No Spin PR

How I Work

While I have a background in global public relations, I’m under no illusion that I can provide the same kind of service my former agency could. Nor am I interested in working 70-hour weeks, building a vast corporate empire, or hiring a dozen employees. Catchy as the slogan, ‘big agency experience at small agency rates’ may be, it’s one I’ve chosen not to use.

No Spin PR is a sole proprietorship and will remain exactly that, tapping into the skill sets and expertise of trusted and talented graphic and web designers, SEO optimizers, social media and traditional marketers, photographers and copywriters if and as required. I have strategic partners, not real partners.

As a solopreneur, I don’t have the resources to participate in the RFP process and/or to conduct long, non-billable ‘what is public relations and how can it help me?’ sessions with potential clients. Please do some research on what public relations is – and isn’t – before asking me to put together a proposal for you.

Consultants bill by the hour unless a flat fee arrangement has been made. I work for money, not for exchanges of goods and services. Stock in your company is not a viable form of payment, and is actually an ethical no-no for public relations practitioners.

I choose one pro bono client per year, and one only. In 2009 that client was Andrew Maynard (see the guest post we wrote about working together). In 2010 that client is astronomer and author Dr. Stuart Clark.

Before we begin our professional relationship, I will probably ask you to fill out a questionnaire or two and will send you additional information on the services I provide, as well as rough budget figures for various activities. Please read these documents and fill out the questionnaire(s). Public relations supports your marketing and corporate goals, and requires your active participation. It is also a process. In my experience, most overnight success stories take between one to two years’ hard slogging on the PR front. Part of my job is to persistently nudge both clients and media. If you’re not willing to grant me a license to nag, we probably shouldn’t work together.

Unless your organization is large enough to provide a purchase order for my services, I will probably ask you for a deposit before beginning work on your project. The amount of the deposit will vary based on the size of the project.