“Do you think my story is interesting enough to share?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get
Especially from would-be clients
My answer? While having the practical components in place is important
Like branding, knowing how to structure a pitch and the ability to communicate your story
Ultimately you need to have faith and a “who knows” spirit to succeed. Here's what I mean by that 👇🏾
When the ladies attended Media Magic, in Tulum (Mexico) last July, only 33% of them knew their why
I know this because of the results they got from my PR readiness assessment
This means that, at that point, they did not know what kind of impact they wanted to maķe in the world through PR
Which is an issue because not only does knowing your why keep you going when life be life-ing, in general, it helps you to remain steadfast ìn the face of having pitches ignored, rejected or ghosted
By the end of the retreat, though, I had them assess themselves again and the results revealed that 100% of them knew how to do this. What led to this success was…
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a HUGE Disney fan! The film that started it all? The Little Mermaid
Which I got for my 5th birthday
One of the things that I love about Disney movies is that they typically have deep, inspirational messages that can be applied to everyday life. The Little Mermaid is no exception
In case you’re unfamiliar with the story, here’s an example of that:
Ariel (The Little Mermaid) dreams of being human. When she falls in love with Prince Eric, she goes to Ursula (the sea witch)
She wants the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone:
Become human forever
See Eric again, get him to fall in love with her and seal it with a kiss
Ursula agrees to help Ariel, but there’s a catch: she wants Ariel’s voice as collateral
Also:
Ariel will only have 3 days to find Eric and experience true love’s kiss
Without that kiss, not only will Ariel not get her happily ever after, she’ll be Ursula’s prisoner forever
I know what you’re thinking, “How do mermaids, sea witches and having magic spells broken by true love’s kiss relate to my life, Nina?”
Well…
When I was little, I would sit glued to the TV for hours upon hours watching my favourite shows during my spare time
Shout out to you if you also grew up watching Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel and Cartoon Network!
Up to today I still remember many theme songs, but do you know what else I still remember?
Years ago, my good sis Michelle told me I have the gift of communication
When she said this, I thought, “Yeah, I have a way of communicating, I can speak to others, teach, write, and use my gifts to convey big ideas”
But what I’ve also come to realise over the years is that my gift of communication fuels my curiosity about language
Hi, I’m Nina, and I’m a word nerd
I get curious when I hear or see a word that I’ve never come across before or suddenly have the urge to know where the origins of a phrase comes from
Even if I’ve heard it lots of times in the past
One such phrase is “North Star”
We often hear people talk about something being their North Star
I’ve always understood what this phrase meant as the thing that gives us purpose or fuels us towards a particular goal
Or our why
But, recently, I’ve been curious about why we say “North Star” in the first place
Here’s what Google told me:
If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen that I recently went live with the lovely Gladys Obaze
She's a coach and brand strategist who helps creative women heal, grow, and build thriving, and authentic brands that attract success
One of the questions she asked me was how PR has helped me
Well...
The short answer: it changed my life
The longer version?
When the ladies attended Media Magic, in Tulum (Mexico) last July, 0% of them knew how to get relevant PR opportunities
I know this because of the results they got from my PR readiness assessment
This means that, at that point, I could have given them the exact language, structure and anatomy of a successful pitch but it would have meant nothing because they didn't then know how to pitch platforms where their ideal clients were actually hanging out
Which is an issue because showing up on such podcasts, magazines, stages and so on leads to not getting a return on your efforts or investment
By the end of the retreat, though, I had them assess themselves again and the results revealed that 100% of them knew how to do this
What led to this success was…
