I have many nick-names spanning from the expected (Neen, Neenz, Nini), sentimental (baby, baby girl, sweet girl) to slightly random without a back story. One of the more random nick-names came from my girl, Kishma (pictured with me below), who went through a stage of calling me "Pretty Pants".
Here's the back story to where that came from:
If you've been following me on social media for a while, or know me in real life, then you'll know that this British-born Nigerian girl loves patterned clothes. In case you haven't or don't, the pic above should prove my point. (Aside from African prints, I'm also partial to florals, animal prints and bright colours).
About 6 years ago, before my hair was locked, I was walking around Wood Green (a cosmopolitan shopping part of London) wearing trousers that had a black background and were embellished with bright, colourful flowers.
Long story short...
As I shuffled through the crowd and walked pass a bus stop a guy (who I had noticed watching me and hoped would leave me alone) cat called me with the phrase "Hey, Pretty Pants!" (referring to my trousers in his Jamaican accent and vernacular). I, of course, kept walking but I couldn't help but be amused by his "original" pick up line. So amused, that I laughed out loud as I walked away from him and told Kish about it the next time we met up, hence the nick-name "Pretty Pants".
Remember me saying that this happened before I locked my hair? Here's why that's an important detail...
Me and Kish actually went on to lock our hair shortly after that *clears throat* incident. Whenever people who are thinking about dreadlocks ask us questions about whether they should do it too, we often talk about the expected benefits of locking- like the low maintenance; improved health and strength of our hair- and laugh about the unexpected things- like the fact that men speak to you differently and, rather than calling you "pretty pants," "my size" and so on, use more respectful terms such as "Empress". Who knew, right?!
It's like that with PR too, sis. For example, you might be expecting PR to cause an increase to your visibility, credibility, email list and money- and rightly so! But some things that you may not be factoring in as a perk of PR (because I certainly didn't!) is:
#1 How PR increases your network
A little known secret is that editors, radio/podcast hosts and influencers tend to use the same people. This means that if you do a good enough job on the first piece of content that you do for them, they will likely come back to you if they need an expert on your topic in future. This is because people only do business with people that they know, like and trust. It's something that I've seen happen on a personal level and also for my clients. Even better? Some of my business besties have literally come about from past PR opportunities such as sharing the stage together, guest posting for their platform or being a guest on their podcast.
#2 How PR increases your net worth
I alluded to this earlier, but people being exposed to you, joining your email list and buying from you as a result of being nurtured and marketed to is just one way that PR can make you money. There are other ways, aside from PR funnels, for example- contributing to platforms that pay for content. Also, going back to point #1, a lot of the people that I've built relationships with have either become clients themselves, referred me to people or both.
#3 How PR creates travel opportunities
Another thing that the friends I've made through PR have done in the past is invite me on their retreats and even had me speak and share with their attendees, like when I got to visit beautiful Costa Rica just before the pandemic.
#4 How PR creates opportunities in general
One of the things that also really blew my mind when it came to PR, as I never saw it coming, is how the exposure got me nominated for awards- some of which I actually won. It was also this credibility that got me picked for a collaborative book project that went on to become bestseller a few years ago.
#5 How PR contributes to your legacy
The other thing about PR is that it's a way to make impact, give voice to those who are not as visible and show those with similar backgrounds, struggles and challenges as you that if you can achieve, so can they. Whilst I can’t promise you the same results in your PR journey, messages like the one below- and countless others- have helped me to see that PR is more than a marketing or money-making tool. It is something that will outlast you. In short, it’s legacy.
Want more PR tips?
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