Sure, you can write and publish a blog post and call it a day.

But successful content requires a thoughtful strategy — and it takes time. When launching into a new content strategy, I always advise my clients to slow down, start from the beginning and take it step by step.

Creating an effective content strategy

I was recently a guest on the Become a Media Maven podcast with host Christina Nicholson. In the episode, together we outlined a 12-step process to create content. 

For the sake of simplicity, I zoomed in and focused on creating blog posts.

Let’s get started.

1. Do a brain dump

Open up a blank document, and start logging any content ideas you have. Think about:

• Frequently asked customer or client questions and feedback
• Common misconceptions about your industry
• New ideas, research or developments
• Interesting statistics
• Customer testimonials or personal stories

Note these ideas can be directly related to your product or service, or you can consider your broader industry as a whole.

If applicable, share this document with your customer service, marketing and PR teams and ask them to jot down ideas that align with their experience and team goals.

No idea is too big or too small.

This part of the process is important because it creates momentum — suddenly you see there are so many topics and angles to consider when creating content. It’s an easy win, and a great first step to build on.

2. Create a series

Once you have a hearty list of ideas, take a look and see if you notice any trends or any ideas that could be tied together into a recurring series.

For example, with my longest-running client, Muck Rack, I’ve created several long-time series we regularly publish on the blog, including:

• This month in bad PR pitches: This is one of our most popular and widely shared series.
• Meet the Muck Rack team: This highlights team members and links out to the company’s job listings.
• Day in the life of: This series showcases PR pros and journalists.
• Case studies: These customer testimonials are essential to our sales team.

3. Build out a content calendar

Start placing your content ideas on a calendar to determine your content cadence. This can be a literal calendar (paper or digital) or in Excel, Google Sheets, Word or even a task management tool like Trello (my go-to!).

As you build out your calendar, consider:

• How often do you want to publish new content?
• Where are you posting it?

A word of warning: This part of the process is fun for those who like to plan, but it can take some major patience as you play around and figure out what tool works best for you.

4. Conduct SEO keyword research

When you’re writing a blog post, consider your goals. Who are you trying to reach and where? Many blogs want to leverage Google search (aka show up in search results and get clicks!).

The world of SEO is a whole rabbit hole, but even if you’re not an expert, you can do some light keyword research. The best place to start: Google itself.

Enter your article topic into Google and peruse the results. For example, with Muck Rack, my team worked on an article explaining how PR pros can choose a media database. When you type “choose a media database” into Google, take note of the top-ranked articles. What topics are they covering? What areas are they missing? Use these insights to help build your outline. 

You’ll also want to consider the “people also ask” section to see if you can answer those questions in your article as well as the “related searches” at the bottom of the page.

For more details on SEO, you can check out this how-to article I edited when I was the managing editor at The Write Life.

5. Consider who’s writing or producing the content

Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to consider who will write or produce your content. Are you going to write it yourself, tap someone in house or do you need to work with a freelance writer or managing editor?

If you’re a founder, I highly recommend not taking this task on yourself. Although it can be tempting — you’re an expert after all — I’ve talked to so many founders who become overwhelmed, fall behind and even give up on their content strategy. And remember: The key to a strong content strategy is consistency!

For example, before I began working with Karen Swim, the president of Solo PR Pro, she aimed to write and publish posts to the group’s blog each week.

“It kept falling to the wayside because I got too busy,” she said. “We still produced content weekly, but it didn’t always go out on time, or I’d scramble to write a last-minute blog post. This bothered me. I couldn’t be as strategic as I wanted, which is important because the blog is like the front of our house — the part of us that everyone sees.”

Be realistic with yourself and create a content production plan that’s sustainable for your business — and you.

6. Write!

It sounds easier than it is, but it’s time to put pen to paper — or fingers to the keyboard.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I give to writers who are creating content for a brand is to consider their audience. Ask:

• Who is my audience?
• What do they need to know?
• What do they already know?
• What’s important to them?

If you’re writing a “how to” guide, your article might be longer and more in-depth (like this one!). If you’re simply sharing a new piece of information, keep it short and sweet! 

As you write, use frequent line breaks, subheads and bullet points to break up your information. (Remember: Most people are probably reading from their tiny phone screen, so you’ll want to avoid big, overwhelming blocks of text.)

7. Edit and prepare for the piece to go live

Once the piece is written, it’s time to start editing! This isn’t just about adding a comma here and there. You’ll want to fact-check and ensure the information is accurate. You’ll also want to edit for readability, making sure the post is clear and organized.

Some of the most common edits I make include:

• Writing or rewriting subheads.
• Looking for places to cut extra words.
• Making sure we’re adhering to a client’s editorial style.
• Checking for consistency in tense.

This part of the process may require going back and forth with the writer once or twice.

8. Brainstorm 10-15 headlines

Headlines are incredibly important for blog posts. It’s often a reader’s first impression. You want to make sure it’s informative and interesting — and that readers will want to click!

I brainstorm 10 to 15 headlines for each blog post I produce for my clients. Overall, the process takes me around 30 to 45 minutes per post (but I swear it’s worth it). You’ll almost always realize your first idea is never your best. 

Here’s a little behind-the-scenes look at a headline brainstorm for a post I did about why companies need content managers:

• What is a managing editor?
• What is a managing editor? (Plus, why your business needs one)
• Let a managing editor spearhead your brand’s content strategy
• Build a robust content strategy with a managing editor at the helm
• Transform your brand’s content strategy with a managing editor
• Let a managing editor transform — or build — your brand’s content strategy
• Upgrade your content strategy with a managing editor
• Why every business needs a managing editor
• Why every business with (or without) a content strategy needs a managing editor

I went with the last one because it was interesting and clicky and targeted my ideal audience.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to write an SEO headline, too! This headline is more straightforward and will include any target keywords you identified in your keyword research. 

For the article I referenced above, the target keyword was “what is a managing editor,” and the SEO headline I wrote was, “What is a Managing Editor? Plus, Why Your Business Needs One.”

9. Upload to your site and add visuals

Once the post is perfected, it’s time to upload it to your site. WordPress is my go-to content management system (CMS), but I’ve worked with several others through the years, including custom ones.

During this step, you’ll want to add visuals, including illustrations, images or infographics. The goal is to add some life to the piece so readers don’t zone out with a huge, intimidating block of text.

10. Click publish

Set the content live! Or you can schedule it to publish if you’re working ahead or want it to publish during a certain high-traffic time on your site.

11. Market and distribute over time

Once live, you can start sharing your blog post through your social channels and/or via your email list.

Note you don’t have to share your article immediately — or even within the same week it goes live. You can share it and reshare it weeks or even months later depending on the content and your overall strategy.

12. Repurpose the content

Now, you’ve shared the content. You’re done, right? Nope! One of the smartest things a business can do is repurpose their content.

I do this a lot for Muck Rack. For example, they’ll release their annual State of Journalism report. My team will then publish a summary of the report, and we’ll also spin other articles from the report that focus on specific facets of the report.

You can also do this across mediums. For example, if you release a podcast episode, turn it into an article, publish clips to Instagram or share the video recording of it on YouTube. Hint, hint: That’s how this blog post came about! From a podcast episode.

Now, the content process is complete — except not really because the key to an effective content strategy is to consistently publish new content. For that, refer to your content calendar and keep creating!

Want to learn more about what it takes to create good content? You can keep tabs on me by signing up for my content newsletter. Every two weeks, I’ll give you the lowdown on what I’ve been up to and share some of my favorite articles, resources and gigs in the content world.

The post Creating a Content Strategy: 12 Steps to Help You Get Started appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Generate brand awareness.

Build credibility and trust.

Educate your audience.

But getting content right can be more challenging than you might expect. 

For one, it’s a whole process. It can take months to launch a blog. And that’s just the start. Content requires consistency in both creating and updating. It’s easily a full-time job… or six.

That’s where a managing editor like me can help your business. But what is a managing editor exactly? Let’s dive in.

What is a managing editor?

When you think of a managing editor, you might think of some big-wig at a magazine who’s calling the shots — you know, a “Devil Wears Prada” sort of situation.

But managing editors exist outside the traditional journalism world.

A managing editor works with brands and businesses to build and execute their content strategies. A managing editor can be a full-time hire or an independent contractor — like me and my team at JL&Co.

A managing editor can work independently to help build out your content strategy, or they can provide support to your existing teams, like a content marketing manager or communications manager.

What does a managing editor do?

Plain and simple: A managing editor oversees the content strategy and distribution of a brand, business or blog.

Because I work with a variety of clients to strategize, create, publish and share content, my duties vary.

Here’s a peek at what I do:

Collaborate with a company’s management, sales, marketing and even HR teams to develop a content strategy that supports the company’s goals.

Build and manage an editorial calendar.

Generate story ideas.

Field pitches from freelancers.

Assign stories to my talented team of writers or write content myself.

Oversee production schedules to ensure we meet deadlines.

Edit content and ensure its properly formatted with headings.

Brainstorm multiple attention-grabbing headlines.

Build SEO posts or optimizes existing content. This includes researching keywords, writing meta descriptions and writing optimized headings.

Refresh previously published content.

Get content live.

Promote content via social channels, email newsletters and more.

And honestly? There’s a lot that goes on in-between!

Why brands and businesses should hire a managing editor

As established, creating quality content can take a lot of time, so hiring a managing editor will give you hours back in the day. (And, of course, time = money.)

A managing editor also comes armed with expertise. This is their job, so, in my case, I know a whole lot about writing for SEO, how to target a specific audience, writing copy that converts, finding talented writers… the list goes on. 

I live and breathe this stuff. I even publish a newsletter all about content management.

Plus, if you opt to bring on an independent managing editor — versus hiring an in-house, full-time managing editor — you’ll save money.

Who can benefit from a managing editor?

Honestly, any business or brand with a content strategy — or lack thereof — can benefit from working with a managing editor.

A managing editor can help you leverage content to inform and engage your audience. It can even help you acquire new customers or foster more meaningful relationships with your current customers.

The types of businesses I’ve worked with run the gamut:

A public relations management platform.

A blog for writers.

An internship program for college students.

A service that turns podcasts into articles.

The list goes on, but the bottom line is this: Any business or brand can benefit from working with a managing editor.

Behind the scenes: an example of working with a managing editor

I’ve worked with Muck Rack, the public relations management platform I nodded to earlier, since 2013.

It started with a guest post for the blog, which, at the time, lived on Tumblr (throwback!) and didn’t have a regular publishing cadence. That one post turned into more blog posts — then a call with the CEO. He asked if I could help Muck Rack produce content more regularly.

Nearly a decade later, I’m still at it. I pitch, assign, edit and submit content regularly for Muck Rack. 

As a result, Muck Rack has been able to:

Consistently post three to four blog posts each week for the past several years.

Help the sales team bring in new business with the help of case studies. My team has produced more than 100 to date. 

Introduce new and important series, including team member profiles (for HR hiring initiatives) and customer profiles (as more sales materials).

It’s worth noting a managing editor can also seamlessly work hand-in-hand with internal content experts.

Since I’ve started working with Muck Rack, their team has grown, and they’ve brought on a senior content marketing manager. I work closely with her, but since my team and I maintain the blog, she has more time to focus on other priorities. 

Let’s work together!

If you’re a business owner or marketing lead who could use a hand with content, let’s chat! I’d love to hear about your goals and help you develop — or strengthen — your content strategy.

Learn more about what I offer, and don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to connect.

Want to learn more about what it takes to create good content? You can keep tabs on me by signing up for my content newsletter. Every two weeks, I’ll give you the lowdown on what I’ve been up to and share some of my favorite articles, resources and gigs in the content world.

The post Why Every Business With (Or Without) a Content Strategy Needs a Managing Editor appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

As a content manager, I encounter these misconceptions regularly. One of the most common (and, TBH, most egregious) is that people think content is cheap. Nope. Good content requires good writers and good editors, which costs good money.

When you’re a content creator, it’s easy to take a statement like this as a personal attack. No one likes having their professional work discounted. 

But I’ve found these misconceptions oftentimes come from well-meaning people who simply don’t live in or understand ~our space.~

5 of the biggest misconceptions about content

In an effort to clear up this whole thing, I created a Twitter thread (don’t worry, it’s not one of those massive 30-tweet threads that have become popular) and shared some common misconceptions I’ve encountered in the last six years I’ve worked in content management.

Let’s go ahead and clear up some of these common content misconceptions — and feel free to chime in with your own in the comments below!

1. Content is cheap

We’ll start with the most common one I mentioned up top: Content is cheap. The reality is, good content costs money. It’s an investment.

Think about the steps involved in content creation. It’s not simply a writer pulling, say, 1,000 words out of their head. After all, writers love to write, so no big deal, obviously. (That’s another misconception, if you couldn’t sense my sarcasm.)

Even before a writer drafts an article, there’s typically a good amount of research and strategy involved. This, of course, takes time. Time is money. And let’s not forget to mention the years of experience and expertise that writer has collected. Also valuable.

And that’s just the writing part. There’s also editing, adding visuals, SEO, brainstorming headlines and social captions — the list goes on.

Sure, you can hire someone who’s offering a lower price, but content is like any good investment. The quality is typically reflected in the price you pay. Plus, if you don’t pay the price upfront, you likely will if the piece requires heavy edits or even rewriting.

2. Content creation is a quick and easy process

I’ve run into this scenario all too often. A client is excited to launch their website or hit the ground running with new content. I am, too — but it’s not realistic to expect this process to unfurl days later.

Creating good content is a process, which means it takes time.

Here’s an example: A client hires a managing editor and expects their blog up and running within the month. The reality is getting a blog up and running requires building out iterative processes, establishing writer guidelines, hiring good writers, planning a content calendar and giving writers a realistic amount of time to turn around an assignment.

This doesn’t include editing, integrating client feedback, planning visuals, or uploading the content and getting it all set to publish.

I love this tweet from Andrea Bosoni, the founder of Zero to Marketing:

3. The more content, the better

Earlier this year, I spoke with a prospective client who explained they were in the “volume game” and that they wanted to publish several posts a day.

To be completely frank, I was flabbergasted. This is a strategy that was more common in the early days of blogging, but not so much in 2021.

When I asked for additional details about this strategy, the client said it had worked in the past. But in my experience, I don’t think this is the best way to go.

Pumping out content for content’s sake won’t help you reach your goals. For one, burnout is a very real thing — amongst your creators and your readers. And unless you’re writing for a super broad audience (which isn’t recommended), your content is going to get repetitive.

Plus, in the space of content marketing and sales, if your content isn’t tailored to your audience and isn’t meeting their needs, you’re simply drumming up bad leads and creating a poor customer journey.

Also, remember the common phrase, “Quality over quantity.” Publishing three articles a day for the sake of hitting an arbitrary quota likely won’t yield quality content. The quality content requires research, data analysis, interviews with experts and, of course, time.

4. Content alone can sell your product

Here’s another big “nope” that my friend Dana Sitar contributed when I threw this question out to Twitter:

Content will not sell your product. As Dana explained, the purpose of good content is to educate, serve and engage your audience. Once that trust and brand loyalty are built, then consumers are more likely to take action (e.g., make a purchase).

