productivity

5 Quick Tips to Curb Screen Time as a Solo PR Pro

Byline: Janet Falk Like many public relations professionals, you have an active social media presence, walking the walk you advocate for your clients and promoting your practice.  In fact, you may be managing your clients’ social media accounts. But what happens...

How Rituals Can Help Solo PR Pros

I sit in my favorite chair, watching the steam from my coffee twirl into the morning's stillness. I am in my comfy sweats, cocooned in a black sweater. I watch the soft shadows play against the windowsill as the sun slowly rises. The chair, coffee, and time of day are...

Want to Be a Better PR Pro? Try Monotasking.

In episode 21 of the That Solo Life podcast, “Slow Down! Be a Better PR Pro by Monotasking,” we talked about how in order to be a true rock star in your work, you’d better be a sensational multitasker. Except, it isn’t true. Multitasking isn’t better, and science...

Time Management for the Solo PR Pro: Who Has Time for That?

We all have the same number of hours in the day as Beyoncé, so they say. Except where Beyoncé has a huge team behind her, as solo consultants, we are the ones wearing many of the hats in our businesses. So, what’s a solo to do? Maximizing our time is directly...

9 Scientific Ways to Be More Productive

The month of September is the beginning of the end of the year and for many independent pros, it is the busiest time of the year. As we balance peak conference season, hitting year-end goals, planning for the next year and the holidays,  this last stretch of the year...

PR Interns or Assistants – Which is Right for You?

As small business people, we need to take an honest look at the time we’re willing to invest. Do I have the time to help someone learn more about public relations or would I rather pay someone to go away and get the job done?

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...

Ultimate Guide to Productivity Tools

Welcome to Solo PR Pro’s Tool School series! Designed to fight overwhelm, all this month we’re offering specific recommendations for services that are cost-effective for indies, and aren’t enterprise-focused or overkill for our needs. First up, we look at Productivity...

Is It Time to Rethink Multitasking?

If you ask ten independent pros about multitasking, it’s likely that eight will provide an answer while watching a monitoring dashboard, responding to an email, scrolling through a news feed and drinking a cup of coffee or glass of wine! Multitasking has become the...

A Year in Review – The Top 5 Solo PR Pro Posts of 2013

This year we gave you tips, tools and templates to help you start, manage and grow your solo business. You read, clicked, commented and downloaded in response. Before the ball drops on 2013, we look back at the most popular posts of the year. Whether you are reading...

Connecting with Hard to Reach Media Contacts & More

During the May 9 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed connecting with hard to reach media contacts, pitching radio shows and podcasts, and minimizing distractions when working from home. In addition to the downloadable transcript in PDF, the following...

Firing Clients, Basic SEO Tips, & More

During the May 2 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed firing clients, basic SEO tips, managing a busy schedule, & more. In addition to the downloadable transcript in PDF, the following highlights some of the most popular tweets from the chat: [View...

Secret Method to Tracking Time

There are many electronic systems available to help independent consultants track their time. But here's a secret: some of us still find that we like our old-school paper-based methods best. Many in the Solo PR Pro community have asked what I use -- in this video, I...

It Pays to Wait

You may have heard that Google+, a new social media service from Google, was unveiled last week (not to be confused with the +1 button, which Google also released recently). In the wake of an avalanche of press coverage, you may want to do what I always do: take a...

Radio, ProfNet, Measurement, & More

During the May 25 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed radio placements, ProfNet Connect, PR as a dirty word, and biggest measurement challenges.  Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. This article (by a radio person) on "Why Radio...

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...

Time-Keeping, Media Connections, & Small Biz Publicity

During the April 27 #solopr Twitter chat, independent PR pros discussed time-keeping systems, connecting with the media, and generating publicity for small businesses. Specifically, the following questions were addressed: 1. What do you use for time keeping...

6 Ways to Make the Most of a Conference Experience

The reasons to attend an event like South by Southwest (SXSW) are varied, and sometimes seem a bit obtuse to those not in attendance (“I have better things to do than go to a lot of parties,” many say). However, as we discuss on a regular basis in the Solo PR...

PR Apps, Relocating, Time Management, & More

During the February 23 #solopr Twitter chat, PR pros shared valuable insight on PR apps, relocating to a new city, covering production costs, and favorite time management tips. The following questions helped guide the conversation: 1. What is the best smartphone...

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...

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....

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?...

To Be Successful, Take a Break

The holiday period is a good time to remember a critical strategy for your long-term success: the importance of taking some time off – away from your business – to regroup, renew and re-energize. All of the long-standing, profitable Solo PR Pros I know are committed...

44 Tools for the PR Consultant’s Toolbox

Technology has made it easier than ever for small fries like us to provide big-league service. I’m often amazed how many Web-based applications are available now – it can actually be mind boggling and overwhelming at times. Here, in an attempt to help you wade through...