Jayme Soulati, Author at soulati.com

Is A Blogger A Writer?

06/05/2013 By Jayme Soulati

What kind of merry-go-round are we on, folks?

The questions keep flying in circles:

Is a blogger a writer?
Is a blogger an author?
Is a blogger bona fide?
Should a journalist become a blogger?
Is a blogger a reporter?
Is a freelancer a consultant?
Should I write in the first person or third person if I’m one person?

OHMYGOSH, already!

Let’s set the record straight so everyone knows the following:

Bloggers are writers. They write every day they post an article. Sometimes the piece is short, sometimes it’s personal, sometimes it’s in-depth investigative journalism like this piece by Amy Tobin on Sunday Social Justice.

Would bloggers be able to pass muster every day writing by journalistic standards? Nope, but they’re not trying. On occasion a piece comes along the likes of squarely on the rump, and that piece deserves high praise and slotting into a publication the likes of Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Oh, did I already mention Amy Tobin’s work? I’ve never given double link love in a blog post before and I’m gifting Amy with that first…and, she knows why!

Bloggers as Authors

Photo Credit: Jayme Soulati via iPhone 4S on AA flight to LA

Are bloggers authors if they write books? Many a blogger has written a book; I’m not the first to re-purpose a treasure of archived content into a useful and educational business book.

In case you didn’t know, I recently self published, . So, bloggers can write books; have you? Does that make a blogger any less of an author? NOPE! But, some do believe so; and, that’s OK. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.

Journos as Bloggers

For sure a journalist ought to blog, but I bet the topic of the blog would not be akin to their daily beat. That would be a bit strange. Perhaps a journo could blog about a hobby or something; that way, the blog would not interfere with daily writings for the online or offline publication.

Is a freelancer a consultant? Well, you can read on that topic right here and see if you can come up with an answer any better than we could!

First Person or Third Person

Should you write in the first person or third person if you’re one person? A subscriber suggested my newsletters should be written in the first person. That shows I’m writing the content about myself.

Why?

Doesn’t everyone want to give the impression their practice is larger than one person? If you write in first person, it’s too personal and seems full of braggadocio. I can’t, and public relations professionals rarely if ever write in the first person as we’re writing for others.

I’m all about ghost writing for myself; the ones who really know me under the cover will know who’s minding the store. What about you? First person or third?

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Old PR Plus New PR Equals Hybrid PR

06/04/2013 By Jayme Soulati

You know those hybrid cars that are more expensive because they run on electricity and fuel? Think about public relations…our profession is like a hybrid car, too. We run on different platforms to deliver mileage for a campaign. We blend a variety of marketing disciplines, just like fuel and electricity to produce.

On Spin Sucks June 3, Gini Dietrich wrote about the PR firm of the future. She’s seeking hybrid PR professionals to work with her team, and here are the criteria she’d like to see in that person:

Media and blogger relations
Content development
Content marketing
Workflow development and email marketing
On-page search engine optimization
Issues management
Client service
WordPress coding (bonus)

Old PR

Recently, I wrote a post right here about the blending of PR being its demise. In that post, which turned a few heads, I had a list of traditional PR and it looked like this:

Media Relations
Spokesperson Training
Message Mapping
Thought Leadership
Blogger Relations
Writing
Industry Analyst Relations
Investor Relations/Stakeholder Communications
Corporate Communications
Internal/Employee Communications
Events Planning/Execution
Community Outreach

Hybrid PR

Like Gini says, public relations folks need to be a bit of this and a bit of that to succeed in the new and blended frontier. We have to adopt more than just adeptness on the social channels. We have to jump into new and uncomfortable areas to ensure we’re innovating all the time.

You know what the problem is with public relations professionals? Too many of them want to stay pure and not change.

Here’s the rub – WE GET TO CHANGE! We’re in a profession that provides us with the gifts to re-invent, adopt new methods and offer a powerful combination of skills, expertise, and knowledge from content marketing, media relations, digital marketing, social media marketing, thought leadership, message mapping, industry analyst relations, investor relations, employee communications, special events, and so very much more.

I appreciate the word hybrid to describe what I offer. No wonder I’ve had such a challenge sharing succinctly about my services.

Jayme Soulati offers a breadth of public relations services featuring content, social and digital marketing.

Would that begin to describe what hybrid public relations looks like from your vantage point?

Customers At The Core

Regardless of what you offer, it’s really the customer who dictates what you pull out of the hat. If you’re not familiar yet with The ArcCompany, the Canadian upstart making inroads into huge insight, then you need to read this blog post or go find the truly provoking comments of Amy Tobin especially in her Sunday social justice post.