If you’re trying to sell simply your product ASAP, there are other routes you can try to take that don’t involve thoughtful content creation.

5. Build the content, and they will come

The whole “build it and they will come” idea doesn’t work with content. Creating the content is just the first step to building out a successful content strategy. Simply put: It’s not enough to press “publish” and sit back.

Once your content is out there, you’ve got to take steps to get it in front of people. This might include an SEO strategy (which should be considered before creating a piece of content), social strategy or newsletter.

And, you guessed it! All those require some type of content or creation process, too.

Changing your mindset around content

As mentioned above, most of these misconceptions come from prospects and clients that typically have the best intentions — they just need a bit of education on the subject. 

After all, content usually isn’t their thing, and that’s why they’ve enlisted an expert — you — so let’s give them a bit of well-deserved credit for making that important decision. 

It’s time for a mindset shift when it comes to how you think about content. By debunking these common misconceptions, content managers and prospective clients can come to the table with managed expectations and a clear understanding of what it takes to get the work done well.

Want to learn more about what it takes to create good content? You can keep tabs on me by signing up for my content newsletter. Every two weeks, I’ll give you the lowdown on what I’ve been up to and share some of my favorite articles, resources and gigs in the content world.

The post 5 Common Content Misconceptions (And Why They’re Totally Wrong) appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Back in 2016, Muck Rack, the leading Public Relations Management (PRM) software, had a couple of case studies on hand, which served as crucial sales vehicles.

Although those case studies were useful, they weren’t enough. The sales team often approached the marketing team to see if they had any clients in X industry or Y niche or from a Z-sized company. That’s because prospective clients wanted to talk to similar customers to get a feel for how they’re using Muck Rack to hit their PR goals.

Enter: JL&Co. My goal for the past five-plus years has been to help Muck Rack build a robust library of case studies ranging from big companies like Taco Bell and Verizon to PR agencies, hospitals, universities and more.

What is a case study?

Case studies, or customer stories, are basically success stories, so potential clients or customers can see how a product or service works “in the wild.”

Case studies give you the chance to tap into your brand’s super fans and ask them to share with the world why they love working with you, your product or your service.

Case studies are an important part of the content puzzle — and they can be used in a number of ways:

• Sales rep sends a case study directly to a prospect
• Available for download on your website
• Placed in an email marketing funnel
• Video testimonial
• Social media content
• Blog content

And for a writer or content creator who knows what they’re doing, conducting case study interviews and writing case studies for your clients can also be quite lucrative.

Writing a case study: A step-by-step process

I’ve learned a lot through this experience building a case study program from the ground up, so I wanted to share my step-by-step process, plus some big takeaways that could make writing case studies a whole lot easier for you.

Step 1: Identify your subject

When it comes to identifying who should be featured in a case study, I lean on my client’s sales and customer success teams. Both of these teams work directly with customers, so they can identity:

1. What type of case study could benefit them (e.g. a large PR agency wants to see how other large agencies use Muck Rack), and
2. Companies that use Muck Rack to achieve — and exceed — their unique PR goals

We use a spreadsheet to track what case studies we’ve done. These are broken into categories ranging from specific features companies use to industry and company size.

Step 2: Prepare for the interview

Preparing for the interview is key!

After I schedule the interview, I send the customer about 10 questions via email. This gives them time to think about specific examples and success stories they can highlight in the interview. 

I don’t recommend more than about 10 questions because you don’t want to overwhelm the interview subject — you can always ask follow-up questions along the way.

A few examples of questions I ask include:

• How did you track your team’s journalist relationship history and contact information before using Muck Rack?
• What types of goals or tasks are you using Muck Rack to accomplish?
• What would your job be like if you didn’t have Muck Rack?

My overall goal in the interview is to understand how Muck Rack has improved the team’s performance, collecting specific examples of how they use features along the way. I also keep the questions open-ended, which gives me some really good soundbites I can highlight.

Step 3: Interview time!

Before Zoom became a thing, I conducted these interviews over the phone and took shorthand notes. Let me tell you: This was a huge mistake.

As soon as Zoom became popular, I made the switch. I could easily record my conversations, which allowed me to more actively listen and ask strong follow-up questions. Not to mention, I could nail exact quotes.

Before you start your interview, be sure to ask your subject for permission to record for transcription purposes. I’ve never had anyone say “no” — it’s just a nice courtesy.

Here are a few other tips to keep in mind as you dive into the interview:

• Save room for silence. Sure, it can be a little awkward, but if a customer gives a short answer, I’ll wait a beat before jumping over to the next question. They may be thinking or something might come to mind they hadn’t yet considered. 
• Ask follow-up questions. You don’t have to stick to the script of questions you provided the client. If you want more details, ask follow-up questions and let the interview wander a little. I always try to ask questions that’ll give me specific numbers. For example, if they say Muck Rack saves them time, I’d ask: How much time do you think you’ve saved each week? When you go to write your case study, this will show the value of your product or service.
• Always ask this final question: “Is there anything I haven’t asked that you think would be important to include?” Usually, this question prompts the client to say something really nice about Muck Rack. These are usually the best sound bites.

Finally, once your interview is over, I strongly recommend transcribing it. You can save a lot of time using a transcription service like Otter.ai. It costs me about $100 a year, but in my opinion, it’s totally worth it.

Step 4: Outline your case study

I’ve developed two templates Muck Rack uses for case studies. It took a bit of finagling to get these super solid, but now that we have them, it saves us a lot of time.

The first format highlights major Muck Rack features and shows how the company or person uses these features. We then cap the case study off with a fast questions section. The Motley Fool case study is a good example of this formatting.

The second format highlights life before and after Muck Rack, and we wrap it up with fast questions. The Personal Capital case study is a solid example of this format.

It’s worth noting a case study doesn’t have to be a 10-page PDF. I love Muck Rack’s case studies because they’re short but impactful. We keep the layout visual with lots of white space and bite-sized information. We keep our audience in mind: PR pros are busy, so we want to make sure they can skim these and pick up the big highlights in little time.

For visual elements, we always ask the customer to send over a headshot and logo.

Step 5: Get to writing

You’ll notice Muck Rack’s case studies are written in first person — from the perspective of the customer. This was a deliberate decision because customers want to hear directly from other customers — they don’t want to hear Muck Rack toot its own horn.

As I write case studies, I also keep these tips in mind:

• If you’re writing in first-person (from the perspective of the customer), embrace the “voice” that comes out in the interview. If a subject is super formal, follow the lead. If they’ve got a silly side and enjoy a pun or two — great!
• Highlight specific examples and numbers to help potential customers understand the value of your product or service.
• Write for your audience. At Muck Rack, we knew PR pros didn’t have time to scroll through pages and pages of information, so we chose to keep case studies as concise as possible.

I also always link back to the customer’s site as a courtesy — it’s a good service for your reader, and the customer will love the exposure and SEO link juice.

Step 6: Send over for customer review before publication

Here’s my final step before a case study goes live: I send it to the customer to review. This is a super important step in the process because I want the customer to feel comfortable with what they said. Usually, there aren’t any big requests, but I like to know they’re happy with the final product. Plus, bonus points if they love it so much they share it on their social profiles.

Once the case study goes live, it’s shared with the sales team so they know a new case study is available to share with prospective clients, and it also gets published to the Muck Rack blog and social channels.

If you want to see more of the Muck Rack case studies me and my team have worked on, feel free to take a look through the archives.

Want to learn more about case studies and JL&Co’s client projects? You can keep tabs on me by signing up for my content newsletter. Every two weeks, I’ll give you the lowdown on what I’ve been up to and share some of my favorite articles, resources and gigs in the content world.

The post I Wrote 100 Case Studies — A 6-Step Guide for Telling Compelling Customer Stories appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

It’s been almost two years since I made the jump — so how’s it been going?

I had the chance to sit down, reflect and fully share my experience on a recent episode of the PR Talk Podcast with Amy Rosenberg.

Amy asked me a little bit of everything — from what content management means to how I fared last year during the pandemic. I thought I’d share a few highlights with you.

What content management means (to me)

So what have I been up to the past two years? A whole lot of content management.

Different people have different definitions of content management, but, most simply, here’s how I defined it for Amy: Content management is helping a brand, business or blog manage their content.

The role of a content management company really varies from client to client, but typically I’m guiding editorial strategy, helping with content planning (you all know I live for an editorial calendar) and hiring qualified writers. Oftentimes, my team is also writing, editing, optimizing, publishing and promoting the content.

Where does content management begin?

Because I work with content from its ideation to execution, the process often starts with a content brainstorm. For me, that’s opening up a blank Google Doc and dumping ideas.

I write down anything that could become a piece of content, whether that’s a blog post, a case study, an ebook, a social post — anything. I also like to involve the client as well as my team.

I’ll admit: The doc gets messy, but it’s a good starting point. From there, I can take a step back, get more strategic and develop an editorial calendar.

Next step: Creating good content

In addition to leaning on my team to write content, I also field a lot of pitches from both writers and PR pros.

Because many of Amy’s listeners are in the PR world, I shared a few things I look for when sifting through pitches. I think these tips are also helpful for writers as well as content managers who are still learning how to spot that winning pitch.

• Do your homework. It’s important I feel like the person pitching me has a good understanding of what the publication is all about. Have they read the blog or subscribed to the newsletter? Are they pitching a topic we’d never cover? Or maybe a topic we’ve already covered extensively.
• Keep it short and simple. Let me break down the elements of a good pitch: A strong subject line, a sample headline and one to two sentences about the proposed post. No need to get overly detailed — and no need to send a full-blown draft. I feel bad if someone has dedicated the time, but the piece just isn’t a fit.

Amy asked me specifically about receiving pitches through Twitter. I don’t hate it, but I’ll likely just ask you to send me more details via email!

All right, let’s talk about 2020…

Do we have to? I know. I don’t love rehashing 2020, but I think we can learn a lot from the year.

When the pandemic hit, I was worried my clients would want to pull back on content, conserve their budgets. But I found there was an even larger appetite for content — and some of the clients even wanted to increase our work together.

For instance, with Muck Rack, my first and longest-running client, we immediately shifted our strategy to discuss remote PR work. Muck Rack has been a remote-first company for years and years, so it was the perfect opportunity to offer an expert, insider perspective to our readers.

Keep listening!

If you want to hear more about what I’ve been up to lately, listen to the PR Talk Podcast with Amy Rosenberg. In our 30-minute conversation, we cover a lot of ground!

You can also keep tabs on me more regularly by signing up for my content newsletter. Every two weeks, I’ll give you the lowdown on what I’ve been up to and share some of my favorite articles, resources and gigs in the content world.

The post Insights From The PR Talk Podcast: Spilling on Content Management, Pitching, Business in 2020 and More appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

And now, my fiancé and I are in the thick of wedding planning.

In the almost six months since that wonderful day, we’ve checked several items off our wedding to-do list:

Date

Venue

Photographer

Wedding planner

Guest list

Save the dates

But so many to-dos still remain. I need a dress! We need to hire a DJ, florist and videographer. We need to schedule our food tasting! Invitations, signage, officiant, hair, makeup, wedding bands — the list goes on and on and on.

5 ways planning a wedding is just like running a business

Recently, I started thinking: planning a wedding has many similarities to running a business — something I consider myself not too shabby at, given that I’ve been at this whole thing for four years now.

But yet, planning a wedding is so much more challenging for me than the day-to-day of running JL&Co. Probably because it’s so personal — not to mention incredibly expensive.

In any case, there are many similarities.

Here are five ways planning a wedding is just like running a business.

1. You have to be super organized and have a plan

Wedding planning (and running a business) is not for the disorganized.

In both areas, you have to be meticulous and on top of things! You need a timeline, a plan and you have to find the tools and systems that work best for you.

Lucky for me, I consider myself a pretty organized, deadline-driven, systems-oriented person, so this is one area of wedding planning I feel well equipped to tackle.

I immediately found myself loving the various spreadsheet templates and checklists I found online, plus GSuite has been my go-to. Just like I use Google folders, documents and spreadsheets for my business, if you’re planning a wedding, you’ll probably find yourself leaning on those same tools.

Tim and I have a wedding planning Google folder. It contains a master spreadsheet of vendor research, our guest list spreadsheet, a budget spreadsheet and all of the contracts we’ve signed thus far. I also have a special folder in my email for all of our wedding-related correspondence.

Just as I have deadlines for my JL&Co client work, we have wedding deadlines to adhere to, as well! Staying organized is key for making sure we don’t miss anything.

2. You can’t do it alone — enlist help and outsource!

When things became too overwhelming in my business, I enlisted help. I hired my first team member — a step I often regard as the single smartest decision I’ve made as a business owner.

I applied that same thinking to wedding planning.

I don’t run a business by myself, so why would I plan a wedding all on my own?

As I found myself getting lost down the rabbit hole of DJs and florists, I realized I needed to enlist help, so I hired a wedding planner.

[Side note: If you’re planning a wedding, I highly recommend Naticia Fonseca from The Calla Lily Event Planning — she’s a true lifesaver.]

Yes, hiring a wedding planner is an investment, but here’s how I look at it: I invest in my business, and eventually earn more money, plus gain back time in my day.

I’m investing in our wedding, and I’m going to gain back tons of time (seriously, wedding research can be all-consuming), I’m saving myself a lot of stress AND while yes, I’m spending money on this service, I’m also saving money on our wedding overall thanks to Naticia’s connections and recommendations.

Seems like a win all around.

3. You need to be decisive

In business and wedding planning, you need to be decisive.

(If you know me well and you’re reading this, you’re probably already starting to laugh a bit.)

I’m an excellent decision maker when it comes to JL&Co. I make decisions swiftly, and often feel pretty confident in the direction I’m going.

In wedding planning and life? Not so much. I’m a mess. (Seriously, this is coming from the girl who visited 10 different furniture stores to purchase a living room couch when I moved into my apartment.)

But, decision making is an important part of planning a wedding. Since wedding planning is such a time-sensitive process, if you don’t make decisions quickly, it becomes impossible to move forward to the next step. Plus, the vendors you want might not be available.

*I’m writing this advice mostly for myself as I prepare to visit my 10th bridal shop to find a dress.*

And so, decision making is important. And if it’s something you struggle with too, better to know that upfront.

Having a very decisive fiancé has made this part of the process a little bit easier, plus hiring a planner has kept me from doing hours of initial research.

4. You need to loosen the reins a bit

As a type A, self-proclaimed control freak, here’s some advice I’m really bad at taking myself:

You need to let go.

In both wedding planning and business, you need to loosen the reigns and understand upfront that things aren’t always going to be exactly the way you want them to be.

That vendor you want? They might not be available on your wedding date. That’s OK, there’s plenty of other vendors in the sea.

Same as in business. You didn’t hear back from a prospective client? Bummer, but you move on.

5. You have to do what feels right to you

In business, lots of people have opinions about the right way to do something or to tackle a problem. While I appreciate advice from the people I love and fellow business owners, at the end of the day, I always do what feels right to me.

In planning a wedding? The opinions are aplenty.

And they mostly come from well-meaning people (like immediate family — hi, mom!) or those who have simply been in your shoes before. Planning a wedding isn’t easy! If someone has done it before, they often want to tell you what they learned.

