As a self-employed professional who works from home, I get versions of this question all the time.
No, I did not win the lottery or otherwise become independently wealthy, as I strongly suspect my grandmother – who does not seem to grasp the concept of working from home and definitely doesn’t understand what I mean by flexible hours – believes. No, I am not “fun-employed” and being supported by a significant other, which has been a surprisingly common, and sexist, take from many people I meet casually, including those I’ve met at networking events. Yikes! Let’s do better. And if that’s you (male or female) and you have the safety net of another income and access to employer-sponsored health and disability insurance, more power to you.
Yes, I am a self-employed single mom who is solely supporting myself and my son through my communication and media relations consulting business. I’ve been working as an independent consultant for three years, although only officially incorporated for approximately 18 months, and a mom for seven of those months.
But what exactly is a communication and media relations consultant? This version of the question comes from family, friends, acquaintances, and potential clients alike. Truth is, there is no one definition. Individual consultants in the same field and using similar job titles will offer different services based on their background, experience, personality, personal likes and dislikes, belief about what will sell, client preferences, etc.
As I put it in my elevator speech, I offer communication and media relations services to clients of all sizes. Primarily, I work with nonprofits or businesses that focus on health, science, or progressive causes. This can range all the way from one-off writing or editing projects, such as a case study or annual report, to crafting an updated communication strategy for the organization, or serving as communication support during a transition period, such as onboarding a new hire or during a parental leave.
My preference is to work with clients that are truly looking for the advice and expertise I can offer after nearly 15 years in the communication field, who are willing and ready to listen to suggestions, implement changes, and evaluate what works best for their organization moving forward. However, every client can’t be in the market for a full communication strategy and messaging overhaul, so it’s important to me to also have clients with one-off or smaller projects, budgets, and timelines.
To help break it down further, here are some snapshots of what I’ve done for clients recently and/or currently:
CPWR: Center for Construction Research and Training: Drafted annual report; CPWR is a recurring client whose annual Chartbook publication I edited in the past
MAXIMUS: Provided monthly social media content calendars, weekly curated article selections of current news applicable to their interests, and drafted weekly blog post and related social media content; MAXIMUS is a long-term, multi-year contract that also offers add-ons such as drafting case studies, success stories, and other needed communication materials
National Alliance on Mental Illness: Edited submitted session descriptions for content clarity, length, and format for inclusion in a conference program; NAMI is a recurring client whose conference program I edited last year as well
National Association of Letter Carriers: Crafted digital communication strategy, including analysis of current communication efforts, audience(s), and competitors; provided three tiers of recommendations based on importance and ease of implementation; assisted staff with implementation and served as resource and sounding board for junior staff members; NALC required an intensive commitment of hours originally that then tapered off to a smaller hourly commitment of time and support as their staff became more comfortable with roles, responsibilities, and digital communication in general
Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative: Served as communication consultant specifically for an ongoing grant to promote patient-centered and collaborative research as it relates to primary care; drafted communication and dissemination plan, op-ed, and newsletter updates, conducted calls with relevant stakeholders about their audiences, familiarity with the topic, and communication preferences, and drafted messaging for assorted communication channels for pilot study; PCPCC is a recurring client who I previously provided overall communication and media relations support for during both a maternity leave and during the hiring process of a new communication staff member
As you can see, the organizations and the role I fill for each of them varies. If I went back further in my client roster, there would be even more examples of diverse needs. I’ve found that it’s important as a consultant to have flexibility and really listen to what it is the client needs and is ready for. But it does make it hard to easily answer the “but what do you do?” questions you will inevitably get.