This month, I'm excited to introduce you to Michelle Garrett, owner of Garrett Public Relations. We met on Twitter many moons ago, and I've always been impressed on how she uses that social media platform. Follow her there and on LinkedIn and you'll see how prolific she is with her content.
1. What do you do for a living, and how long have you been doing it?
I’m a public relations consultant and writer. I have been in this business for more than 20 years.
2. When did you start publishing content, and why? What compelled you to do so?
I had to look back to answer this, that’s how long it’s been! I got started by contributing guests posts when organizations I was involved with would ask. That was about 10+ years ago. Then, I started posting on my blog a bit later. After that, I sent a contributed article to PR Daily for consideration. That was in 2014. I remember being nervous – but they accepted it! And I began contributing content to their blog regularly.
The reason I started was because I felt I had something to say, something to contribute. I was passionate about PR and the industry and had opinions I felt might be worth sharing. Turns out others did find them valuable, because this had led to me contributing to a variety of publications, as well as continuing to write for my blog.
3. What kind of content do you publish? Has that evolved into different types of content, or have you always published what you currently publish?
I focus on written content. That’s where I’m most comfortable. I have dipped a toe into audio content by co-hosting a Space on Twitter with two other PR pros.
As far as what types of written content, I publish on my blog. I also started a monthly newsletter. I also contribute guest articles and posts to publications that are a fit. Of course, I post on social media and share my work there.
4. Where do you publish your content and how often?
I publish content on my blog about once/month, on social media daily or weekly, on Twitter Spaces once/week, and also contribute to other publications from time to time. My newsletter comes out once/month.
5. What benefits have you experienced as a result?
I’ve experienced SO many benefits. It didn’t happen overnight – but once you get some momentum going, it feeds on itself. Opportunities come your way and you’re asked to contribute without having to pursue it.
I’ve gotten some great clients as a result of my efforts. In addition, I find it rewarding to know that people read what I write and that it helps them in their career. I really love sharing what I know. And I also learn from talking with others and doing research to write content. It’s a rewarding cycle of sharing and learning.
6. Any pearls of advice you’d like to share?
It’s really about consistency and playing the long game. If you write one blog post and then stop – you can’t expect to get very far.
You really have to figure out which mediums work best for you – that would depend on not only where your audience is hanging out and spending time but also on which you will enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy it, you may not keep up with it. I always say to do what you love and people will notice.
Also don’t spread yourself too thin. Trying to publish content on EVERY social media platform for example is a quick way to burn yourself out. Choose the ones your audience is using – and also which you know you can keep up with. Then, once you’ve got a cadence going, you can consider adding another channel. Just don’t get overwhelmed by trying to do too much too soon.
And – engage with your audience. If you someone shares a post you wrote on social media and tags you, thank them for that. It’s so valuable when you have loyal followers who read and share your content. Make sure they know you value them.
If you need help with PR, reach out to Michelle.
And if you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Content Case Study, please let me know.