But the opinions and advice can start to become very loud — so loud they start to drown out you and your partner’s wants and dreams for the wedding.

And that’s where, in both business and wedding planning, you need to figure out when to listen and when to trust yourself.

It’s not always the easy thing to do, but it’s usually the decision that will make you the most content.

Fellow business owners, if you’ve planned a wedding, can you think of any other similarities I may have missed? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Photos courtesy of Brian James Photo Studio,

The post How Planning a Wedding is Just Like Running a Business appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

In addition to getting engaged (!), JL&Co experienced a record year, financially and otherwise.

You know I love transparency — and this post is full of it — including divulging some financial information I’ve never shared before.

To me, transparency helps everyone! It allows us to connect, it builds community, it keeps me accountable, and I hope in some way, it inspires you.

Looking for even more transparency? Stay tuned for the annual State of JL&Co post, coming in February. In that post, I’ll dive even deeper into what 2019 looked like — the good, the bad and the ugly.

But for now! A highlight reel — our biggest achievements, what I’m super proud of and what I’m excited about moving forward into 2020.

JL&Co’s top highlights from 2019

Here are 5 business highlights from 2019.

1. JL&Co had its best year yet financially

I’m so proud to say JL&Co experienced a record year financially in 2019, increasing earnings by 8.7% from the previous year.

For the first time ever, I’m revealing my gross income. *Gulps* I’m always nervous to share exact figures because numbers DO NOT tell the whole story. But as I mentioned in this Twitter thread, it’s incredibly helpful to talk to fellow biz owners and entrepreneurs about real numbers, and the stories behind them.

This year, JL&Co earned: $93,256.17.

Amazing! That said, I did fall just under $7,000 short of my six-figure goal. 2020, I see you, and I’m coming at you strong to hit and surpass that $100K mark.

And, please keep in mind gross income means all income earned BEFORE taxes, which can range anywhere from 20-30% of my gross income. It’s also BEFORE expenses, which includes paying my small team. My gross income above also includes one W2 gig (teaching at Temple). And finally, it’s before putting money away for retirement (something as a biz owner I do myself through a SEP-IRA, and soon to be a Roth IRA).

So when you think about it that way, and look at the realities behind what looks like a big number, $93K was certainly not my net or “take home” salary. In fact, it is much less than that, though I haven’t finalized numbers with my accountant quite yet.

And! There’s a bit more to this story than just the financial stuff.

This year I was able rely less on teaching yoga as part of my income. I took a three-week vacation away from my business. I worked with fewer (yet more strategic) clients than before. Most importantly, I had great work/life balance, which is why I started this. biz in the first place!

To me, these are the even bigger wins.

2. JL&Co became the go-to agency for content management

Content has always been at the core of what JL&Co does, but toward the end of 2019, we made it official.

When you first start a business, it’s easy to say yes to any opportunity that comes your way. And because of that, for the past few years, we’ve dabbled in PR, marketing, social media and more.

But content management is where JL&Co thrives — it’s where we do our most focused, strategic and creative work. And we so made the decision to go ALL IN with content.

[Curious about what content management is and how it might help your business? Here’s what it’s all about.]

I’m really excited and energized about this big change in the business. Since making the announcement, we’ve brought on a new content management client, as I’m now serving as the managing editor for PodReacher.

That means JL&Co is now managing content for Muck Rack, The Write Life and PodReacher. A pretty robust and exciting client roster, but I’m a bit biased.

If content is something that’s been on your mind lately, let’s chat!

3. I fully stepped into the role of CEO (And got comfortable with outsourcing to grow Team JL&Co)

It’s easy to get lost in the small details of running a business — to get caught up in the day-to-day grind.

I sometimes find myself so deep in the weeds, I don’t always look at the big picture. And I don’t always look at myself as the CEO.

But in 2019, I fully learned the power of outsourcing and delegation.

Early on after starting JL&Co, I realized I couldn’t do this alone. Only seven months into running the business, I brought on Rachel Pluck, who has been a fantastic addition to the team.

In fact, I’ve even called hiring Rachel the single smartest decision I’ve made in my business, and I stand by that.

Previously, I’ve struggled to get out of the solopreneur mindset and into the mindset of a team leader. One of my major goals for 2019 was to prioritize delegation, and this year, I did just that.  

With Rachel heading out on maternity leave, I knew it was time to grow the team a bit more. In the fall, I brought on another contractor to help in Rachel’s absence, and then toward the end of the year brought on another contractor to help with a big project.

Here’s a great example:

In early December, I was presented with major writing project. A big win! However, the client said they’d need the project completed by the end of the year. On my own, I never would have been able to take it on. However, knowing I have a small, but mighty team of writers allowed me to confidently say ‘yes’ to the project without hesitation. At the end of the two, two writers spent 11 hours churning out the 7,000 word project. I oversaw every aspect of the project, along with editing and perfecting the piece before submitting to the client (it’s super important since JL&Co’s name is attached to the project that I still have a hand in everything we do). In the end, I spent about ~3 hours editing and finalizing the project, saving me 11 precious hours during the busy end of year timeframe!

Completing this project with the help of my more than capable, talented contractors gave me a much-needed boost of confidence. I don’t have to do *everything* myself — and by adding smart people to the team, I free myself up to grow the business even more.

4. I left my business for a month (and JL&Co survived and thrived)

In March, I embarked on an insanely wonderful journey to Australia, stopping along the way in San Francisco and Hawaii.

I was away for three full weeks (16 business days) — the longest trip I’ve ever taken — and the longest I’ve ever been away from work.

[If you’re wondering how I prepared to take three weeks away from my business, I explain exactly how I did it here.]

I’m thrilled to tell you that I DID NOT work while I was away. It was such a freeing, wonderful feeling to know I could take time off to relax and refresh without worrying about my business.

And now looking back at 2019 as a record financial year, I’m pumped to know I can take time off and still grow the business. That’s great news, as I’ll be taking more time off in 2020 to get married (!) and go on a honeymoon.

5. JL&Co continued to grow and change in ways I never expected

I feel incredibly grateful that as I prepared to write this post, I had so much more I wanted to include. I really want to keep this piece to the highlights, so here are a few other accomplishments that made the cut:

I returned to temple university to teach.

In the fall, I returned to Temple University for my third semester as an adjunct faculty member teaching Public Relations Writing to undergraduate students studying public relations at the Klein College of Media and Communication.

[If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be an adjunct, I wrote a post about it!]

I’m excited to teach again this spring!

I fell in love with project work

While I absolutely love working with my recurring, monthly retainer clients, there’s something so FUN about project work!

In 2019, team JL&Co took on two major projects with clear deliverables and start/end dates. It was fun to challenge myself (and the team) in a new way.

JL&Co got super organized, implementing chat, automation and project management tools

At the end of 2018, JL&Co had outgrown its current processes, which basically consisted of me and Rachel emailing back and forth every single day.

This year we:

• Started using Slack and Voxer for chat.
• Implemented ClickUp for project management/flow.
• Created a Loom video training library detailing processes and how-tos. (Here’s why I love Loom!)

These tools helped make for seamless onboarding for new team members, a much clearer idea of what everyone is working on and most importantly, kept me sane and organized.

Ready for 2020!

I’m so excited to see where 2020 will take JL&Co (and me!)

I’ll be keeping you updated along the way.

Have any questions? Drop them in the comments below.

The post A Peek Inside JL&Co’s Record Year appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

When I sit down to work in my cozy apartment office, I often feel two distinctly different emotions:

1. Energized
2. Drained

I began to pay closer attention to the type of work I was doing when I felt energized and excited. I also took note of the tasks I was completing when I felt bored, unchallenged and drained.

It wasn’t long before I came to a pretty big conclusion: I am at my very best when I am working with my content management clients.

Content management is where I thrive — it’s where I do my most focused, strategic and creative work.

And so, with this realization, I am going ALL IN on content management.

JL&Co is going all in on content management.

What is content management?

Content management is helping a brand, business or blog manage their content.

Most brands and businesses know they need powerful content to reach their audiences, but often don’t know where to start or feel overwhelmed by all of the possibilities. They might even be producing content already, but not seeing the results they’re looking for.

That’s where JL&Co fits perfectly into the puzzle.

Managing blogs and developing content strategies that actually get results is what we do best.

When someone asks me about content management, I often tell them that if they bring on JL&Co, they are gaining an in-house managing editor.

Every client has different needs, but content management can include:

• Editorial strategy
• Content planning
• Developing and managing a content calendar
• Hiring qualified and experienced writers
• Content creation (Yes, for some of our clients, my team and I write the content ourselves!) — This ranges from blog posts to journalistic pieces to case studies to ebooks!
• Editing
• Headlines
• Optimizing content for SEO
• Content promotion planning and execution
• Email marketing
• Affiliate marketing

For example, in our work with Muck Rack, my team manages all aspects of Muck Rack’s content initiatives, including running the blog and writing and producing case studies, ebooks and blog series.

Over at The Write Life, we oversee the site’s team of guest writers, edit and prepare posts, assist with email marketing and lead affiliate marketing efforts for the site.

Each client is different, but that’s where we thrive — figuring out an individual plan and strategy for every new business that comes our way.

How did JL&Co get started with content management?

Interestingly, content management found me before I found it.

Back when I was working full time in public relations and getting my feet wet in the blogging world, I dabbled in a bit of freelance writing. It was all thanks to a message from my first-ever (and longest-standing) client Greg Galant, cofounder and CEO of Muck Rack.

[Check out the full story of how I landed my first client here]

After writing a few guest blog posts for Greg, he told me Muck Rack was interested in producing regular content, and needed someone to manage the process. He asked if I thought I’d be up for the job.

I said yes, and for the last six years (!), I’ve managed Muck Rack’s blog and team of guest contributors, along with other content initiatives, including case studies, customer profiles and ebooks.

Then back in 2016, I saw that a business friend I’d long admired, Alexis Grant, was looking for a managing editor for her website The Write Life. I’d written for The Write Life pretty regularly prior to the job posting, so I was familiar with the brand, and threw my hat in the ring. I landed the gig.

It was only after adding The Write Life to my client roster, along with Muck Rack that I realized, “OH! This is a THING people look for!” I started paying attention to what I was calling ‘content management’ as a real service I could pursue.

And as the years have ticked by and I look back at my annual State of JL&Co posts, I see that content management routinely makes up more than 50% of my business, coming in at almost 60% in 2018.

That was a very telling sign that I’ve found my sweet spot.

Focused and locked in

When you first start a business, it’s easy to say yes to any opportunity that comes your way.

Been there.

When I started JL&Co, I dabbled in a bit of everything, and I loved it! Content, PR, social media, writing, consulting.

Everyone always told me that successful business owners “niched down” and picked one area to focus and excel. I didn’t want to believe that. Because I liked doing a lot of different things!

But over time, I realized I was being pulled in a thousand different directions. So I decided to try out a more niched down approach and slowly began to hone in on my core skills.

For the last year, it has been content management and PR.

But as I move forward into 2020 and beyond, JL&Co is going all in with content management.

After all, I’ve even made the big mindset and language shift when people ask about JL&Co to telling them, “JL&Co is the go-to agency for content management.”

It’s definitely a bit scary to commit to one type of service, especially when I know I have other marketable skills. This isn’t to say I’ll never dabble in other type of work or say yes to the occasional PR project, but ultimately, I know this is the right decision for right now to help JL&Co grow and thrive.

And it’s the right decision to help me personally stay energized and excited about my business!

Are you curious about content management?

If you’re a business owner or a marketing head, you’ve probably asked yourself one of these questions:

• Why should I start a blog? There are already so many out there.
• When the heck am I supposed to create all this content? My to-do list is a mile long.
• I want to hire writers to help with my content, but how do I do that?
• I’m still not totally convinced content will actually help my business. What do you have to say about that?
• Okay, so I know content is important, but I’m not a very strong writer. Help!

If this sounds like you and content is something that’s been on your mind lately, I’d love to chat!

Seriously. Even if you aren’t interested in working together, let’s talk about these topics.

Because content can be daunting and overwhelming, but it’s also incredibly important.

Have any questions about content management and what it involves? I’d love to answer your questions in the comments below!

The post Going All In With Content Management appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

On Saturday, September 14, my love Tim proposed to me after three years of dating.

Many of you have been reading this blog since I started it way back in 2012. You’ve been with me through the ups and the downs, so it only felt natural to share the story of how he asked with you.

The day of

Saturday began like any other normal weekend. We slept in a bit and finally got out of bed hungry and in search of caffeine.

Like many other weekend mornings, Tim took care of the Dunkin’ run and I popped into Acme for bagels and breakfast supplies.

We arrived home at the exact same time. (Later, Tim told me he was hoping I’d get home after him because he was hiding the ring in his car and wanted to bring it into the apartment.) We enjoyed breakfast, showered and got ready to start the day.

We didn’t have anything planned until later in the evening — Tim’s birthday was last week, so I had marked our calendar that night to take him out for a nice dinner.

Little did I know that when Tim saw the plan on the calendar, he knew this would be the perfect time to catch me off guard. I certainly wasn’t expecting a proposal on the day I set out to celebrate him. He got me good!

Tim was in charge of selecting a dinner spot, and let me know he made a reservation at Urban Farmer at 7 p.m. He suggested we leave a bit early around 4 p.m. and hit up a pub in Fairmount before dinner. I remember thinking it was a little weird that he wanted to get to the pub so early, but I let it go.

We didn’t have any plans for the day, so we decided to take a walk up the hill to a record store in Chestnut Hill where Tim had a gift card. We worked our way down the hill popping into a few shops, and eventually decided to kill an hour before we needed to come home and get ready at a local bar to watch the Temple football game.

We came home around 3 p.m. and I started getting ready for dinner. I had already showered, so I didn’t have much to do to get ready besides getting dressed and makeup, so I laid in bed browsing on my phone for a bit. Tim came into the bedroom a few times wondering why I wasn’t ready yet, and when I was going to start moving. I was curious why he was so interested in when I was going to get ready.

(Turns out, now the ring was in his dresser drawer and he needed me to leave the room so he could grab it while I wasn’t looking!)

I finally got ready, and right around 4 p.m. Tim called an Uber to take us to Fairmount.

How he asked

As I stepped in the Uber, I noticed something odd on the driver’s phone. I saw our final destination said “Water Works” and not the name of the pub we had planned to visit.

I said to Tim, “That’s not the pub’s address.”

Oops! Tim didn’t count on me being nosy and looking at the driver’s phone (In my defense, hey, it was mounted where I could see it!) and told me he must have put in the wrong address and we could just walk to the pub from there.

Knowing the area pretty well, I said, “Water Works isn’t really near the pub, why don’t you just change the address in your phone?”

And then it hit me, OH!!!

I quickly shut my mouth about the directions, and started freaking out internally. Could this be it?!

After what felt like the longest ride ever from Chestnut Hill to the Art Museum area, we arrived at the Water Works.

The scene there was a bit crazy. It was 4:30 p.m. and it looked like they were setting up for a few different weddings that evening.

Tim led me to a gazebo overlooking the river.

