that included the pros and cons of the various labels we use for ourselves. Is it better to position oneself as a consultant, freelancer, independent contractor, or some other title? This...
Parting Ways with a Client, and More
As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, PR consultants offered insights on a variety of important issues, including the following: 1) Do you provide a client with a variable rate sheet, or just say "this is what I charge?" 2) How are other #solopr pros creatively...
To Free, or Not to Free
During a recent #solopr chat on Twitter, I made the following statement: Remember: it's worse to work for free than to not work at all. While many pros agreed with me, some had serious questions about this advice (below). But aside from new business opportunities...
Lessons Learned
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...
When to Tap Your Network
One of the most important issues a PR consultant faces is how and when to bring in help as subcontractors. During this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, reasons to have a robust network of support came up in response to the following questions: 1) How do you handle...
On Firing a Client
This is a guest post from Heather Whaling of Geben Communication. I fired a client last week. If this is some sort of "rite of passage" that every SoloPR person experiences at some point in her career, I guess I'm officially a member of the club. While I'm a new...
PR Consulting Clients Want Specialists
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...
Do You Have Ugly Stuff?
Design plays an important role in establishing credibility — especially important for independents.
Tips on Finding PR Consulting Clients
How did successful PR consultants find their first clients? That was just one of the many interesting questions covered in this week’s #solopr Twitter chat. Interestingly, many of the top pros participating did not have clients before taking the leap toward...
Don’t Be PR Roadkill
How can a public relations professional become PR roadkill? By continuing to ignore social media. 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...
How to Charge for Social Media Services
During this week's #solopr Twitter chat, top independent consultants shared invaluable information on what they're doing with social media, and how to bill for these services. The following questions were addressed: Are your clients getting more serious about social...
How to Build a Name for Yourself
A lot of consultants (PR, social media, and others) come on strong to build a name for themselves, and then flame out. In some cases it may be because they can’t walk the talk, for others perhaps the intensity of their self-promotion can’t be sustained long-term. Those with staying power are less concerned about raising their profile, and more focused on building a reputation.
Let Your Conscience (or Business Coach) Be Your Guide
This is a guest post by Charity Lacey, the creative and strategic principal of Virtue Integrated Marketing Communications – a San Diego-based full service marketing communications agency specializing in mom-/family-centered products and services. In January 2008, I...
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.
Joining forces with other solos, and more
During the #solopr chat on Twitter this week, all of our questions submitted by the Solo PR Pro community. Here's what's on the mind of your colleagues: What are your topics of interest for professional development? PRSA-IPA needs ideas for teleseminars, speakers for...
Tips on Twitter Lists, Podcasts and More
The #solopr chat on Twitter this week was another excellent example of how the Solo PR Pro community continues to be an excellent source of inspiration, ideas and resources for each other. One of the most lively discussions took place around Twitter’s fairly new List...
How do you distribute news?
This week’s #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern on Twitter – got into the nitty gritty of one of the top issues facing PR professionals today: news distribution. Be sure to check out the transcript here in PDF, or online, for astute insights from...
Wisdom of #solopr Chatters
The November 11 edition of the #solopr Twitter chat took on a life of its own (as all good chats do). We tackled tough topics, including the extent to which agency experience is helpful to Solo PR Pros, and whether PRSA membership is useful to an independent...
Key to a Long Career: Ongoing Education
As I arrive in San Diego for the 2009 PRSA International Conference (which gets underway today), I look forward to some exciting educational sessions and invigorating networking with old and new friends. I'm realizing that as independent consultants, we must find our...
Transcript for the #solopr Chat – 10/21/09
Starting this week, we'll be posting the transcript from the weekly #solopr Twitter chat (Wednesdays, 1-2 p.m. Eastern) here on the blog. Why? Because each week the chats are chock-full of free advice, tips and interesting discussions on the future of PR, social...
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.
Why Entrepreneurs Should Hire Solo PR Pros
In the world of entrepreneurial ventures and startups, there are frequent discussions of whether Public Relations is necessary (in fact, a Google search for the phrase “pr is dead” [in quotes, lowercase] returns 119,000 entries!). The question resurfaced this week as...
Tapping the Collective Wisdom
The many ways the Solo PR Pro community can interact goes far beyond this blog. We're starting to have weekly #solopr chats on Twitter, and please join the brand new Solo PR Pro group on LinkedIn for yet another way we can ask questions and share ideas with each...
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...
Why You Need an Online Home Base – and How to Get One
I'm afraid the time has come - some PR pros need a dose of tough love. I know you’re out there: PR and MarCom consultants with no presence online whatsoever. Many of you may have a Web presence, but perhaps it's anemic and a cohesive strategy is lacking. Now let me...
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...
A Humorous Look at Client Maneuvering
When you're an independent consultant, eventually you'll experience one or more of the "negotiating tactics" hilariously illustrated in this video (hat tip to Brad Fitzpatrick, where I first saw it). In this economy, unfortunately such tactics become even more common....
Success Stories: Narciso Tovar
Having recently established himself as full-time Solo PR Pro, Narciso Tovar of Big Noise Communications has more than 13 years of public relations expertise with a remarkable track record. He considers himself both a teacher and student in external communications and...
Success Stories: Jen Wilbur
Solo PR Pro successes come from all walks of life, and everyone's story is unique. Since each PR and MarCom consultant makes his or her own rules, there's much we can learn from the experiences of others. To that end, I'm thrilled to unveil our first interview in what...
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...
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...
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...