Toluu

Going Solo

Being a freelancer in a connected world

how to include mainstream media in your PR and marketingOctober 30

Hi there, Im Henriette Weber a social marketing and branding professional having my own company called Toothless Tiger, working out of Copenhagen, Denmark. I am writing here to offer you some advice on “how to include mainstream media in your PR and marketing”.

I got to write this blogpost on the Going Solo blog because Stephanie and I had a conversation in the back of a car during the shift08 conference in Lisbon, Portugal. I told her about my strategy for mainstream and so far I am working my way around it, and so far it works.

Now:

Journalists wont be knockin on your door or ringing you. You need to contact them. nothing new here. There’s one keyword to a succesful mainstream media presence: proactivity.

I have defined it in three steps

1. You figure out who you are

Or let me rephrase that - you figure out who you are towards your peers - your community. Both Micro and Macro community (meaning people who knows you very well and people who knows you less well personal and workwise). What do they think about you - is your thought about yourself the same as other people think ? or are you way off ?. Conduct a research and figure out where you’re at, or who you are to others.

2. you become who you are

Either you change the perception that people have of you, or you change - so you are real close to be in sync with the thoughts about

Happy Soloists at SoloCamp LeedsSeptember 13

There were about 20 of us yesterday at SoloCamp Leeds, for a day full of fascinating conversations about the topics we cared about as freelancers. Great format, great people.

We started the Going Solo Wiki to share notes from the day. I hope that we’ll see this wiki grow into a real community ressource around Going Solo and SoloCamp.

I took some photos. Here are two to give you a feel of the day. First the general setting, relaxed and interactive:

And the big sprawling mind-map which grew out of the discussion about finance facilitated by Dennis Howlett (it was followed by three more big sprawling mind-maps as the day went by):

More on the Going Solo Wiki! Head ove

Interview by Krishna De for BizGrowthLiveSeptember 1

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Krishna De, who hosts the BizGrowthLive podcast. Krishna asked some good questions and I was really happy with the interview. You can start with the blog post which accompanies Hosting Live Events To Attract More Clients, or head over directly to BlogTalk Radio to listen to the interview.

You can also use the embedded widget below:

SoloCamp (Unconference) in Leeds on September 12thSeptember 1

As I announced, the cancellation of Going Solo Leeds does not mean that we will be idle on September 12th. The first SoloCamp, a barcamp focused on freelancing issues, will take place at the date and location announced for Going Solo Leeds: Old Broadcasting House, September 12th.

Get your ticket and put your name on the wiki. Then tell your freelancing friends to come too! The event is free and open to all, in pure unconference style.

The programme of the day will depend on the number of people present and what they want out of the day. If we’re five or fifty, we won’t be looking at the same kind of event — it can go from animated discussion around a table during half a day to a whole day packed with presentations and workshops. For obvious reasons, we won’t be reproducing the Going Solo programme, though some speakers will be present and we will be taking inspiration from it.

Not Enough Attendees For Going Solo LeedsAugust 27

Yesterday mid-afternoon, I had to take the difficult decision to cancel Going Solo Leeds. The reason for this is that a bit over two weeks before the event, there are simply not enough registrations for it to take place under the conditions I envisioned for it.

After discussing the situation with my advisors, I reached the conclusion that the most responsible course of action right now was to cancel as soon as I could.

I’m aware that for some of the people who have arranged to travel to Leeds, it’s already too late to cancel travel plans. If you’re going to be in Leeds anyway, how about doing something together? Let’s gather on the 12th for a free SoloCamp where we will discuss soloist issues amongst ourselves in an informal way.

The Going Solo conference concept and the community around it live on. There will be a third edition of Going Solo — I’ve learnt a tremendous amount of things preparing both the Lausanne and the Leeds editions, and will be taking advantage of those lessons to do things slightly differently. How, when and where are still unknowns, but if you are subscribed to the newsletter you’ll be informed in good time.

I’d like to extend a huge thanks to all the people who took part in the Going Solo Leeds adventure: people who registered, sponsors and media partners, bloggers who promoted the event thou