There were people around, but not directly in the spot we were (minus a little girl on a Razor scooter criss-crossing the gazebo whose parents obviously didn’t notice what was happening, lol). I could tell Tim was flustered by the little girl, but as soon as she moved out of the way, he turned me toward him and started talking.

He said so many sweet things — he had to refresh my memory later on about what he said because in that moment, I couldn’t remember. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me to which I squealed, “Me too!”

Then he got down on one knee and officially popped the question!

Obviously, I said yes! (Apparently I also screamed — don’t remember that either!)

He slid the beautiful ring on my finger, and we celebrated for a bit.

Then, my good friend Brian James of Brian James Photo Studio popped out — Tim had hired him to capture our engagement!

From there, we did a mini-engagement shoot all around the Water Works and Art Museum area.

After the shoot, I said to Tim, “So wait! Do we have those dinner reservations?!” They never existed. Ha!

We headed back toward Chestnut Hill to meet both of our families at our favorite local bar, and a spot where we’ve made so many wonderful memories together. We celebrated the night away with the people we love the most.

I fell asleep that night with Tim’s arms around me and a gorgeous new addition to my left hand.

Some frequently asked questions

Did you have any idea?!

Up until the 30 minutes before the proposal when we got in the Uber, nope!

Of course, I knew it was coming sometime soon — we had discussed “warm weather months” so throughout the summer, I was always curious when it might happen. But like I said, I had planned to take Tim out for his birthday, so I figured it was the one night I could rule out.

In fact, I didn’t even get my nails done last week! (I’ve been getting almost weekly manicures for the past few months in anticipation.)

He got me! He did so good — I truly didn’t think he’d be able to surprise me, and he did.

Can I hear more about the ring?

You sure can! The ring is absolutely everything I dreamed of. It’s exactly what Tim and I talked about for months as we did research together and separately.

The ring is from Brilliant Earth (highly recommend!). Brilliant Earth creates conflict free diamonds, meaning they are grown in a lab. They are still real diamonds! (A common misconception — and one I totally had before I started my research). Tim is a scientist and really believes in Brilliant Earth’s mission.

The ring is a white gold and the diamond is a round, super ideal cut, E color, VVS2 clarity stone. I don’t really know what all that means, but Tim does and he did GOOD.

The ring has a hidden halo, which was a unique feature we were both excited about. It’s sort of difficult to explain, but the ring has a halo of diamonds underneath the main diamond — you can’t see it looking at it straight-on, but can from other angles. They say “a hidden halo is for her”, meaning it’s something special I see every time I look at my hand, but it’s not as obvious as a traditional halo.

How did Tim know to hire a photographer?

Tim and I have talked about our engagement and what we’d want the proposal to look like for the past year or so.

We both agreed we wanted the moment to be private (i.e. no family or friends involved), but that we’d love nice photos as a keepsake. Tim had the idea to hire Brian. You may recognize his work, as he did all the photos you see of me on this very site!

Do you have a date set yet?

No! This question cracks me up because we started getting asked this question literally 24 hours after getting engaged.

No date set just yet, but we’re aiming for fall 2020. I’d be happy with a wedding anytime between September and November. I know it will be tight to plan a wedding within a year, but we also are leaning toward a Friday evening wedding, so I hope that will open some venues and dates up for us.

What are you planning to do next?

This week has been a little overwhelming, so we haven’t started planning yet.

Our first step is figuring out the guest list, so we have an accurate headcount for looking at venues. My goal is to keep the guest list somewhere between 125 and 150. Lucky for us, both of our parents are way ahead of the game, and already have their portion of the guest list complete!

After we have a guest count, we’ll determine our budget and start researching venues. I know I have to move fairly quickly on the venue and date, and then I’ll be able to slow down a bit as we select other vendors and continue planning.

Feeling lucky and loved

What a week!

I am truly feeling so lucky and loved, not only by my new fiancé (!), but by all the wonderful people in our lives who have celebrated with us.

From both sets of parents, to our siblings, to all of our friends, to so many people from different phases of our lives reaching out on social media, the response has been overwhelming!

All I know is I am so, so lucky — and so, so grateful.

And to Tim — thank you for making this moment so special. I love you so much, and absolutely cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together.

Have any tips for wedding planning? I’m all ears! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Photos courtesy of Brian James Photo Studio, ring photo courtesy of me

The post I Said Yes! appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

I’m returning to Temple University for my third semester as an adjunct faculty member teaching Public Relations Writing to undergraduate students studying public relations at the Klein College of Media and Communication.

This role is so special to me because it’s one I dreamed of when I sat in the very same classroom I now teach in as an undergrad nearly a decade ago.

What it’s like to be an adjunct?

Becoming an adjunct isn’t always an easy process.

I know when I first started exploring the opportunity, I didn’t know much about what it entailed besides showing up to class to teach.

Obviously, a lot more goes into teaching a college course besides the actual teaching part of it.

Read on to learn why I teach, how I became an adjunct at Temple and what it’s like to teach an undergraduate public relations course.

Why I teach

As an eager public relations student at Temple University not too long ago, I completely nerded out when it came to my communications courses.

I looked up to my professors, especially adjuncts who often taught one or two classes a semester on the side of their full-time jobs working in the field. I relished hearing about their experiences in the PR world, often bringing their day-to-day client stories into the classroom.

Many of those professors, among others, became mentors to me — some of whom I still keep in touch with today — and one of whom hired me to be an adjunct myself. (Full circle moment, right?!)

I knew one day I wanted to teach too.

I wanted to give back to students the way so many amazing professionals had done for me.

And I knew the value I could share with students, as someone who worked in the PR world for six years before starting a communications business of her own.

How I became an adjunct

How did I become an adjunct?

Well…I was persistent.

As I mentioned, during my time at Temple I became close to many of my professors, including the department head responsible for hiring adjuncts. While I was a student, this particular professor became a mentor to me, as he served as the faculty advisor for two PR groups I belonged to.

A few years after graduation, I planted the bug in his ear: “Hey! I want to teach! How do I do that?!”

I’d continue to follow up on it every so often when I saw him around at events.

After reconnecting at an event on campus, he asked me to send my resume, and said he’d keep me in mind for future teaching opportunities, though the upcoming semester was already covered.

The opportunity to teach came much quicker than I anticipated!

Just a few days before the start of the fall 2016 semester, I received an email that Temple had an immediate need for an adjunct to teach a PR Writing course, and was I interested?

Yes, yes, and yes!

Despite having quite literally three days before the start of the semester, I dove in headfirst.

This may not have been the most traditional of methods to get my foot in the door, but for those interested in pursuing teaching at a college, start by asking around to see what the requirements are to become an adjunct in the area you’re interested in.

In my case as a PR professional, a graduate degree was not necessary, though I know that’s a requirement for some majors and schools.

And don’t be afraid to be persistent (professionally, of course). It can go a long way.

How does an adjunct prepare for a new semester?

A lot of work goes into teaching!

The work starts a few months before the semester begins. Here are some of the tasks that get done during that time:

• Create the course syllabus, and get it approved by the department.
• Select a textbook for the course. In my case, I used a book recommended to me by another professor, and have continued to use it for the past few semesters.
• Create the class schedule — this part can be time-consuming. For example, a semester is about 15 weeks long, yet this course has 19 chapters to cover. It’s a bit of a puzzle to figure out how to fit all the curriculum into the course in a way that makes sense, while not overloading the students.
• Select and invite guest speakers. I love inviting fellow PR professionals to speak to my class. It allows the students to network with people in the industry (and gives them a break from listening to me speak week after week). In the past, I’ve had speakers come to class from Visit Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Flyers, PR agencies, journalists, radio personalities and more.
• Prepare the course material. This includes actually reading the chapters myself, developing presentations based off of the material and creating homework assignments for each chapter. It also involves creating quizzes and exams, along with developing the guidelines for a final project, which is a big component of the class I teach. Easily, this is the single most challenging part of preparing to teach, and requires the most amount of time.
• Get the learning management system set up for the students. When I was in college, we used Blackboard — Temple now uses Canvas which is an awesome platform for sharing materials, communicating with students, grading and more.

How much time does being an adjunct require?

I teach one night class/week from 5:30-8 p.m. so the time commitment seems minimal.

Right? Well, not exactly.

Here’s a breakdown of how I spend my time each week (and that’s after considering all the work that went into preparing for the semester since at this point, I have all my materials mostly ready to go).

• Reviewing the week’s chapter + presentation: 1 hour
• Grading homework from the week prior: 2 hours (depending on the number of students and complexity of the assignment)
• Communicating with students outside of class (answering emails, reviewing drafts of their writing before submission, etc.): 1 hour
• Commuting to and from Temple: 1.5 hours
• Office hours: 30 minutes
• Teaching: 2.5 hours (Give or take)

Approximate total time/week: 8.5 hours

As you can see, the time quickly adds up! Of course, it also depends on the point of the semester we’re in. Some weeks are busier than others with more grading or prepping.

What is it like to teach a college class?

In short, it’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

The first semester was the hardest, as any new experience tends to be.

Now that I’m on my third go-round, I’ve developed a process and figured out what works. It’s a bit more seamless now.

For me, teaching is fun! I love public speaking, and I enjoy passing along my knowledge. It’s also fun for me to get to know the future PR professionals I’ll one day work alongside. I learn just as much from these bright students as I’m sure they learn from me.

Teaching can also be nerve-wracking. There’s nothing like standing in front of a room of people and posing a question to blank stares back at you. (It doesn’t happen often, PR students tend to like to talk, but it does happen from time to time.)

Because I teach a writing-intensive course, I spend a lot of time editing and grading. This part is fun for me because I am an editor for a living!

Coming back to campus once a week is also a treat. It helps me stay connected to my alma mater in a new way. And since I work from home, it’s especially nice join the working world and get out of the house in “professional” clothes once a week.

The best parts of teaching

• Getting to know future PR professionals, and have a small part in shaping their experience and perceptions about the field
• Having the ability to share my experiences with the students + tell them all the stuff I wish I learned in college
• Staying connected to my alma mater and industry
• Keeping up with my own PR and writing skills
• Honing my public speaking skills

the difficult parts of teaching

• Squeezing a lot of material into a short amount of time
• Time management — fitting teaching into my day to day of running JL&Co
• Dealing with some hard stuff like having to fail a student for plagiarism or having difficult conversations with students about their grades

Can you make money being an adjunct?

Here’s the question I’m sure you’re all wondering the answer to — it’s definitely something I was curious before I started teaching.

How much do adjuncts make?

A lot of people joke that they don’t get into teaching for the money, and that sentiment holds true here.

Glassdoor reports that part-time adjuncts earn about $1,907/month — in my experience, that’s a bit high, but that could be based on a number of factors.

I get paid a flat rate for the semester, broken into four monthly payments. I won’t share the exact figure since I’m sure it varies from school to school, but the range for the total semester rate is between $3,800 and $5,000.

Of course the extra cash is a perk, but it’s not why I teach.

Back to school!

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to teach at my alma mater.

Temple is a place I love with all my heart — it shaped me into the communicator I am today.

The chance to return week after week to teach future generations of PR professionals is a responsibility I don’t take lightly.

A friend recently asked me if there was any job out there that could lure me away from my business and back to a 9-5. At first, I was stumped but after thinking about it for a bit, teaching in a larger capacity is perhaps one of the only roles that could potentially pull me back into the working world.

But that’s a decision for another day, many years down the line.

For now, I truly look forward to many more semesters of teaching as an adjunct.

Have any questions about being an adjunct? I’d love to answer them in the comments below.

The post Back to School: What It’s Like to Teach Public Relations as an Adjunct appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

The power to change perception, to make people feel and to inspire action.

The language we use (when speaking to others, but also to ourselves) makes a difference.

These simple mindset and language shifts have made a big difference

I noticed some big shifts in my confidence and attitude when I started paying attention to the way I think and speak about myself and my business.

Here are three simple mindset and language shifts I’ve made that have impacted my business positively.

1. I changed the way I label myself and my job

What do I do for a living?

“I am a business owner.”

I’m not a “solopreneur” or “freelancer” as I have called myself in the past.

Business owners (myself included) are often guilty of downplaying what we do by using language that unfortunately diminishes our work.

While ‘solopreneur’ is a sexy, catchy buzzword, it puts the emphasis on the word ‘solo.” Who cares how many people are or aren’t around while you rock your work?

And please don’t even get me started on the word ‘freelancer.’ Labeling yourself a freelancer takes away any ownership or autonomy over what you do. It’s not a title that commands respect, and often times clients think of “freelancers” differently than they do “experts” or “strategic partners” they hire for their expertise.

At the heart of it, no matter what you do, you’re likely a business owner. Or a founder. Or a CEO. (Choose your favorite title!)

Think about it this way:

If you’re a writer with bylines from publications, you run a business.

If you’re a graphic designer working with clients, you run a business.

If you run an Etsy shop selling your wares, you run a business.

When I changed the way I speak about what I do, I noticed a significant change in the way people reacted to me. I noticed a new level of professionalism and respect.

Plus, I feel like a badass when I tell people I’m a business owner! It’s something to be proud of, and I hope you’re proud of what you do too.

2. I tweaked the way I explain JL&Co to others

I’ve added two simple words to the way I explain what JL&Co does to others: “go-to.”

Thank you, Jaclyn Johnson for this gem of a tip! While reading the Create & Cultivate founder’s book WorkParty, I was struck by a story she told about deciding to call her former company the “go-to influencer marketing and events agency.”

She writes: “How did we become ‘go-to?’ Simple, I called us the ‘go-to agency’ and said it over and over again until people believed it.”

Absolutely genius. A lightbulb went off in my mind as I read those words, and I immediately decided to reframe the way I talk about JL&Co and what we do.

Rather than saying, “Oh, I run my own communications business. We specialize in content management”, I’m pivoting to say, “JL&Co is the go-to agency for content management.”

Boom. Two simple words. Big, big difference in meaning.

3. I stopped calling my projects/passions/business “little”

Confession: I’m writing this tip here for myself, as much as I am for you reading.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, I have a little blog” or “My little side hustle”?

I definitely have. (And I’ve done it before, too.)

Please stop calling your business or your side hustle or your passion project little or small.

By doing so, you’re literally telling people it’s not a big deal. You’re diminishing your hard work and telling others (even if you don’t mean it) that they really shouldn’t care that much because it doesn’t really sound like you do.

Whatever you’re working on is important. If you’re dedicating your time, energy and expertise toward something, it matters. So please don’t downplay it.

Are there any mindset or language shifts you’ve made in your business or at work that have made a difference? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

The post 3 Simple Mindset (And Language) Shifts That Can Make a Difference appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

The truth is, it has been at a crossroads for quite some time.

Since starting JL&Co nearly four years ago, things have been good. Really good!

We’ve figured out our core services, our client roster continues to grow, and excitingly, each year JL&Co earns more than the year before.

And that’s just the business side of things — more importantly, I love the life that JL&Co allows me.. I appreciate the flexibility in my schedule and the opportunity to choose the companies and people I want to work with.

But every once in awhile, I get asked a difficult question that I’m not quite sure how to answer:

What’s next for JL&Co? Do you think you’ll grow even bigger?

