How to set PR goals

How to set PR goals

About 5 years ago me and my (then) best friend spent a week or so in France

Mainly in Paris

One day we decided to take a day trip to Calais that almost ended in disaster

We had spent a lovely day at an art exhibition and exploring the city a bit before we finally made our way back to the station

As soon as we arrived we looked at the board and could see our train; then, about 5 minutes later, we noticed that it started flashing

Not knowing what this meant and also concerned that none of the others were flashing...

We finally decided to ask one of the station employees what this meant

The issue was that, unlike in Paris, most of the people in Calais didn't speak English

The train guard spoke very little English; so called over 2 of his colleagues

Between our broken French, their broken English and a lot of pointing to our tickets and the board, we were finally able to get them to understand that we wanted to go back to Paris but the train that we wanted was flashing and we needed to know why?

"Aaah," the original guy answered, "c'est supprimer!"

Me and my friend looked at each then back at him in confusion

"Supprimer?" We asked in unison

"oui, c'est supprimer" he repeated again

Sensing that we didn't understand, he turned to his 2 companions to see if they knew the English equivalent to "supprimer". One of them thought for a second and then said "cancelled". "Cancelled?!" We echoed aghast. "Oui, cancelled". He asserted again

I about passed out with visions of us being stranded in Calais. We were counting on that train to connect us to another. If we missed that one, how would we get back to Paris? We didn't have enough money for a hotel in Calais...

My spiral of panic was then interrupted by the guards pointing to the board and then to the map to show us another route that we could take back to Paris

We remained nervous about getting kicked off the train for being on the wrong route throughout the journey but, lo and behold, their instructions came in very handy and we didn't have to sleep in the street in a strange city where we didn't know the language.

Knowing where you want to go but not knowing how to get there has to be one of the most frustrating things ever! This is something that I remember feeling at the beginning of my content marketing journey as well

You see...

Why goals are important for PR Success

Why goals are important for PR Success

On Christmas eve I got hit by a car

Luckily I was okay and the only sign that anything even happened is this scar on my elbow

But the fact that he made enough impact to make me roll onto the hood and then onto the floor makes me truly thankful that it wasn't any worse

Because, as one of the witnesses said afterwards, I "could have ended the night on a stretcher" and- if not for God's favour and protection- who's to say whether that would have been because of a broken bone or fatality?

See, what had happened prior to that was....

2 steps to shattering self-imposed glass ceilings

2 steps to shattering self-imposed glass ceilings

We've been doing a lot of talking about purpose recently

Including why purpose is important to your PR strategy and how to do purpose-driven PR.

The reason for this is because when I reflect on the nativity story, particularly from Mary's point of view, that's the overarching theme that jumps out to me about this season

Here's why:

In giving her the gift of Jesus, God took an average little girl and gave her the opportunity to present herself in a new light by lifting the lid of her potential; endowing her with His power and giving her purpose.

But, most of all, God gave her something special to share with the rest of the world- an expression of His love.

To me, this shows us as modern women that we are also pregnant with purpose- meaning that we have something to give and contribute to the world too

However, as a person who sits at the intersection of many identities, I know how hard this can be to believe at times (if not all the time)

You are literally presented with messages built from systems that contradict and try to convince you otherwise every single day but...

Guess what?

Your ability to speak up, step out and shine as the woman that God created you to be is tied to coming out of agreement with society and accepting your divine status as "blessed among women" (Luke 1:28)

Yes you!

Simply put, you can't be a thought leader if you don't actually believe that you have ideas worth sharing...

You can't make impact if you don't believe that you have the power to...

You won't use your voice if you don't believe that it's significant...

You can't be visible if you don't feel that who and what you represent matters...

Because it's impossible to shatter glass ceilings that you continue to uphold

Ready to break them down?

Here's what you must do instead

How to scale with PR

How to scale with PR

What's a movie that you've seen over and over again but never get bored of?

Honestly, I've got quite a few including anything Disney, anything Marvel, most musicals and Forest Gump (among others).

Forest Gump is one of those movies that has so many quotes and titbits that have now made it into mainstream culture; so it's clearly not just me who loves it

Be it real life Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurants, my favourite meme for saying hello or quotes such as "Run, Forest, run!" and "Life is like a box of chocolates," there's no denying it's impact

The issue with the idea of life being like a box of chocolates, though, is that the analogy is no longer true.

Once upon a time, you'd never know what kind of chocolate you were going to get until you took a bite out of it. These days, boxes of chocolate come with menus so you can literally pick and choose exactly what you want- which is nothing like life at all!

So, allow me to suggest another analogy that came to me a few years ago: "Life is like long multiplication". Not as sexy, I know, but hear me out…

How to do purpose-driven PR

How to do purpose-driven PR

2 weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Tiwa King’s first in person event since the "panoramic". Even more special, though, is that this was actually the first time that we had met in person full stop.

This, despite the fact that we live in the same city and had spoken virtually and on the phone (for hours at a time) prior to this day.

Tiwa’s event (The Authenticity Checklist) was a full circle moment in a lot of ways because of:

#1 The nature of the event itself

I first encountered Tiwa at TEDx Peckham 2018. I use the word “encounter” because we didn’t meet. She sang “Glory” as I sat there transfixed by the power of her performance.

At the time, I had a vodcast in which I would interview inspiring Christian women in business. I made up my mind, right there and then that I would reach out to her. Then...

She ghosted me...

Or so I thought...

Why purpose is important to your PR strategy

Why purpose is important to your PR strategy

According to my mum, my 2 favourite words as a child were "no" and "why?".

This made me the kind of child that you couldn't just ask to do something/not do something. I had to be negotiated with. I had to be placated. I had to understand the reasoning behind what you were telling me to do or not do.

As you can imagine, this got me into trouble with the more traditional adults in my life who saw my inquisitive nature as rudeness and disobedience.

But, did it change anything? Not really! Chalk it up to my ENTJ personality type but even as an adult I don't do anything that I don't see the logic or sense behind, let alone commit to it.

"So what makes you so committed to helping women in business to pitch the media so that they can get more visible, attract their dream clients and get paid what they want?" You may be wondering.

Once again, the answer lies in "why".

Why you shouldn't wait till January 1st to strategise

Why you shouldn't wait till January 1st to strategise

Towards the end of last month I had the pleasure of spending the weekend away at a spa. Not only did I take advantage of the amenities with a pedicure, massage, facial and great meals- I slept, I rested, I prayed and I journaled.

When it came to thinking about my business, I asked myself 3 simple questions and journaled my responses. These were: