Figuring out your rates is often the hardest part of being a business owner, especially when people are so often reluctant to talk transparently about numbers. When you’re a new solo PR pro, you might find yourself wondering: How the heck am I supposed to know what to...
Setting Fees
What You’re Getting Wrong About Pricing
I had the chance to talk pricing with Chip Griffin and Brad Farris on the Small Agency Talk Show. Pricing is always a hot topic for freelance PR professionals and Solo PR Pros. We worry about setting the right price, properly accounting for the scope of work and...
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...
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,...
The Most Important Word for You to Know
The most important word to any freelancer or consultant is... “scope,” preferably not followed by the word “creep.” Scope creep is the bane of any independent consultant’s existence. It happens when your client adds things to your to-do list that you didn’t foresee....
Are You Pretending To Be Busy?
We all do it on occasion. Sometimes we fool even ourselves, we're so good at pretending to be busy -- and independent consultants are especially vulnerable. It can be a form of procrastination (as in the illustration above). Or perhaps we just can't find the muse that...
How and When to Raise Your Rates
This post is from the latest ebook in our Show Me the Money! series. This six-part series is a step-by-step, hands-on course to help you maximize profits and take your business to the next level. The series provides resources and examples to help you achieve a more...
How Not to Go Broke by Pricing for Profit
At this time of year, many independent communication professionals are reviewing their rates and making decisions about their pricing strategy for the new year. In this guest post, Solo PR Pro premium member and Summit speaker, Daria Steigman of Steigman...
How to Charge for PR Consulting Services
What fee rates should public relations consultants charge? If there’s one key question for freelance PR consultants, both newbies and veterans alike, it’s this one. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and over the years we've addressed many aspects of...
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,...
Why are consultants’ fees so high?
Independent consultants typically don’t have the overhead of a larger firm, and while they are usually an excellent value by comparison, why do their rates still sound so high? Not only is this a question some clients may ponder, but those new to consulting often...
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...
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.
Pricing, Current Events, & More
During the August 24 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed sharing pricing information, using current events in media pitches, and social media referral sources. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. We've seen posts lately from...
Cost, Price, and Value – There is a Difference
This is a guest post from Garrett Kuk, of Speakeasy Media. Solo PR Pro strives to bring you new ideas and information on alternative practices for your reference. This post should not be considered a specific recommendation of this approach (each consultant and...
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...
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...
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?...
Setting Rates: A Field Guide
This is a guest post from Greg Brooks, principal of West Third Group. What should you charge? More to the point: Why aren’t you charging more? It’s a surprising blind spot – not just because otherwise smart practitioners get it wrong, but also in the sheer breadth of...
Insights on Fees, Employees, and more
This week's #solopr Twitter chat addressed some of the top issues facing independent PR consultants, ranging from when to raise rates, to when to hire employees. We covered the following questions: 1. How do you know when your fees are too low? 2. When it comes to...
Fish or Cut Bait
This week’s #solopr Twitter chat was once again a fun and informative hour. In honor of the former (and the fact that it's April Fool's Day), I couldn't resist including an image that relates to an inside joke among chatters - the transcript reveals why this week's...
Wire Services, Unpaid Bills, and More
As part of this week’s #solopr Twitter chat, top PR consultants discussed a wide-range of topics, addressing the following questions: 1) What wire services have you used, and which do you prefer? Is wire distribution important these days? 2) How do solos collect on...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
We’re a Band of Brothers (and Sisters)
Those who aren’t independent consultants might think there is rivalry and discord among our ranks. After all, aren’t we competing against each other? Wouldn’t a little back-stabbing be expected? In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is...