I never quite know how to respond to this question, and that’s because at this point, I see two clear paths JL&Co could take — and I’m truly not sure which path I’ll choose.

The crossroads I’m currently facing

JL&Co could take two distinctly different paths — perhaps even more than two, though these are the two most obvious I’ve identified thus far.

Both paths are lovely, challenging and rewarding. Both appeal to me in different ways.

Let’s take a closer look.

Path #1

JL&Co continues to grow and thrive.

We get BIG! We continue to bring on more and more clients. Naturally then, the team expands. Maybe we have 10 employees — maybe one day we have 100 employees!

Perhaps the company stays remote, or one day we have office space. My dream of seeing JL&Co on an office wall comes to fruition.

This feels like the natural path for an agency — a well-worn path many folks I admire have trekked before me. And to be honest, this feels like the most “traditional” path for a business like mine to take. (But since when do I do traditional, let’s be honest.)

Let’s explore the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Obviously, JL&Co becomes more profitable. That’s always a priority.
• JL&Co has the opportunity to make an even bigger impact on the businesses we work with. We get to work with more awesome companies and brands!
• I get the chance to make a personal difference in the lives of other communications professionals whom I could potentially employ. How cool would that be?!

Cons:

• In this scenario, I drift away from the actual work that I love, and step into the role of CEO. Overseeing a full team would take me away from writing, editing and pitching and take me into the role of a manager.
• Business likely gets a lot more complicated — financially, legally, logistically. If I thought starting a business was difficult, I’m sure things get even tougher once you add full-on employees and office space into the mix.
• I lose some flexibility and freedom in my schedule.

Path #2

JL&Co continues to grow, but stays relatively small and niche.

We bring on new clients strategically, knowing that at our current size we’ll likely have a cap as to how much work we can bring on, instead becoming more selective about who we work with.

In this scenario, I continue to work with clients/my small team, while running this blog and pursuing other side hustles and passion projects. I continue to work from wherever I want, whenever I want.

This is my current path, and it’s one I’ve come to love.

Time to take a look at the pros and cons here:

Pros:

• I get to continue to do the work I love! I stay in the nitty-gritty of the day-to-day work, getting face time with my clients and team.
• I keep the flexibility in my schedule that I’ve grown to appreciate. (I know for certain this will come in handy when it comes time to start a family.)
• I have the room and brain space to explore my creativity and passion projects.

Cons:

• Perhaps years down the line I feel less challenged continuing to do the same type of work. Maybe I get sick of the nitty-gritty of working with clients and want to step into a bigger leadership role.
• JL&Co may not thrive as much as it could if I were to choose a different path. It might stay the same, never making an impact beyond what we’re currently doing.
• JL&Co likely won’t be as profitable as in path #1.

Fighting growth or staying smart?

Awhile back, my significant other Tim said something that stopped me in my tracks.

That analogy hit me hard — it came at a time a year or so back when I was struggling to decide if I should bring on a big client because I wasn’t sure if me and my small team could handle the volume of work.

I started to wonder, “Am I fighting growth?”

I began to ask myself if I was fighting growth because of fear — or because of something else.

In the case of that one particular client scenario, I was fighting growth out of fear, but in the case of my current crossroads, I think it might be something else.

In this case, I think I’m being smart — smart in taking my time to make this decision, smart in protecting the flexibility I wished for on the days I sat at my desk from 8-5.

I’m at a crossroads — and I’m OK with it

So as you can see, I remain at a crossroads.

I can make all the pros and cons lists in the world. I can debate this decision with myself day and night.

But honestly, this is a crossroads I’m totally OK with sticking at for awhile longer, whether that means one year or 10 more years.

I can always choose to grow JL&Co bigger, but once it becomes bigger, I don’t see myself being able to reel it back with success.

So for now, I’ll accept this crossroads for what it is, choosing to feel gratitude that I even find myself here in this place of opportunity and choice.

And when the time comes? Perhaps the choice will be clearer, but for now, I’ll continue to go with the flow, evaluate each new opportunity as it comes and continue to embrace the wonderful life my current path has given me.

Fellow business owners, can you relate? And for everyone, tell me about a time you were at a crossroads. I’d love to hear how you handled it in the comments below.

The post My Business is at a Crossroads (And To Be Totally Honest, I’m OK With It) appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Last summer was a huge success for me when it came to the three projects I set my mind to: I kicked off my website rebranding, prepared for a new semester teaching at Temple University and developed a branding workshop for yoga teachers that I’ve presented three times now.

Check, check and check! Three projects complete.

Now that I’ve been running JL&Co for going on my fourth straight summer, I know that business tends to slow down during the months of June, July and August. With clients and prospects in and out of the office during the summer, requests for proposals tend to trickle and regular client work slows down.

While this used to worry me, I’ve come to realize that business ebbs and flows throughout the year, and instead of fretting, I should use my newfound time and energy in a productive way.

And so, the summer of passion projects begins again!

Why do you need a passion project?

I’m sure you have passion projects up your sleeve too!

You know what I’m talking about — those ideas that constantly get pushed to the bottom of your to-do list, even though you secretly think they could be really cool to pursue. Or those fun bonus projects that don’t directly relate to your job or business (or maybe they do!), but energize and excite you.

It can be easy to get lost in the day-to-day shuffle of your job, online business or your client work, and forget about what it was that got you excited about what you do in the first place.

Take it from me: passion projects rock!

Focusing efforts on three projects last summer helped me learn new skills, gave me something to be excited about and allowed me to flex my creativity in a new way.

I felt accomplished and satisfied when the projects were done.

My 3 passion projects for summer 2019

Summer is here, and I’m ready to dive headfirst into my passion projects. Here’s how I’ll be spending some of my time over the next few months.

1. Develop an email sequence for my newsletter community

For as long as I’ve been blogging I’ve had an email list. I dutifully send newsletters to my community twice a month, and I love the relationships and connections I’ve been able to build through email marketing.

However, I know that I’ve just barely begun to scratch the surface of what is possible when it comes to growing a more engaged email community.

After developing an email sequence for a client recently, I decided it was time to finally build out an email sequence for myself.

You might be wondering, what’s an email sequence? Whether you’ve heard the term before or not, if you’re subscribed to any type of email newsletter, I can almost guarantee you that you’ve received emails as part of someone’s email sequence.

An email sequence (also known as a drip campaign) is a series of emails that a new subscriber receives after they sign up for your list. Some email sequences may include 10 emails and last for two or three months — other email sequences might include dozens of emails and last for years.

The purpose of an email sequence is to introduce a new subscriber to your brand, share old content they may have missed and use as a tool to stay connected to your subscribers in between regular emails.

I’m not sure exactly what my sequence will look like just yet, but I’m excited to audit my blog content to see what makes sense to share with new subscribers to take them on a journey and allow them to get to know me and my brand a bit better.

2. Create a new content management offering

A few months back I worked with a project-based client over the course of two months to help build them a PR plan that they could take as-is and then implement on their own.

It was such a satisfying project because it had a clear beginning and end, was priced at a set rate and allowed me to strategize and consult without the hours of implementation normally involved in working with a longer-term client. It was a huge win for me — and for the client!

I began to wonder if this was something I could build for those seeking my content management services.

I regularly receive inquiries from bloggers and businesses who want help developing and managing their content strategy — this is the work me and my team excel at — it’s what we’ve done for years for Muck Rack and The Write Life.

But content management can be pricey and time-consuming! And I understand that working with my team on a retainer basis isn’t an option for everyone, especially those who might not be ready to fully invest in a managing editor right this moment.

So my goal this summer is to create an in-between content management offering — an option that allows folks to work with me for a shorter period of time and get the plan and tools they need to implement on their own.

I haven’t fully developed what this offering will be, but that’s what I’ll be up to over the next few months — figuring out what to call the offering, writing a sales page and beginning to promote and market this new part of my business.

3. Build community

I know. ‘Build community’ sounds really vague, and it is.

This passion project may take a bit longer than summer to develop, but it’s one that’s super important to me. (It was even one of my goals for 2019, so this is the perfect time to revisit it!)

Back when I was all in on the “get gutsy” theme (ICYMI, I said buh-bye to my old way of thinking recently), building community was easy. I hosted an annual essay contest, created a course and ran a Facebook group to share stories/support on how community members were stepping outside of their comfort zones.

But as I shifted focus and started JL&Co, I started to lose that sense of community. It’s important for me to bring it back, as it’s one of the primary reasons I continue to blog after all these years.

My community has grown up and changed, just as I have. I’ll be spending some time this summer figuring out how to create community with the new trajectory me and those who read this blog are on.

Here we go!

The best time to get started on your passion project? Right now.

Do yourself a favor: Add your passion project to this week’s to-do list, even setting aside just 15 minutes to give your project the jump-start it deserves.

I know I’ll be doing the same.

Do you have any passion projects you’re pursuing at the moment? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

The post 3 Passion Projects I’m Pursuing This Summer appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

That project? A rebrand and redesign of my website and blog, JessicaLawlor.com.

I knew the project would be quite the undertaking (and a major investment in my business), hence the reason why I pushed it to the back burner time and time again. But ultimately, I knew it was time to bring JessicaLawlor.com into 2019 and beyond.

Curious what it takes to redesign a website and blog + how much it actually costs? Read on for a behind-the-scenes look at the process of redesigning my website.

Why JessicaLawlor.com needed a rebrand

When I launched JessicaLawlor.com nearly seven years ago now, the site was simply a blog.

Over the years, it shifted and eventually turned into the digital home for the communications agency I formed three years ago, Jessica Lawlor & Company (JL&Co).

However, in looking at my former website, upon first glance, you wouldn’t know that. 

You’d see an outdated-looking blog and a several years old photo on my sidebar. If you stumbled upon my site and never clicked on the “work with me” tab in the main navigation, you probably wouldn’t have known I had a business.

My goal for the redesign was to make it abundantly clear that I’m first and foremost a business owner WITH a blog, not a blogger with a business.

Choosing the right strategic partner

The first step in any redesign/rebrand is to get the right team in place.

As I set out to find a website designer, it was important for me to:

• Work with someone who understood both small businesses and blogging i.e. I don’t really want to work with a big design agency
• Support a fellow female-owned business, if possible

I started the search for my perfect fit of a web designer in October 2017. Yep, 2017 — a long time ago! I began my research by crowdsourcing recommendations on Twitter and Instagram. I dropped each recommendation into a Google spreadsheet where I outlined their services, pricing and my first impressions upon browsing through their online portfolios.

Confession: Then from November-April, I completely ignored the list. Oops.

In April 2018, I recommitted to the project with this blog post and dusted off my trusty spreadsheet. At the same time, one of my business besties Brittney Lynn saw my blog post and emailed me recommending a client of hers, a designer based in Brazil.

I added Brittney’s recommendation — Michaela Latavanha of Beachside Studio to my spreadsheet.

At that point, I narrowed down my search to Michaela and one other designer. After a website strategy session with Michaela, I was sold, but still scared to officially sign on the dotted line.

I thought about it for two more weeks, and eventually realized it was now or never. I signed my contract with Michaela in July, and we prepared for an August start date.

In total, I considered 12 different design shops with rates ranging from $500-$9,000. Something I didn’t expect to run into during my search was having to eliminate several designers simply because they only work on Squarespace sites. I knew I was sticking with WordPress, so that helped me narrow down the list.

Kicking off the project

When our August start date arrived, Michaela, my team member Rachel and I were off and running.

I was immediately impressed by Michaela. She sent me a sweet welcome present in the mail and set me up with a very organized client portal/Asana calendar where I could easily keep track of all my “homework” and deadlines. She made the process seamless.

First things first, I had to get to work! Michaela assigned me some homework ahead of our two-hour strategy session.

My homework included:

• Creating a Pinterest inspiration/mood board
• Filling out a detailed website questionnaire and content questionnaire
• Sending login information and passwords to Michaela

I took the homework very seriously — I knew it would help Michaela truly understand my vision for the new site. I also landed on three words that described my future website and brand: Bold, clean and inspiring

After submitting my homework, Michaela and I had a two-hour strategy session where she asked me some really tough questions about my business, how clients find me and how I earn money.

This is when I knew Michaela was the real deal — she was SO much more than a designer. She was a true strategic partner who cared about designing a site that would actually convert visitors into clients, not just one that looked good. (Which, ahem, it totally does.)

After the strategy call, Michaela sent me a strategy document that included the look and feel of the site, a site map, a persona of my ideal client and my ideal blog reader, and a buyer’s journey guide for my site. Michaela also included a wireframe of my future website. See image below.

At this point in the process, I had a clear idea of what the site might look like, which was helpful for what was coming next: content!

The part of the project that nearly killed me: Content

OK, here’s the thing. I am a writer. It’s literally my job. It’s what my clients pay me to do.

However, writing my own website copy was the single hardest task I’ve completed since starting my business.

From the start, this simply felt like the most daunting part of the project.

My team member Rachel and I got started in Michaela’s website content workbook she sent our way answering questions and prompts like:

• Describe the style and tone of voice you want for your business.
• Describe the experience of working with you. What atmosphere do you want to create?
• Think about the problems that bring your ideal client to you and your business. Describe those problems, including how your ideal client feels when facing them.

These questions helped immensely when filling out my actual website content document Michaela sent my way.

I won’t lie though — the content took me a VERY long time to complete. (Ugh, I’m shuddering just thinking back to the experience.)

I had to write copy for several pages of my site, including my home page, about page, contact page, work with me page and several core services pages (content management, public relations, public speaking).

Rachel and I divided and conquered the content, but at the end of the day, the site is in my name, and it needed my attention to ensure it read in my voice.

When I submitted my website content document to Michaela in early September, it turned out to be nearly 40 pages long. WOW.

Part of the content process also included images, of course! I sent over folders full of images for Michaela to choose from, including some from my brand photoshoot, client logos, publication logos and more.

And then the site was back in Michaela’s hands to get designing!

The fun stuff: Design

Here’s where the project got fun, and I started to be able to see the light at the end of a long tunnel.

Michaela started sending me mockups of the design.

She started by sending a mockup of the homepage along with a video of her explaining the choices she made. Here’s what the very first homepage mockup looked like. Not very far off from what you see today!

Michaela continued sending me other pages to review. With each page she sent, Rachel and I would collaborate on sharing our edits with Michaela in a Google document.

One of the challenges in reviewing mockups is that it’s difficult to understand the flow of the site when you can’t click. It’s a very static experience, so keep that in mine.

By early October, I’d approved all page mockups, and Michaela was ready to send me the live website to review. It was at this point in the process we worked through dozens of nitpicky edits and requests (i.e. make this font bigger, this link doesn’t work, swap this logo with that one, does this photo look weird?)

I was anxious, but knew we were so close to launch.

Time to launch!

After months of work, it was finally time to share my new site with the world.

Michaela did all the tech-y stuff to officially make the switch, and on the second week of November, my new site was live.

However! I didn’t share it right away.

The site went live on a Monday, and that morning I sent a sneak peek of the site to a handful of trusted friends/colleagues who I knew would test the site and give me honest feedback. This was an important step in the process because after staring at the site for months, I knew it needed some fresh eyes before launching it publicly.

On Thursday, I announced the site on social media and sent out a newsletter to my audience.

