After a fulfilling six-year career in public relations, I quit my job to become a solo PR pro and take my own communications consulting, blog and speaking full-time.
With two years of experience in health care PR—and four years in the tourism and hospitality industry—I’ve spent my fair share of hours crafting media materials, pitching journalists and coordinating media opportunities.
I thought I had a pretty good idea of what it meant to be a PR professional. I felt confident transferring my skills and experience from within a company to my own PR solo business.
I quickly realized that being a solo PR pro is very different from practicing it within an organization. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from the transition:
There’s no big name to back you up.
From representing a major hospital to a beloved destination, I became accustomed to members of the media at least recognizing the name of my brand, if not having personal experience with it.
Having those company names on my business card, in my correspondence and as part of my email address helped a journalist place me in context at a glance.
Sending emails as myself from my new business email address with no brand recognition is a challenge, but it has encouraged me to become more creative and direct with my email subject lines and opening pitch.
It has also motivated me even more to maintain a positive reputation, especially because my name is behind every message I send.
Finding media coverage and contacts is challenging.
At both of my corporate jobs, I had access to fancy media databases, which made it easy to research relevant contacts.
As a solo PR pro, a media database is definitely not in the budget, so I had to become a little savvier about finding relevant people to pitch. I’ve dusted off my sleuthing skills, spending more time reading and researching the publications I plan to pitch and then taking to Twitter to confirm and re-confirm contacts.
It takes more time and energy, but not having easy access to a media database has helped me become a stronger communicator, because I’m more strategic about whom I pitch, rather than relying on a database.
Pitch planning and timing are essential.
In the past, I represented one brand at a time, so I was easily able to plan my pitches to ensure I wasn’t reaching out to the same reporter several times within a given week or month.
As a solo PR pro representing multiple brands, I must carefully schedule when I’m pitching to ensure I am spreading them out strategically.
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One tactic I employ—when it makes sense—is bundling pitches, grouping them by subject or geographic region. That makes it easy to share both messages to the same relevant reporter without bombarding her or him with multiple emails or messages. Two birds, one stone.
Pay-to-play becomes apparent.
My last job was at a nonprofit that represented a major region, so certain publications covered us or republished our content roundups without hesitation. We were very lucky.
Now, as a solo PR pro representing several small for-profit companies, those same publications ignore my emails or respond: “This would make a great piece of sponsored content. Is client X interested in exploring that option?”
Rarely is what’s offered something a client is interested in. Though I don’t yet have a solution, it is a reality I’ve learned to face.
I have less control.
As the in-house PR pro at both of my previous jobs, I had close relationships with my company’s leaders and spokespeople.
When I coordinated an interview, I could walk down the hall to my CEO’s office to remind him that a reporter was about to give him a call. I accompanied my vice president of marketing to several TV appearances. I had control.
As an outside PR consultant, I don’t see my clients daily nor escort them to every interview. Depending on the client arrangement, I confirm their interviews, provide talking points and trust they’ll do what they say they’re going to do.
I recently ran into a situation when a client didn’t show up for a radio interview, therefore, we missed an opportunity for coverage. That was a lesson in control and public relations.
Though there are many differences, there are also similarities between being a solo PR pro and being in-house.
PR pros still have to craft compelling messages, find unique stories and angles to pitch, and develop strong media relationships. Regardless of where you work, the major tenets of public relations still hold true.
Jessica Lawlor is a communications professional, writer, personal branding expert and speaker in the Philadelphia area. She blogs at JessicaLawlor.com. A version of this article first appeared on Spin Sucks
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