Key differences between solo and in-house PR

After a fulfilling six-year career in public relations, I quit my job to become a solo PR pro and take my own communications consulting, blog and speaking full-time.

With two years of experience in health care PR—and four years in the tourism and hospitality industry—I’ve spent my fair share of hours crafting media materials, pitching journalists and coordinating media opportunities.

I thought I had a pretty good idea of what it meant to be a PR professional. I felt confident transferring my skills and experience from within a company to my own PR solo business.

I quickly realized that being a solo PR pro is very different from practicing it within an organization. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from the transition:

There’s no big name to back you up.

From representing a major hospital to a beloved destination, I became accustomed to members of the media at least recognizing the name of my brand, if not having personal experience with it.

Having those company names on my business card, in my correspondence and as part of my email address helped a journalist place me in context at a glance.