Michaela helped me with the launch too! She created some awesome promotional graphics for me to share on social media.

The reactions to the new site were more than I could have hoped for!

I saved the feedback in an email because it makes me smile and reminds me that all the hard work was worth it. Here’s some of what I heard:

“It looks so so great!!! Definitely a major upgrade. Photos are great and go with the color scheme. It’s also a lot more clear from the homepage what you do.”

“Jess! I LOVE the new site! It is so fresh and clean and very much you. It’s so easy to navigate and find information about the many, many hats you wear. The colors are just gorgeous and I love the font you use. Plus the pictures are so perfect and complimentary to the copy and your brand. It looks so professional and modern. I just can’t tell you enough how amazing it is!”

“ITS SOOO GOOOOD!!! I love it. I love how clear it is what you do and have to offer. And I love that it still feels like “you” and isn’t too much of a re-brand :)”

“It’s so easy to navigate and it tells all about your business, but still has that very comfortable vibe that’s super accessible. I love it!”

How much did it cost?

Here’s what you’re probably wondering: How much did this whole thing cost?

I will say this upfront: It was an investment — one that I planned and saved for — and one that has already paid itself back in new client work.

The total cost of the redesign was $7,000.

*Note that packages are created individually based on what you choose to include. My package included quite a lot.

It’s working!

During launch week, this website already did its job!

A newsletter subscriber who has been on my list for some time but wasn’t totally familiar with my services clicked over to the site after I shared the link. She reached out because she needed assistance developing a PR plan for a new nonprofit she was helping to launch. That email (and my new site) led to a $2,000 project literally within days of the site going live.

Since then, the site continues to work hard for me, driving new leads and allowing me to reach potential new clients.

I no longer cringe when someone tells me they found me via my website. Instead, I feel happy. and proud.

Before and After

Ready for your own redesign?

If you’re considering a redesign of your own, I hope this guide helped you understand the steps , work and soul-searching involved in the process.

To be honest, the project was just as daunting as I expected it to be, but I am so glad I took the leap to get it done.

Looking for a website designer? I highly recommend Michaela of Beachside Studio. You can reach her on her contact page here. (Be sure to tell her I sent you!)

And P.S. Michaela didn’t pay me to write this post or offer any sort of discount. I truly give her glowing reviews like this to every single person I can. She was the best partner I could have asked for in this process.

Have you ever worked on a website redesign or rebranding? Tell me about your experience in the comments!

The post From Blogger to Business Owner: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at My Website Redesign appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Back then, I swore by the motto, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and proudly used the phrase “Get Gutsy” to describe not only the blog, but also my overall outlook on life. 

I used the hashtag #GetGutsy on all of my social media posts, hosted an annual Get Gutsy essay contest and even ran a successful course called 30 Days of Gutsy.

It was a pretty solid brand, if I do say so myself. (Pats self on back.)

But over the years, something changed. I changed.

And I wasn’t the only one who changed — the culture around the hustle, stepping outside your comfort zone and “getting gutsy” started to shift.

The glorification of the hustle (I’m calling myself out!)

I used to be all about the hustle.

Entrepreneurs, influencers and bloggers (myself included — guilty!) used the phrase constantly on social media and in blog content.

Hustle. Grind. Work harder. Do more. Get shit done.

A few years back, it suddenly seemed like everyone was talking about the importance of the hustle. 

And I certainly played right into it. Before I quit my job to start JL&Co, I glorified my busy schedule. I bragged about how tired I was because I woke up every day at 5 a.m. to work on my side hustle before heading to my full-time job. I thought that because I was working around the clock, I was proving myself worthy of becoming a business owner.

A brief look at my Instagram feed from 2015 reveals a series of posts all about hustling, including one with a caption simply stating: “Respect the hustle.”

*Facepalm* (I’m truly embarrassed). 

I eagerly followed other entrepreneurs hustling equally, if not harder, than I was. I consumed so much content about hustling, building a business and making money. 

For awhile, I found it motivating. Until it started to feel kind of crappy. I loved the hustle.

Until I didn’t.

Because as it turns out, I was totally wrong.

Something began to shift

It took me a few years to get there, but I finally woke up and asked myself: Why are you hustling so hard? What are you hustling for? Are you even happy?

And I realized I didn’t have many good answers to that question, and the truth is, I wasn’t totally happy. I was mostly just exhausted from lack of sleep. I was constantly spinning my wheels to do more.

So over the past few years, you may have noticed I’ve quietly retired the phrase “get gutsy” from my vocabulary (in fact, I sort of cringe when someone says it in reference to my old blog content or course). 

And I made some real changes in my life — changes that didn’t always make those around me super happy.

I started saying no more. I stopped doing things the way I always did them just because. I began to delegate. I stepped away from leadership positions and reduced my yoga teaching to just once a week.

But these changes made a difference — because now I have the time and space to focus on what matters most to me, and even more importantly, what makes me happy.

The tides are turning

Luckily, I’m not alone in this shift in my thinking.

On a call with a friend the other week, we both remarked that the tides seem to be turning when it comes to the overall reputation of “the hustle.”

It’s going mainstream.

• In a piece for the New York Times, Erin Griffith wonders, “Why are young people pretending to love work?”
• In a Medium post, Angely Mercado writes, “Hustle culture sells a lie. Hustle culture tells us that relaxing is bad, that if it’s not making us money or reaching a goal, it’s a waste of time.”
• In this Forbes article, Celine Da Costa urges go-getters to stop idolizing hustle culture and find merit in stepping back to take a look at the bigger picture.

And that’s not all — I’ve seen countless tweets calling out those glorifying hustle culture and encouraging professionals to slow down.

The tides are turning.

More and more, we’re talking about important topics like mental health and self care. We’re prioritizing sleep, love and happiness.

We’re calling bullshit on hustle culture.

And personally? I’m here for it.

Goodbye to getting gutsy

And so, I say an official goodbye to “getting gutsy”, letting go of a lingering part of my brand that no longer serves me. 

You’ll see the phrase in old, but still useful blog posts and you may catch a mention or two on other pages or in URLs on my site, but you won’t catch me actively “getting gutsy” anymore. 

What you will see however is the same good stuff I’ve been giving you for the past couple of years — a much more balanced and healthy approach to being a go-getter.

Because guess what? You can still be a go-getter without hustling! 

 I still consider myself a go-getter.

I want my business, brand and blog to grow. I want to make more money. I want to be successful.

But I want to do it in a way that feels good on the inside and out.

And I still want to help you be a go-getter (if that’s what you choose!) and help you reach your goals because there’s definitely value in that.

Who’s with me? Are you sick of hustle culture? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Goodbye to Getting Gutsy: Why I’m Letting Go of a Piece of My Brand appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Is this thing on?

Normally I hate when bloggers acknowledge their absence from their blogs or social media accounts — after all, everyone is entitled to time away from their work or their passion project — and at the end of the day, my blog is likely one of many you read. I know I never mind when my favorite bloggers take time off. I’m just excited when I see a new post from them in my Feedly RSS or in my inbox.

But in this case, acknowledging my absence makes sense, so hear me out.

Let’s get you caught up

The last time you heard from me (ahem, in mid-March) I was getting ready to leave for our big Australian adventure and told you all about how I prepared to take three weeks off from my business.

In that moment, I felt on top of the world. So much hard work and preparation went into the decision to not work while Tim and I traveled for three weeks, and I was pumped to share with you how I made it happen.

We went off on our trip (which was amazing, by the way! See some of the highlights on my Instagram) and just as quickly as we left, we were back home. Man, three weeks flies when you’re having fun.

Toward the end of the trip, I did feel little urges to check my work inbox or to peek at Slack, but I resisted. I told myself there would be plenty of time for work when I returned home. 

And so, on that first Monday back from vacation, I expected to sit down at my desk, coffee in hand, ready to conquer the world. I love routine, and I was itching to get back into my normal life.

Enter: The slump

But on that Monday, something strange happened. I wasn’t excited to dive back into work. I felt overwhelmed by my inboxes. I didn’t feel like making my to-do list .Writing a blog post was literally the last thing I wanted to do.

I chalked it up to jet lag. (That 26-hour flight home was killer.) 

Then another Monday went by. And another. And another. 

And still, nearly a month later, I felt the same. 

The only word to describe how I felt about anything that wasn’t binge-watching Parenthood (my new favorite show, by the way) was MEH.

It’s not that I felt sad or angry or unhappy in any way.

I just felt sort of…indifferent.

And as someone who describes themself as a go-getter, that “meh” state of mind did not feel good. 

I found myself in a slump.

Now, I’ve found myself in slumps before — it’s totally normal. I’ve had bad days and even full-on bad weeks.

But this one felt different. It felt more permanent. And when I hit week three of the slump, I started to worry. I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel on this slump. 

Would I ever find my motivation again?

How to survive a slump

Like all things, this slump too will come to an end.

But in the meantime, for those who can relate to feeling totally MEH, here are a few tips for surviving a slump.

1. Accept the slump, embrace the slump, love the slump

Because resenting the slump sure as hell doesn’t work!

After week one of my slump, I came out of my jet lag fog and recognized the feeling for what it really was: a slump. I could no longer blame being tired or overwhelmed from getting caught up after vacation.

I had to accept it for what it was, despite how sucky it felt.

Once I understood why I was feeling the way I was feeling, it was easier to embrace that sometimes this happens, and the only way to get through it is to go through it.

2. Get as much stuff done during the times you know you’ll have the most energy

For me, the slump hit the hardest in the afternoons. After lunch most days, I was a goner. 

So for that reason, I made it my personal mission to get as much as possible done for my business and brand in the early morning hours. Because despite feeling meh, I still had a business to run!

So I’d wake up, drink my coffee and power through as much of my to-do list as I possibly could before my energy started to wane.

Luckily, I run my own biz and work from home, so I have a bit more flexibility when it comes to my schedule, but for those with 9-5s in a slump, consider getting your toughest work done when you have the most energy and saving your administrative (or low-energy) tasks for when you’re feeling your slumpiest. 

Use your energy effectively!

3. Give yourself a little leeway

Sometimes when you’re in a slump, powering through makes sense and may even be mandatory (see above). 

But in the times that you can be gentle with yourself, do so.

Give yourself a little leeway.

Here’s how I gave myself leeway during my month-long slump:

• I took the afternoon off if I truly felt I couldn’t get anything done.
• I allowed myself the chance to be a little bit lazy on the couch.
• I took naps.

On some days, I did the very bare minimum, and that was that.

I’m not especially proud to admit that, but it’s true, and I’m guessing I’m not the only one who has ever felt this way.

4. Recognize that this feeling won’t last forever (even if it feels that way)

When you’re in a slump, whether it has to do with work or your personal life, it can often feel like there’s no way out.

I consider myself as somewhat of a productivity nerd, and I tried every trick in the book, to no avail. 

So at some point, as the days and weeks dragged on, I reminded myself that this too shall pass.

I won’t feel this way forever, and my motivation will return.

See ya later, slump

And guess what? It took a bit longer than I’d prefer, but this week, I started to turn a corner. 

I started to feel excited again. 

I eagerly jumped on new business calls. I powered through my to-do list. I busted my way through my various inboxes. I even dusted off the old blog (hello, thank you for reading!)

And while this slump is over for now, I know that one day in the future I’ll face a slump like this one again. This time though, I’ll be ready for it.

(Wow. That felt really good! I guess I’m back.)

Tell me about your worst slump! Let me hear it in the comments below.

The post How to Survive a Slump in Your Business (Or Your Life) appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Tim and I are heading to Australia for a wedding, making stops in San Francisco and Hawaii on our way across the globe. 

This vacation has been in the works for more than a year, and I’m beyond excited to explore corners of the world I’ve only ever dreamed about.

But preparing for a massive trip like this — and preparing to take time away from my business has been complex and stressful. Because here’s the thing: We’re going to be gone for awhile.

In total, we’ll be gone for three weeks (or 16 business days).

This is the longest trip I’ve ever taken — and it’s certainly the longest I’ve ever been away from work, especially since starting JL&Co.

I have to admit: The idea of taking several weeks away from the business I’ve built from the ground up for the last three years is pretty terrifying.

But! It’s also really exciting! And totally possible. 

Is it possible to take an extended period of time off from your business?

Before we booked the trip, I asked myself a lot of tough questions:

• Can I really take three full weeks off of work?
• Will my clients care?
• Will I lose a client or potential work because of this decision?
• Should I maybe work just a little while I’m away?
• Is it really possible for me to get ahead on work so that I can truly enjoy my travels?

And as I worked through the answers to my questions, I came to a few important conclusions:

• Yes! I run my own business. I can do anything I want. That’s why you started this business in the first place, Jessica.
• Maybe, but not if I give clients enough notice and get my work done.
• Again, maybe, but if I lost a client or potential work because of this trip, is that really a client I’d want to work with anyway? Probably not.
• No, I shouldn’t work while I’m away. The whole point of this trip is to unplug and see the world.
• Yes! With planning and coordination.

So yes, it IS possible to take time away from your business, but it certainly requires detailed planning and a whole lot of work upfront. 

Am I really not going to work?

When I tell friends and colleagues about my trip, the #1 question I get is: Are you really not going to work for three full weeks?

My answer? That’s the plan!

When I depart, my pre-vacation to-do list will be complete, and anything I’ve promised clients ahead of my trip will have been delivered. 

And yes, as a business owner, there’s always something more I can be doing, but it’s really important for me to take this time to unplug and recharge.

If I work, it’s going to be because I choose to — not because I have to.

Since we’re traveling quite a long distance and have many long flights (I’m already dreading our 26-hour travel day on the way home), I’m sure I’ll be tempted to fire up my laptop at some point during the three weeks. And I’m hopeful that my travels will inspire — so if I feel the urge to blog, I’m going to do that.

But I’m not going to be working because anyone told me to — or because anyone expects me to. 

It feels good leaving JL&Co HQ knowing that clients aren’t waiting on me for anything until I return.

4 ways I’ve prepared to take three weeks off from my business

I’ve always been an organized person, but preparing for three weeks away from JL&Co has brought out a level of organization in me I didn’t know was possible.

Here are four ways I’ve prepared for my time away from the business.

1. Plan ahead (like really far ahead)

I began planning for my time out of the office about three months ahead of my March departure date.

To get organized and start to develop a plan, I created a simple Google doc titled “Jessica in Australia.”

I noted the business dates I’d be out of the office and listed out each of my clients. For each client, I made a list of all of my daily, weekly and monthly duties. I then separated those duties into tasks that could be completed before my trip and tasks that had to be done in the moment that would need to be delegated to a team member.

Here’s what my plan looked like for my largest content management client: 

Can be completed ahead:

• Scheduling blog posts 
• Scheduling social media for scheduled blog posts 
• Complete Q1 case studies and customer profiles

Can’t be completed ahead:

• Biweekly newsletter 
• Social media management 
• Alerting the team to new blog posts published each day with a prepared Click to Tweet to share
• Monthly report 

After I developed this plan for each of my clients, I spoke to my team to see where they might be able to help and fill in the gaps for the items that I knew would need to get done in the moment while I’m away.

2. Notify your clients — and then tell them again

Once I completed step #1 above, it was time to let my clients know about my trip! 

