PR is about them not you
Dear Lovely Business Owner,
I have spoken to a few people this past week about pitching them for various publications; such as a couple of weekly magazines for women, or one notorious daily newspaper. What has come up is actually a bit of resistance, which I totally understand.
Let me explain, if say your intention was to help a million women become millionaires, which was at the heart of your intention behind your business, are you prepared to push your values aside to serve them? Not everyone is.
Now, with my Spiritual PR process and practice, my clients tend to be sensitive business owners, and indeed often heart-centred entrepreneurs, who feel things much more deeply than your run of the mill business owner or entrepreneur.
Sometimes this sensitivity can serve them very well and sometimes it can cause them to get in their own way.
It’s a delicate balance, to be quite honest.
Going back to the example, if you personally would not read a particular publication, or watch a particular programme but your ideal client or soul client, would, then would you go forward and pitch or have someone like me pitch a story idea for you? I would advocate doing so.
Why Carrie? Well, being heard, and gaining visibility beyond social media, through the media, is about you serving your audience.
If you do not push aside your values and or sensitivity they will not know that you exist, will they?
I know that we can get in our own way, I know I can..
Even recently, when I reluctantly put myself forward for a headline news story about veganism, I was hedging until I remembered that actually showing my clients and my community that I can walk my talk and get PR for myself would be powerful, and it absolutely was.
I did have to get over myself though, to get to that point….as honestly, I would have rather just pitched for a client.
I am not suggesting that you always pitch to places where you feel that you are having to push your values aside;
unless that is absolutely only where your ideal or soul clients are, then I would be absolutely suggesting it.
Often you will discover that these places you find uncomfortable to pitch, the ‘less safer places,’
in the media will garner you opportunities that you might not otherwise get had you played it safe for a ‘easier sell,’ with a ‘more you publication.’
You will never know until you give it a go. So go for it. Put your ‘courage socks,’ on like my friend Shan Marshall says and go for it.
Let me know what happens.
You might well discover that it really works for you and your business and you quite enjoy it,
as after all you are here in the world and in business to serve people and change the world,
so a bit or even a lot of uncomfortableness is just part of the process 🙂
Need help? Get in touch, I have just a few places in my Spiritual PR Heavenly club left before I close the doors and a few in my Heavenly VIPS .http://www.theblondepreneur.com/spiritualpr
Love Carrie x
is it really likely that a sensitive business owner will find his or her soul clients reading a publication that is so out of alignment with his or her values? Maybe the ‘resistance’ is less to do with fear and lack of courage than it is to do with integrity and not wanting to sell themselves out?
It certainly is in my case. There are plenty of places I can look for my ideal clients, and there are some that I will not pitch to because they are so out of alignment with me I would lose all respect for myself. Does that mean I am lacking in courage? Or does it simply mean that I know what I stand for and am not prepared to compromise on my values? I know how I see it!
There is a big difference between making oneself uncomfortable to stretch, and doing things that just feel wrong at your core.
I understand your viewpoint Esther and thank you for stopping by, I still standby my post; which is not for everyone, like yourself, and that’s absolutely fine. I personally am seeing a lot of places where sensitive business owners are needed which require them to go to publications which are out of the norm for them, which they would not normally even read, as their message is more important than who they are. Each to their own really, but this post advocates my professional opinion, and that is all.
Interesting food for thought. If it’s a magazine or newspaper that I don’t personally read … but it’s one that my audience reads, then as long as it doesn’t put me in conflict with my integrity (which is one of my key drivers and core values), I’d be up for it.
Hi Sherry, thank you. I understand the integrity point, I do. I am not suggesting you spend all of your time there, or go for PR there all the time at all. I am really suggesting getting coverage somewhere you might not like, at all even, you might well find that you generate a great deal of coverage and authority, and it would serve you well, as your message is more important than anything is my suggestion.
Yes and I get your point about going to the edges of your comfort zone and beyond! I’m going to reflect on what might be an uncomfortable pitch, where might I feel less safe and yet could bring in opportunities.
Wonderful Sherry. I look forward to hearing about what happens, go for it lovely 🙂
The media scares me Carrie. I need to build up to it! And when I am ready it will be with you 🙂
Honey, I understand, I know it can scare me too 🙂 Yes, sometimes baby steps are required, absolutely 🙂 Aw, I would love to work with you, absolutely 🙂
Insightful post Carrie, I recently turned down the opportunity to work with an organisation that wanted me to help them with a multi-tasking day. As i’ve often said that multi-tasking is wrong and doesn’t really exist, to accept the contract would of been completely out of sync with one of my core messages.
Thanks Mike. It’s just my professional view. Maybe this organisation needed to see the ‘Mike Gardner approach,’ in action to fully understand your approach, which i why I personally would have advocated go to work for them. Multi-tasking does not exist? Maybe I am too multi-tasked out?