Why the skills and experience that you already have are enough for PR success

Why the skills and experience that you already have are enough for PR success

"If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it, and if you want to master something, then teach it."  (Yogi Bhajan)

This quote from my current favourite book, The Diary of a CEO (by Steven Bartlett), essentially means that “the ability to simplify and successfully share an idea with others is both the path to understanding it and the proof that you do”. When we apply this way of thinking, it's then safe to say that I'm an expert in my field and so is every business owner who shares helpful information with their clients one-to-one, through content marketing on blogs, social media, or any other medium. 

You’re probably reading this and wondering why I’m sharing this. Well, I often find that when I talk to entrepreneurs about pitching the media, I get responses like, "Nina, I can’t because I don’t feel like I’ve arrived” or “I don’t know enough yet” or “I’m no expert, why would people want to listen to me?”.  

I disagree with this, and so does Bhajan.

How a solid PR strategy is your key to greater time freedom

How a solid PR strategy is your key to greater time freedom

Last year, I went on a retreat to Panama. It was a really great trip. Apart from the fact that I made really great friendships and learned a lot of things from the influencers and people who spoke, one of the greatest things to come out of that trip was a conversation I had with two of the other attendees (Natasha and Christina) on the last day. We were sat down at breakfast and Natasha asked us whether we had any good book recommendations.

I recommended one of my favourites, We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers, while Christina recommended The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. What's very interesting about The 4-Hour Workweek is that ever since I've been an entrepreneur, I feel like, I've been hearing about that book- but I always kind of dismissed it as being too gimmicky. But as she broke it down and talked about some of the concepts in the book, I thought "Oh! Actually, this sounds really, really interesting!" and so, pretty much as soon as I arrived back in England, it was one of the first books that I read.

One of my favourite lessons from The 4-Hour Workweek is The 80/20 Rule or the Pareto Principle, which explains how 80% of all effects or outcomes come from 20% of causes.

With this in mind, according to Ferriss, we should 80/20 our lives. For example, you can find the 20% in your business that makes you the most money or the 20% in your life that brings you the most happiness, and focus on that because that 20% will bring about the results that you want more effectively and efficiently than continuing to do #allthethings.

Let’s bring this back to content marketing

How many of us create TikToks, IG story content, feed content, weekly blog posts and more to draw an audience that will hopefully turn into customers? We've all heard that content is king but nobody talks about how much time and work it is or how demotivating it feels to get zero to no engagement when you've given it your all. How can we reach an audience, create know, like, and trust with them, and turn it into sales without having our reach limited by a pesky algorithm? Well, by creating a solid PR strategy because that's your 20%.

Why using your voice is the key to unlocking your next level

Why using your voice is the key to unlocking your next level

How many times have you shrunk or downplayed your personality? And how many times did you think doing this would help you advance in the business world? One of my earliest memories of being told I was being “too much” was the feedback I’d get on my school report cards. They often read, “Nina is great, but she talks too much.” Well, all I can say is look at me now (lol). I literally get paid to speak and coach other women to use their voices to pitch the media and tell their stories. 

But I’m not the only woman who’s turned her “too much” into her superpower. I recently asked my IG community what they got in trouble for when they were younger and how they’ve turned that into their superpower as adults and businesswomen. Here are some of their responses:

What to do if you’re frustrated with your PR journey

What to do if you’re frustrated with your PR journey

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "It's not the destination, it’s the journey” that counts. Now, I’m sure we’ve all heard these wise words before, but how many of us really and truly apply them to our lives and businesses?

Often, we get caught up in wanting to see the results of our efforts without taking time to enjoy the journey and the getting there. I was reminded of the danger of this way of thinking when I listened to one of my favourite podcasts, The R&B Money Podcast, with Tank and J. Valentine, recently. In the episode I tuned into, they were interviewing someone by the name of Adrian Marcel, and he said something quite powerful and similar to Emerson's quote which was, “A lot of people get frustrated and they quit on their dreams [in this case becoming R&B artists] because they make the date the destination”. I.e., they start saying stuff like, “Man, I’ve been doing this for [years] and I’m not making the kind of headway that I would want to; so I give up.”

Even though we’re not all trying to be R&B stars, we can all relate to having a plan for our careers and lives that hasn't panned out by the time that we thought it would. This expectation of success and the frustration of failure is something I see a lot in PR especially when people end up hearing nothing back or they get a “no” after sending a few pitches. This makes them quit on themselves because when they’ve put in the time and effort with no result, they start thinking that no one wants to hear their story.

If this has been your experience; if this has been your frustration, I want to encourage you…

How to show up authentically

How to show up authentically

According to Ibinye Olayide (Marriage and Family Therapist):

“It’s important to show up authentically so that genuine intimacy [can be shared]. Intimacy helps people feel safe, share their struggles and their joys and develop a deep level of closeness. When we do not show up authentically…the level of closeness [within a relationship] will be limited”.

These principles are also true as it relates to cultivating a community around your brand or business because, as the old adage says, people will only do business with people that they know, like and trust.

But how do we go about achieving this?

How to get PR ready

How to get PR ready

I love it when me and my girlfriends hype each other up, and they did just that when I recently posted this story with my locs down. But beyond cheering each other on, there’s also information sharing within a sisterhood. We tell each other about that discount on those shoes, that new restaurant, that show on Netflix, and even tips and tricks on how to take care of our locs. But if we can do this with our close circle, why don’t we do the same for our customers?

5 things to stop doing today for PR success

5 things to stop doing today for PR success

What if I told you that the only thing(s) standing between you and your PR success were 5 common mistakes? When I look back at my journey with PR, it’s a mix of great and not-so-great decisions. But that’s how we learn, right? So, lean in and keep reading to learn about what you should stop doing in order to get the PR success you want. 

How to sell yourself for PR success

How to sell yourself for PR success

"Self-promotion is an essential tool for career advancement [and] networking" (The Harvard Gazette).

In other words, visibility begets visibility because people (rightly or wrongly) believe that those who've been featured in/on respected media platforms are more credible; have greater expertise and authority. Here's the catch, though:

Women are less likely to reap these benefits because, according to research, women feel less at ease with promoting themselves than men- which in turn means that they're less likely to do it. What this really translates to is less access to:

  • PR opportunities

  • Clients who will trust and want to work with you

  • Brands and influencers wanting to collaborate with you

Moral of the story?