My goal in reaching out to each client was to let them know the dates I’d be away, but more importantly to include a plan of action so they’d be confident in knowing that our work together would continue even in my absence. I wanted to quell any worries or concerns they might have about me being away from the office for a longer period of time.

I notified each of my clients two full months out from my trip. Here’s an example of the email I sent to the same client as above: 

Hi X team,

I’m reaching out today to let you know of upcoming dates I’ll be off the grid due to travel. I’m taking a big, longer-than-normal trip this year to Australia (!) so I wanted to reach out with ample time for preparing and planning, so our work together continues seamlessly in my absence. 

I’ll be off the grid XX- XX, returning to the office on XX.

I’ve detailed out below our regular work together, noting what Team JL&Co plans to complete ahead of my departure and the items my team will continue working on with the X team while I’m away.

This email is meant to be a starting point for our discussion, and I’m confident with the processes we have in place, and the great relationships between our two teams that we’ll be good to go come March.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks so much!

I was pleasantly surprised by the reactions of each of my clients. (I don’t know why I was so surprised — they’re all amazing people, and that’s why I’ve chosen to work with them.)

Each client told me how awesome they thought it was that I was taking deserved time away and wished me a great trip.

Two weeks before my trip, I reached out to each client on the same email chain with a reminder of the dates I’d be away + status update on the items we were working to complete before my departure.

The most important thing here is to keep your clients in the know. No one will ever be angry that you over-communicated, but they will be angry if you assume they know something and they don’t. 

I’ll plan to do one final check-in a couple days before I leave just to close the loop before I officially go off the grid.

3. Work ahead where you can

Since this trip was a long-time coming, I’ve had ample time to plan for my time away, meaning I’ve had the luxury of working ahead.

Luckily, much of the work me and my team do centers around content management and development, which requires a lot of planning anyway. We write blog posts for clients and when we’re not doing the writing ourselves, we work with freelance writers editing and preparing their work. 

Because I knew I’d need to plan editorial calendars for March/April, I started scheduling earlier than usual in December and January, rather than waiting until February or so like I’d normally do. I let our regular writers know I’d be away and I’d be looking for them to submit their work early, giving them time to plan and meet their deadlines. 

Once I had their work in early, I tried to always get a couple days ahead of scheduling than I normally do, eventually allowing me to have scheduled out a whole month of content. 

(Side note: I’m pretty proud of the fact that for one client I scheduled out 20+ blog posts for the time I’ll be away!)

Of course, there are some projects that aren’t as easy to plan ahead for, so I’ve also had to be flexible. Case in point: I took on a two-month consulting project toward the end of the year that had to be squeezed into one month due to the government shutdown. The completion date of the project bumps right up to my departure date, which isn’t ideal, but we’re making it work.

4. Trust your team and processes

Yes, going on a longer vacation is possible, but it also requires having successful people, systems and processes in place already.

First, I’m incredibly lucky to have an incredible team member in Rachel, who has made it possible for my business to grow far bigger and faster than I ever thought possible. Knowing Rachel is at the helm while I’m gone, and trusting her fully, makes it way easier for me to step away.

And second, Team JL&Co has spent the last few years honing processes and even put a few new ones into effect just this year to make it possible for me to take this time away. It feels good to have team members and processes in place that allow me to get away without having to worry about the business suffering in my absence

So yes, full disclosure: Three years ago when I just started JL&Co, I never would have been able to take this type of trip, but now, with the right processes and people in place, I can.

Bon voyage, JL&Co! See you in three weeks!

So with that, I’m ready.

I look forward to turning off my email notifications, removing Slack from my phone and powering down my MacBook for three weeks.

I know JL&Co will continue to chug along while I’m away — and I look forward to returning with a clear and inspired mind, ready to take on whatever the rest of 2019 brings.

Have you ever taken a longer than normal trip or time away from your business? I’d love to hear how you made it work! Leave your tips in the comments below.

The post Here’s How I Prepared to Take 3 Weeks Off From My Business (Yes, It’s Possible!) appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

It was a labor of love, with lots of moving parts. 

A major part of the redesign and rebranding included taking updated photos of myself to include on the new site. After all, the headshot that appeared on the side bar of my old website was from 2012 (!)

As I worked on the redesign, it was important to me to have recent photos that coincided with the overall look, feel and vibe of my website and business. Imagery can be super powerful, and I knew that having warm, welcoming and professional photos would help invite blog readers and potential clients in.

While showing up for an hour-long photo shoot is a breeze, coordinating a photography session requires research and preparation. If you’re planning a photo shoot of your own, whether it’s for your business, blog or social media accounts, follow this guide to make sure you you leave the experience with photos you love.

Choosing the right photographer 

While I’ve worked with many talented photographers over the years, for this particular shoot I was looking for something very specific.

Enter Brian James Photo Studio. 

I met Brian at the gym, and we became fast friends bonding over our similar entrepreneurial lifestyles, and the ability to take a break in the middle of the work day for a workout. Over the course of getting to know Brian, he’d tell me stories about his photography — from shooting weddings to the most adorable newborn shoots and family sessions, I knew right away Brian was a true talent.

Then he told me about his in-home studio in Chestnut Hill where he captures all kinds of headshots and lifestyle shoots.

Bingo!

I shared with Brian my vision for the photos, and right away he understood exactly what I wanted. We decided to move forward and work together. 

If you don’t already have a Brian in your life, when choosing a photographer, Brian advises asking around for referrals. He says it’s important to get a recommendation from a trusted loved one or friend to get their personal opinion on what it’s like working with a particular photographer.

Finding the right photographer also includes making sure it’s a personality fit and that you feel comfortable with this person. 

“Personality is super important. It’s a really intimate relationship. Sometimes I feel I learn more about someone in an hour of shooting than people they’ve been friends with for a long time,” Brian says.  “You want to feel comfortable.”

I can attest — it is intimate! I had to trust and rely on Brian to get up close and personal making sure my hair was in place, my outfits were sitting properly and to help guide me into poses that worked well on camera. 

Take the time to choose the right photographer. You’ll be glad you did when you get back photos you can’t wait to share with the world.

Preparing for photo shoot day

You can’t just show up on photo shoot day and expect to have amazing photos taken! It requires a little bit of pre-work.

Here’s what Brian and I recommend.

Nail down (and communicate) your vibe

Before even figuring out which photographer I wanted to work with, I spent a lot of time browsing Instagram, Pinterest and other business owner and blogger websites to get an idea of what kind of photos I connected with. 

I noticed I loved photos that were light, airy, simple, uncluttered and cheerful.

When someone looks at my photos, I want them to feel warm and welcoming vibes. And even though I’m the founder and CEO of a business, I wanted the photos on my site to be a bit more casual, and more reflective of my personality, rather than a typical, stuffy headshot. After all, you’ll never catch me in a suit jacket — just saying. 

So as I researched, I created a Pinterest board of photos I loved to share with Brian to help communicate my vision.

One thing to keep in mind though? Explain to your photographer what you want, but manage your expectations.

“When you’re online or on Pinterest, it’s great to have an idea, but don’t expect an exact copy,” advises Brian. “If someone’s a good photographer, they should be able to tell you what can and cannot be done.”

Heres my Pinterest board of photos that I shared with Brian:

Brian says in addition to showing your photographer other photos you love, talk to them about your expectations and the final product you need.

“Explain the purpose of the photos to your photographer. For example, if a lawyer came to me and said, ‘I love Jess’s photos. I want something like that,’ I’d advise against it. I don’t think I’d have them sitting on the floor laughing with a computer. The photos would need to have a different feeling.”

Listen to your photographer’s suggestions

You hired a photographer for a reason, right?

They’re the expert! Let them tell you what to do.

Before my session, Brian sent me a super helpful email detailing what I should know before the shoot, how to prepare and what to bring, all the way down to the dirty details with super specific suggestions on wardrobe, jewelry, hair and makeup. 

Having that information upfront let this Type A gal feel fully prepared for the day.

Prepare your wardrobe

Ah, the toughest part of the process for me! Figuring out what to wear. 

Here’s the thing: Clothes you love on a normal basis may not photograph well (and on the flip side, a shirt that seems normal or boring in everyday life might look fantastic in a photo).

Case in point: I did a shoot two years ago and ran to the mall the morning of to find something to wear. I picked out an adorable fall dress from Francesca’s. I felt cute, flirty and fun in the dressing room.

I got the photos back and was shocked to see that the dress was way more low-cut than I saw in the mirror, especially when sitting for photographs. I felt uncomfortable with how revealing the photos turned out and sadly couldn’t really use them anywhere.

So this time around I relied on Brian for his wardrobe guidance. Prior to our session, I sent him photos of my possible outfits and he offered helpful feedback.

“If your photographer allows, send them pictures of the clothes you want to wear so they can give their expert opinion,” says Brian.

On top of that, I brought a TON of options over to his studio so I could try things on and get his opinion and even take a few test shots to see how certain outfits looked on camera. It was an added bonus that Brian had a separate dressing room in his studio for all of my clothes and hair/makeup touchups. 

When it comes to picking out clothes for a shoot, Brian says to dress the part (i.e. how you would normally dress for the occasion you’re shooting for). He recommends avoiding logos or distracting patterns. 

“Less is more,” offers Brian. “A natural polished look is really the best.”

And he was totally right. Know which photos turned out to be my favorites? Photos of me wearing a boring, tan colored top that I almost didn’t bring with me to the shoot. 

What to do on the day of your photo shoot

Okay, so the day of your photo shoot is finally here.

You have a vision in mind and an armful of possible outfits. Now what?

On the day of my photo shoot I followed my normal routine and worked out in the morning — getting a workout in helped me get in the right mindset for the shoot. 

I also scheduled a blowout for about an hour before my shoot. I’m not the best at doing my own hair, so I relied on an expert to ensure my hair looked great (but still natural) for my photos.

And don’t forget to eat and hydrate! And by hydrate, I mean with water I asked Brian if I could have a glass of wine to get more comfortable and he advised me that even one glass of wine could impact the way my eyes looked in photos. Who knew?! No wine until after the photo shoot!

But most importantly? Have fun! According to Brian, “It really makes a huge difference if you come in with a positive attitude looking forward to being there.”

And have fun we did! Brian eased me into the session with a bit of conversation (obviously we already know each other so the personal connection was already there) and a quick look at my outfits. He had a few “sets” and props ready for me including a cozy chair, sheer curtains with natural sunlight shining through, flowers and more. We switched up backdrops and sets, along with outfits and tested out various poses while listening to upbeat music.

I did a whole lot of “fake” laughing, smiling with teeth, smiling without teeth, looking at my laptop, looking away from the camera. We tried it all!

Every so often Brian would show me a sneak peek on his camera of what he was capturing. Seeing the photos right away helped me feel confident in knowing we were getting exactly what I wanted. And as soon as we had what I deemed my “hero image” (the main photo you see when you land on JessicaLawlor.com), I immediately relaxed and had more fun with the rest of the shoot.

The entire shoot took about an hour and a half, though Brian says most sessions like mine typically take an hour. 

Oh, and after the shoot? I was exhausted! Smiling for two hours straight made me want to take a nap.

After the photo shoot

A few days after the shoot Brian sent me over a sampling of my photos! What an exciting email to land in my inbox.

Depending on who you work with, your photographer may narrow down the photos for you or may send over hundreds of photos to review. Brian had thankfully narrowed down my bunch. I don’t need to stare at 1,000 photos of myself, no thank you!

What Brian sent over was the untouched photos, and from there I chose about 15 that I wanted Brian to edit for me. He then spent time editing and touching up the photos so they were website and sharing-ready.

Here’s the funny thing: at a photo shoot, your photographer will take hundreds of photos of you, yet you’ll probably only end up using 5-10 of the photos. Out of the 15 Brian retouched, I’ve shared/used probably 6 or 7 of the photos. 

And remember, when you share a photo on social media, be sure to tag your wonderful photographer to give them credit and let your friends and followers make new connections.

Good to know

If you live in the Philadelphia area or find yourself traveling through the region, I highly recommend working with Brian.

Here’s the details you need to know:

Brian James Photo Studio
Chestnut Hill, PA
Get in touch with Brian

Disclosure: Brian and I partnered together on this post, and I received my photo shoot and photos for free. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Have you ever done a photo shoot? Have any additional tips for finding a photographer or preparing for a shoot? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

The post A Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for a Photo Shoot for your Business, Blog or Brand appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

If you’re anything like me, I bet there are a handful of emails lingering that you’ve been meaning to reply to. And I’m also willing to bet you check your email multiple times a day. 

While I wish I could tell you I’m one of those disciplined people who only check email at certain times of the day, if I did, I’d definitely be lying. That’s just not me.

But here’s my big confession: I love email! (No really, I love it.)

While I know email is often a list of other people’s requests for your time, energy and knowledge, I see each new email in my inbox as an opportunity.

My inbox is full of possibility — new client inquiries, speaking invitations, blog comments, newsletter replies, useful resources from other bloggers and business owners. Most times when I check my email, I’m excited to see what’s inside.

A few weeks ago, the team over at The Gmail Genius reached out to me (Via email! Lol. Pun intended!) to ask if I’d be willing to share how I email. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to explain why I love email + the tools and processes I use to make managing my inbox more manageable. 

How I email

Because I run my own communications consulting business, I have multiple email accounts: my personal email, business email, university email for my role as an adjunct instructor and two client email accounts.

That’s five inboxes, total. (Yes, sometimes it feels like my head is spinning.)

I check my email multiple times a day, often toggling between the five accounts. It can get a little overwhelming, but I enjoy switching between multiple “roles” throughout my work day. It keeps things interesting!

Here’s my process: I always keep my personal and business email account open on my laptop (one on a Safari tab and the other on Chrome), and then check the three other accounts throughout the day as needed when I’m working on something for that particular client or role.

I also use the Gmail app on my phone, which allows me to easily switch between accounts. I only use the iPhone email app for my personal email, which to be honest, is probably my least important email account. 

5 tips for managing your inbox

Want to love checking email again? Here are my five top tips staying sane while managing a bustling inbox. 

1. Let each inbox serve a purpose

Whether you realize it or not, you probably have multiple email accounts too. At the very minimum, I’m assuming you have around two — a personal email and a work email. It can get confusing, so aim to let each inbox serve a purpose. 

Each of my inboxes has a very specific purpose, and I check them at times that make sense in my work day.

For example, while I have my personal email account open all day, I rarely need to check it during the work day because nothing important work-wise comes through to that inbox.

And while I have dedicated email accounts for two different clients, I only need to be in those inboxes when I’m working on that particular account.

Five inboxes sounds like a lot, but I primarily spend my days in just two or three of the accounts at any given time. And that’s because I’ve compartmentalized my email life, making it easy for me to understand what I should be doing in each inbox.

2. Set boundaries around checking email

If you’re guilty of checking email too often as I am, it may be time to set some boundaries.

Even for a self-proclaimed email lover like me, it can definitely overwhelm and take me away from important tasks if I’m not careful.

