Independent PR Practitioner Panel

By Amy Fleishans

The spring semester kicked off its first ASU PRSSA meeting featuring three independent PR practitioners from the Valley. Beth Cochran, Andrea Aker and Charlotte Shaff explained what independent practitioners do and how it’s different than an agency, while offering general PR advice and tips.

Aker explained how independent PR practitioners are different than freelancers: “We work for ourselves and run a business, freelancing means you work for someone else.” Shaff added, “On the surface it’s run like an agency, but with just one employee—me.”

Independent practitioners don’t always work alone. For bigger projects or during a busy month they create “teams” or outsource some work to other practitioners or freelancers. “Sometimes it’s like a virtual, temporary agency,” Cochran explained.

All three practitioners worked in agencies before starting their own companies. Cochran emphasized that agency experience is a vital prerequisite for becoming an independent practitioner. She explained how the daily exposure to running an agency prepared her to manage her own company. Aker urged students not to become an independent practitioner straight out of college, saying agency experience was vital for her success as an independent practitioner.

For all three women, the biggest benefits of being an independent PR practitioner are being their own bosses and the flexibility it provides. “It’s totally a lifestyle,” Aker bragged. “I can take my walks at one o’clock and work at 9pm.”

General tips offered for PRSSA students included:
• Don’t form friendships with clients—it always burns you. –Shaff
• Phoenix is the biggest small town, everyone knows each other—don’t burn bridges. –Cochran
• Always keep networking, you don’t know where your next job will come from. –Aker
• It’s okay to have a secondary, side job during the first few years in the industry to supplement your income. I was a bartender. –Shaff

Links to their company websites:

Aker Ink
Wired PR
The Media Push