4 ways to demonstrate credibility even if you have no media features

4 ways to demonstrate credibility even if you have no media features

"Should I do my media one-sheet now even though I haven't been on any podcasts or media outlets?"

This was a message that I received from a client recently. The underlying question really being "how do I demonstrate my expertise and credibility through a media one-sheet if I haven't been featured anywhere yet?!" If you've had the same concerns and, even worse, have let this stop you getting started with your PR journey- keep reading. I'm about to help you get unstuck, just like I did her!

In order to answer that question, I need to make sure that you're straight on what a media one-sheet actually is first. So, here goes:

When applying for a job you need a resume, right? Well, a media one-sheet also works to help you demonstrate your expertise, experience and why editors would be mad not to accept your work. It does this through your media bio which, as you grow and get more PR, will typically include a list of any features that you may have had in the past as an example of your work (usually just your most impressive ones). Because it's a single document, it also contains additional information that would usually be found by navigating your website (e.g. your expert topics, contact information, social media handles and so on).

With that being said, here are:

4 ways to demonstrate your credibility and expertise even if you've had no previous PR

How to share your story

How to share your story

Have you ever had someone in your life who started out as a friend of a friend but then ended up being yours too? Well, that's exactly what happened with me and Vickie (of TEACH Educational Consulting, LLC).

I first met Vickie online through my girl Deanna because we're both board members of her charity (Needle Movers for Social Equity) earlier this year and finally got the chance to meet Vickie in person over afternoon tea on Friday (she's in London from the States doing research with UCL. Can we say beauty and brains?!).

Not only was our time together super fun, we're literally talking about working together on other projects and meeting up again later this month! So, in the spirit connecting with new people, I want to do a Deanna and introduce you to someone you'll love too- Denisha (Dlang) Ferguson.

Dlang is the CEO of the Indiana Fashion Foundation, produces Indiana Fashion Week and is one of my clients. I recently had the pleasure of copywriting and pitching an article idea that she had about "how to share your story"- which has now been published on The Good Men Project.

So much of what she shared in the article is relevant to you and your PR journey because science has found that storytelling causes the release of Oxytocin in the brain, which is a hormone that is associated with social bonding. This is a powerful tool for all forms of content marketing because it:

#1 Basically means that sharing stories helps build the know, like and trust factor needed to get your ideal clients to support and ultimately buy from you.

#2 Allows you to practice and hone your story so that, when the time comes to share your expertise on larger platforms, you’ll be ready to do so.

#3 Can create positive change and legacy for lasting impact.

Like me, when Dlang mentions these facts to her mentees this typically leads to questions or remarks such as “What could I possibly share?” “I don’t know where to begin” and even “I don’t have an interesting story”. If you can relate, I’d like to tell you what she tells them:

4 mistakes people make when getting started with PR

4 mistakes people make when getting started with PR

I love quotes....so much so that I have a whole notes section dedicated to them, which I update every time I come across a new one that inspires me. Although the most recent update was "Boundaries are not about saying no to other people. Boundaries are about saying yes to yourself" (Rachel Rodgers), some of my favourites are about success e.g.:

  • "Success is when preparation meets opportunity"

  • "Success leaves clues"

One that was recently dropped into my spirit is: "success requires systems" and when I shared it via social media this week, I added in the caption "PR is no different". So, with that in mind, I wanted to share 4 reasons why that's true by discussing mistakes that people make when getting started with PR and what systems you can put in place to avoid them. For example:

How to Get Started with PR

How to Get Started with PR

I'm the sort of person that can't eat breakfast, lunch or dinner until I have settled on something good to watch while eating...to the point that I could be starving at times; yet not be able to put a morsel of food in my mouth until I've settled on something to entertain me. To me, if I'm not eating socially, the programme that I watch is just as much a part of the culinary experience as the food. It's the foundation, if you will.

PR has foundations too. In fact, one of the questions that I am asked most frequently by potential clients is "What do I need to get started with PR?" In other words, they want to know the foundational things that they need to have in place before they embark on their PR journey. If this is something that you've also been wondering, here's the tea. You need these 4 things:

5 unexpected reasons to get started with PR today

5 unexpected reasons to get started with PR today

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, 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:

3 Common myths that stop people getting started with PR

3 Common myths that stop people getting started with PR

When I first started this blog in 2016, I believed the old adage: "If you build it, they will come".

However- fast forward to 2017- I soon realised that, that was a lie.

The truth is, I built it and (close to) no one came!

I was a best kept secret.

Luckily, since then, I have been able to pull myself out of that rut....

I'm now an award winning content marketer, copywriter, PR specialist, international speaker and author who has been featured on over 50 platforms, including Thrive Global, The TEDx blog, HuffPost, Bustle, Relevant Magazine, Radiant Health Magazine, Premier Radio, Mic and more

And use my experience and expertise to help others do the same...

Going through this experience, as well as working with my clients, has definitely made me aware that I was not alone in that belief, though

In fact...

I've come to realise that there are 3 common myths that stop people from pursuing PR

Including:

How to set up a PR funnel

How to set up a PR funnel

The ladies that I work with are capable, inspirational CEOs, founders, authors and more that are at the top of their game. They are also wives and mothers who, are not only balancing their businesses, they are balancing the ebb and flow of family life. With so much going on in life and business, a lot of them come to me knowing that they can delegate media pitching to me so that they can get more visible, attract their dream clients and get paid what they want (without having to use their last morsel of brain power to get it done). However, there is sometimes a learning curve for them in terms of understanding that It takes a PR funnel to make this happen and how all the pieces come together to do so. Can you relate, sis? Well, consider this post your glossary!

How Bri avoided making THE #1 funnel mistake (and you can too!)

How Bri avoided making THE #1 funnel mistake (and you can too!)

When Bri first approached me, she knew that she wanted me to copywrite the email nurture sequence that would go out automatically once people signed up for her freebie.

As such, one of the first things that I did was talk to her about how important a nurture sequence is for:

  • Creating multiple touch points with new leads

  • Building that all-important know, like and trust factor

  • Persuading them (in a non-sleazy way) that you/your product or service are the solution to their problems, leading them to ultimately buy from you.

I then took it as my personal responsibility to help her avoid THE greatest mistake that people make when creating nurture sequences-