As you’re thinking of your customers, just for the fun of it, I’m going to end with another Gini list that helps define PR and the tactics that ought to be in use today. This is a list from Arment Dietrich; it’s “Some of the things we do” taken directly from this post, and if that’s not hybrid PR, nothing is!

Develop integrated offline and online marketing plans
Content development (white papers, videos, podcasts, blogs, eBooks, webinars)
Marketing that content we develop
Email marketing
On-page search engine optimization
Social media
Google+ authorship and authority
Online reputation management
Crisis communications planning and management
Employee communications
Social media policies
Media relations
Blogger relations
Monitor online conversations
Develop online audits
Community development and growth
Influencer relations
Word-of-mouth campaigns
Analyze data and web analytics

Title Du Jour: Freelancer or Consultant?

06/03/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Networking Freelancers (Photo credit: solobasssteve)

Heard on the street at the New South Digital Marketing Conference in Myrtle Beach, a few colleagues were engaged in conversation that made me realize being in business is a challenge for many.

A woman shared she changed her title from consultant and owner of an army of one to “freelancer.”

She did that so businesses would think she cost less, that her hourly rate was more reasonable, and that they were getting something cheaper for less.

What she did was alter her professional identity to continue to earn a living by being someone she really wasn’t — just a freelancer.

But, let’s define freelancer next to consultant, shall we?

Defining Consultant

When I think of consultant, I think of the Accentures and pwc. They lure in the big clients with boatloads of money and have massively global teams operating in all corners of the world with big budgets.

A consultant in marketing is considered to be a senior professional with years under their belt who commands high hourly rates and takes on projects with higher budgets.

In general, my view of consultants is oriented to trained professionals who know their stuff, who are experts in their respective fields. They take on strategic assignments often with longer-term work bumping shoulders with drivers of companies.

Does that fit with your definition?

Defining Freelancer

The freelancer is someone not inclined to open his or her own business, firm, agency, or other. They will typically not incorporate a company under S-Corp or LLC status. They will work under their personal social security number and pay 16 percent self-employment tax.

The freelancer is usually available at a lower hourly rate and is considered to be more tactically inclined. They seek project and take direction from other supervisors. Their interest is less in running a business and more in the freedom of choice to pick up interesting gigs that pay the bills with a level of mobility.

Do you agree with those definitions?

At the end of the day, you deliver high-quality work that demands equal compensation. When clients and prospects refuse to honor your expertise, then do you attempt to downplay your competency to continue to make a living?

It’s an interesting dilemma…what would you do?

The Happy Friday Series: Beads, Buttons And Crochet

05/31/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Who knew? A Bead & Button Show. And more surprising yet. I’m going to attend it!

Well, let’s start at the beginning. But what is the beginning, really? Was it when I was a child whose crocheting prowess entailed all of making a chain of unending stitches that I would stretch through the house so as to chart my progress?

Was it the doilies I would later crochet because they were fun to make even though no one uses doilies anymore – updated funky colors notwithstanding?

Maybe it was the miniature granny squares that I turned into Christmas ornaments to friends’ delight.

Steel Crochet Hook

Probably it was when my steel crochet hook connected with fine copper wire. At least that’s when I’d found my muse. Wire + vintage and re-fashioned beads = endless creative possibilities for shiny, sometimes elegant, sometimes whimsical necklaces.

Why vintage and re-fashioned beads, you ask?

In short, because I was part of the first Earth Day (at a VERY young age), and environmental responsibility has remained at my core. By day, I run Terracom Public Relations, which since 1990 has helped innovative green organizations grow in size and impact. By night – or whenever I can – I am creating for my latest venture, zii designs.

Which brings me to the Bead & Button Show. I learned of it last year, shortly after I’d begun this jewelry-design adventure. This is no few-day gathering of beaders. Oh no. It fills out nearly two full weeks, drawing instructors from around the country: “The Biggest Consumer Bead Show in the World.” And it’s in Milwaukee, easily accessible from Chicago.

Well, life at Terracom prevented me from attending last year. But this year, I’ll steel away for a class and a hunt for more vintage beads. I suspect there will be a whole culture at this Bead & Button Show that could make for its own sociological study. I’ll be an interested observer.
And when I return, I’ll set my sights on a few boutiques I’ve targeted as prospective places to carry zii creations. (I do love the entrepreneurial pursuit.) My hope is I’ll be able to sell enough jewelry to sustain making more.

Because that’s what it’s all about. The joy of creating, of seeing how things come together. The breathless discovery of it all.

About The Author

Christine Esposito is founder and chief connection officer of Terracom Public Relations, chief crochet officer of zii designs and an amused owner of a retired racing greyhound.