Starting a Public Relations Firm
Interview with Diana De Rosa, Founder of Press Link and A Perfect Press Kit
Diana De Rosa founded a PR firm in Farmington,NY around her interest of the horse world. Learn from her interview how to turn your interests into a business.
Diana De Rosa founded a public relations firm in the early 1990 and has recently developed an additional idea called A Perfect Press Kit.
Tell me about your current business. What are you doing exactly?
Press Link is a PR firm that tends to be geared around the horse world, although I've worked with a number of non-horsey clients as well. The strength of the company is that we have strong connections if you want to reach the horse community plus I am a journalist (writer and photographer) and have covered six Olympic Games. So, I also act as a journalist freelance for many equine publications. Press Link worked with DreamWorks on the release of their horse movies, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story and with Fox on their Movie Flicka.
A Perfect Press Kit is a new venture for me and it is based around the idea of formulating a press kit in an easy to use fashion. Rather than put the pieces in a folder I bind my press kits which makes them easier to look through and easier to store. The web site outlines the key ingredients of any press kit, something that every individual or business should have to consolidate their key information in one location. There are sample Press Kits which gives the visitor a better idea of the look and what should be included. It varies depending on whether you are talking about an event, an individual, a business or some other facet.
What were you doing before this, and is this your first business?
I have done many things from being editor of a horse magazine, to running a riding school to working for the late Christopher Reeve.
How did you come up with your business idea?
For Press Link I'd been editor of a horse magazine for years and was appalled by the way PR firms handled their press releases. In essence I wanted to show the way I felt it should be done. A Perfect Press Kit pretty much evolved from the same concept. I get lots of compliments on my press kits because they are complete, easy to use and helpful to media when they are writing stories. For businesses they serve as a company bible so that everything is speaking the same language to their customers. For businesses it serves as a resource and/or company profile.
Did you operate your business from your home?
I started from my home to save money but then ultimately moved into an office so that my home could be a home and my office an office.
For women entrepreneurs, what specific advice would you have for young women who would like to become an entrepreneur? Are there specific advantages, disadvantages to being a women business owner?
Look into grant programs and Government Procurement. It is something I am working on now but looks like it could be helpful. I found no disadvantages to being a woman although sometimes when I am lugging around my camera equipment I wish I were a man.
Social marketing is consistently being written about in the small business space. Has it worked generating business for you?
Not in generating business but in generating awareness. When I send out a new release for a client I use Facebook, Twitter and LinkEd in to let my friends and associates know a new article has been released and when possible I give them the link. Also, when I put up a new photo album I make them aware of that as well.
What have you done that has been very effective in helping to grow the business?
I don't know if this has helped my business to grow but it has helped me to grow. I started a Meetup Group called Sharing Ideas. Once a month a group of business professionals gets together to share their knowledge. We talk about SEO, Social Media, Photography, Web Site Design, Speeding Up Your PC and so much more. I even use the concept of the group as a marketing tool. I've been talking with Barry Moltz, who has a business focused radio show, about interviewing the group about the concept behind sharing. So, in this way we get a chance because of the novelty of the group to translate that into exposure for ourselves.
What advice would you give to somebody else who wanted to start a similar business?
Both PR and journalism are labor intensive. It's exciting work but it can consume you.
Well, we will let you get back to work! Thank you for sharing your business tips with the readers at Gaebler.com!
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