I used to be guilty of immediately checking email as soon as I woke up, but I’ve done a good job lately of not checking email in bed — I realize that nothing good comes from starting my day in that manner. I also am pretty good about not checking email in the evenings — as a business owner, it can be tempting to work around the clock, but I really do try to disconnect for a few hours each night to give my brain some space. I’m still working on setting boundaries around not checking email while in the middle of an important work task. 

Are there times of day that you can avoid your inbox? Can you vow to start your day without opening your email in bed? See what works for your schedule and your job, but set some sort of boundary for yourself.

3. Make Gmail’s filter + skip the inbox your new best friend

I’m a huge fan of Gmail’s filter email + skip the inbox function.

Here’s an example. I love email newsletters. I subscribe to a bunch, and enjoy the updates, but I realized that my inbox was full of emails that weren’t critical to my life, career or business at that very moment. Those emails were making it difficult to see what actually needed replying to and what could wait.

I started filtering these emails to a certain folder and have them skip the inbox completely (easily done through Gmail!). All newsletters go to my “E-Newsletter” folder, which I check when I choose to dedicate time to browsing my favorite newsletters.

Pro tip: I also use this strategy for ALL shopping/promotional emails, meaning I literally never see a shopping email unless I dip into my shopping folder. Added bonus? I save money by not spending based on the temptations waiting for me in my inbox (I see you there, Old Navy!) and only check the folder when I’m planning to shop and am looking for a coupon or deal.

4. Create a canned response for everything

Find yourself writing a variation of the same email over and over again?

Maybe it’s a template email you use to respond to a brand who has expressed interest in working with you, or the copy you use when a prospective client reaches out. Maybe it’s a common question you get asked at work or an email you send every time you need to schedule a meeting.

Instead of typing out a variation of the same response over and over again, you need Canned Responses.

Canned Responses, a feature from Google Labs, allows you to save that template in your email and click one button to have the content populate when you’re ready to reply.

I especially use canned responses for my content management clients to respond quickly to emails from freelance writers sending pitches for the blogs I run + I use it for when prospective clients reach out to JL&Co to gather some basic information.

5. Let email benefit you (and your business)

Did you ever stop to think about the fact that each email you send is a free and wonderful marketing tool?

Here are two of my favorite ways to leverage email as a personal branding opportunity.

Use your email signature to the fullest. I use my email signature as an opportunity to direct traffic to my website, blog and social channels. That sounds like a lot of links (and it is), but it’s designed in a way that makes it easy to find the link you might be most interested in. You can also change your email signature each time you have something new to promote. Think of it as something that’s ever-changing, rather than a static email signature.

Your out of office autoresponder is an amazing tool for personal branding. Instead of the standard, “I will be out of the office until X date”, don’t be afraid to get a little more creative and personal. Here’s an example from when I recently visited the UK for the Philadelphia Eagles game (You can see my email signature there, too!)

You’ll notice I sprinkle in a little bit of personality by sharing where I’m going (I realize this won’t always be appropriate) and a bit about my favorite team. I also use my out of office message as an opportunity to drive traffic back to my website — in this case, two recent blog posts. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about my out of office messages!

Make email work for you

If you lament about your overflowing inbox or the email from December you haven’t gotten around to (I’m guilty myself!) it’s time to change your attitude and processes around email. 

By spending more time in your inbox this week making a few key changes, you’ll save yourself time in your inbox in the long run + gain back more sanity.

Oh! And with that, I’d love for you to send me an email. I promise to reply! Because like I said, I really do love email.

How do you email? Have any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Drop them in the comments below!

Photo via Unsplash

The post Unpopular Opinion: I Love Email and Here’s Why appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Three years ago on February 1, 2016, I woke up slightly terrified and insanely excited to chase my dream of starting a business.

My life is wildly different now as a business owner than when I worked a 9-5 job. My days aren’t perfect or stress-free by any means, but I feel lucky that I get to design a career and life of my choosing.

Each year on my business anniversary, I like to reflect on the day in 2015 that I quit my PR job, and the scary, yet exhilarating weeks and months that followed as I introduced JL&Co to the world.

A look back at year three in business

You know I love to spill all (transparency’s kinda my thing), and I’m doing just that in this post.

See an income breakdown of how we earned money in 2018, the clients we loved working with, big moments that defined the year and what’s to come in year four.

Read on for the annual State of JL&Co.

How did JL&Co make money?

Here’s an income breakdown of how exactly JL&Co earned an income in the third year in business. 

Some thoughts and reflections on how we earned money in 2018:

• • I set a financial goal to earn six figures ($100K) in 2018, and unfortunately, we fell just short of that goal. However, I’m proud that we did earn slightly more than we did in 2017, so I consider it a win. Slow growth is still growth. And while I felt a little discouraged by not hitting my goal, I’m giving it another go, and I’ve set the same $100K goal for 2019. Here we go again!
  • For the third year in a row, content management is JL&Co’s top service at almost 60%. Wow! I’m thrilled to see this area of the business growing, as this is the direction I see JL&Co moving in the future. I look forward to increasing this percentage even more in 2019, and hopefully bringing on another big content management client.
  • JL&Co’s PR offerings grew in 2018. We welcomed a few new PR clients and projects which helped increase our PR breakdown to 18.2%, up from 12.3% in 2018. 
  • I set a goal to write more in 2018, and write more I did! We increased writing services this year to 12% from 9% last year. Part of this goal was to earn more bylines (I did a lot of writing for The Penny Hoarder and Craft Your Content) and to continue working with some of my steady content marketing clients like Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Temple Dental.
  • Interestingly, I did no one-on-one consulting in year three of business! I did a bit of one-on-one consulting last year (accounting for less than 1%) and while I enjoy it, it definitely takes up more time for less money than working longer-term with a bigger client. 
  • I’m teaching even less yoga than I did before. When I first started JL&Co, I taught 5-6 classes/week, then last year dropped down to one class. I love teaching yoga, but to be honest, it’s not super lucrative and since I don’t envision myself ever teaching yoga full-time, it doesn’t make sense to teach more than 1-2 classes/week. I’m very happy teaching one class a week to keep my foot in the door and get my weekly fix of teaching just for fun.
  • The blog earned some money in 2018! Between a fun partnership with the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board and affiliate marketing, the blog began bringing in some cash in 2018. 
  • I did my first paid speaking engagement in 2018. I absolutely love speaking to groups and have done many engagements over the years for various reasons, but in 2018, I got paid to speak to a group, and it was awesome. 
  • I taught a PR Writing class at Temple again in the fall! It was so fun to get back in the classroom, and as an added bonus, I met my newest team member Olivia through the class. I’ll be back in the classroom again this fall.

Clients JL&Co worked with in 2018

Curious about the types of clients JL&Co worked with in 2018? Here’s a sampling of the clients we worked with in year three.

Content management:

Content management is truly what JL&Co does best. In 2018, we continued our work with long-time clients Muck Rack and The Write Life. In addition to managing both blogs, JL&Co helps with case studies, ebooks, email marketing and affiliate marketing.

• Muck Rack
• The Write Life

Public relations:

Excitingly, JL&Co brought on two new PR clients in 2018, in addition to continuing our relationship with Pennsbury Manor. We had a blast promoting the Mercer Museum’s racing exhibit and welcoming Houwzer, a super cool real estate startup that’s changing the way people buy and sell homes. 

• Pennsbury Manor
• Houwzer
• Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle

Writing:

As I mentioned in the income breakdown, it was fun to get back into writing, and adding some new bylines to my growing portfolio. 

• Cancer Treatment Centers of America
• Temple Dental
• Digital Ink
• The Penny Hoarder
• Craft Your Content

Blog/Brand:

Growing up in Montgomery County, it truly was such a thrill to have the opportunity to explore my own backyard with the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board through our partnership. Check out my winter getaway and spring getaway here.

• Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board

Big moments for JL&Co in year three

Year three was filled with highs and lows.

There were some major business and life-changing moments in year three of running JL&Co. Whether they had me over-the-moon excited or fraught with anxiety, these are the moments that defined JL&Co in 2018.

• The new JessicaLawlor.com launched in the fall! This little labor of love was a long time coming. Rebrands are challenging, filled with many tough decisions and lots of hard work, but I am so proud of the final result. And guess what? The site seems to be working! We already landed a new client, courtesy of the site redesign. I can’t say enough about my designer Michaela from Beachside Studio — she truly brought my vision to life. And also, as part of the process, I worked with my amazing friend and talented photographer Brian James on the photos you see throughout the site. It was such a relief to finally check this massive project off my list!
• I took three vacations. I know it might seem strange to include going on vacation in a blog post about my business, but I promise it’s not. Taking time away as a business owner isn’t easy (Hello, Type A control freak over here), but it’s incredibly important to take time away to decompress. In 2018, I enjoyed a trip to Punta Cana with my family in January, Jamaica with Tim in May and an unexpected visit to London in the fall to visit my sister after she moved there over the summer. And this year? I’m preparing to take THREE full weeks away from my business in March as Tim and I embark on our biggest trip yet — San Francisco, Hawaii and Australia! It feels good to have team members and processes in place that allow me to get away without having to worry about the business suffering in my absence. I know JL&Co will continue to chug along while I’m away — and I look forward to returning with a clear and inspired mind.
• Team JL&Co honed in on our core services. The website redesign process forced me to take a hard look at JL&Co’s services. As I tried to explain to Michaela the different parts of the business, she seemed confused and had many questions. PR, content, blogging, social media, teaching yoga, speaking. I realized we were trying to do too much and trying to be too many different things. By clarifying our services (content management, content development and PR), we’ve been able to increase our work with current clients and bring on new clients that align better with our future goals. Plus, I’m more easily able to explain to people succinctly what it is that we do, so that’s a bonus.
• Taking on the wrong client led to two of the worst weeks I’ve experienced in business so far. In 2018 I got a little bit too excited and started chasing money, rather than chasing the right opportunities. There were a few scenarios in year three, one in particular, where I really paid the price when I didn’t listen to my gut and ignored the glaring red flags that were right in front of my face. This client experience led to the two most stressful, tear-filled weeks I’ve experienced since starting JL&Co. (Thank goodness I had the foresight to take this client on as a two-week test project to start, giving me an easy out when things started going downhill.) This experience was eye-opening, but had a happy ending! The free time I gained back from parting ways with this client gave me the space to pursue a summer of passion projects (including this website redesign). It all worked out the way it should have, and I learned a very valuable lesson, but it was definitely painful in the moment.
• I started setting realistic expectations for prospects/clients. Every year in business, I grow more and more confident in what I do and how I talk about my services and money with prospects and clients. This year, I implemented a pre-qualification questionnaire that I ask potential clients to fill out before we even get on the phone to discuss working together. I’m also getting comfortable sharing ballpark budget for a project before spending time writing a proposal. This helps me to eliminate clients who might not be a good fit right away, rather than wasting time on the phone or worse — time spent writing a proposal. I’ve also done a good job this year developing a consistent onboarding process for new clients that allows me to set realistic expectations for how our partnership will go upfront.

My favorite posts about running a business from year three

I write A LOT here on the blog about running a business.

Here are five of my favorite posts I wrote last year about entrepreneurship.

1. Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Business

2. 3 Reasons I Knew It Was The Right Time To Quit My Job and Start My Business

3. The Smartest Decision I’ve Made as a Business Owner: Hiring a Team Member

4. The Complete List of Tools I Use to Run My Blog and Business

5. A Complete Guide to Writing a Business Proposal (And Landing More Clients)

Cheers to year four!

With year three in the books, I’m excited to turn my attention to year four. 

My first year in business was about survival — can I make this work? In year two, I figured out yes, I can make this work, but I dealt with a lot of mental ups and downs. Year three was all about growth and taking things to the next level.

What will year four bring? 

In year four, I look forward to continuing to grow the team, bringing on new clients (if that’s you, get in touch!) and getting more processes and project management tools in place. 

I can’t wait to see what happens, and I’m grateful to have you along for the ride. So with that, I’d like to say thank you.

Thank you to:

• My clients who trust me and my team with their important work.
• My team, Rachel and Olivia, for their passion and dedication to JL&Co.
• My family and Tim for their unending love and support.
• My friends, including all of you wonderful readers who stay up-to-date with what I’m up to here on the blog or on social media. 

As I do every year, I’ll leave you with my absolute favorite quote — the one I come back to time and time again.

“Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them.” 

The post The State of Jessica Lawlor & Company: A Look Back at Year Three in Business appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

“I made you a video,” Michaela wrote. I clicked the link, curious as to why she’d be sending me a video. 

I was greeted with a 10-minute video from Michaela expressing her excitement at beginning our work together, reviewing the calendar she’d set up to keep us organized and running through the project timeline. In the video, Michaela shared her screen, walking me through her project management tool Asana and our shared redesign calendar.

After viewing the video, I was BLOWN. AWAY. It was so simple, yet at the same time incredibly effective. The video was such a warm, friendly and personable way to kick off what would typically be a pretty straightforward project.

Immediately, I wanted to know more about the tool she used to create the video, and I started brainstorming ways I could utilize quick videos for my own business.

I discovered Michaela was using a FREE (yes, free!) tool called Loom.

Meet Loom

Have you ever sent a really long email or a document with lots of to-dos and action items? Me! Almost every day!

I’m especially guilty of procrastinating assigning complicated projects to my team that require a long email or lots of typing. Sometimes the idea of having to explain a project hinders me from actually delegating it. (I’m working on that this year.)

According to Loom, for every 10 seconds of video you record, it is equivalent to 81 seconds of typing. Therefore, Loom allows you to save a ton of time normally spent typing, and instead use voice and video to get your message across quickly and efficiently. 

Loom offers a few different options. You can:

• Record your screen and camera. (A little box with your face appears in the corner.)
• Screen only (This is my favorite option! I mean, hello, I do work from home often in my PJs, so I’m typically not
  “camera ready.”)
• Camera only

Here’s the other great part about Loom: Email can sometimes come across as cold or at the very least, sterile, right? When you use Loom, you use your voice, so you’re able to more effectively project warmth and showcase personality.

*Note: Loom is free, but it looks like they’ll be offering a paid version — LoomPro — later in 2019.

4 ways I’ve been using Loom

Since I learned about Loom a few months ago, I’ve had a blast figuring out new and useful ways I can implement Loom into what we do at JL&Co.

Here are four of my favorite ways to use Loom.

1. To walk prospective clients through proposals

Typically when I send a prospective client a proposal to work together, I deliver the proposal as a PDF via email.

[Curious about how to write a proposal to land more clients? Check out this handy tutorial.]

Now, I’ve added a new step to the process, creating a quick Loom video walking through the proposal to share more context. I’ll open up the proposal, click record, greet the potential client, tell them how excited I am to potentially work together and walk through the proposal as if we were sitting in a meeting together. Because my proposals are typically pretty cut and dry — scope of work is outlined in neat, bullet points, creating a video gives me the chance to add color commentary and explain more than I could in a document.

The videos are short — typically 3-6 minutes — but they’re effective. I find that letting prospective clients hear my voice while explaining our credentials and outlining services and pricing showcases more personality and creates a more warm and inviting experience.

Oh, and it’s working! Already one prospective client responded, “This looks great, LOVE the video walk through by the way.”

That prospect? Now a client.

2. To show current clients a process or explain a project

As I got started on a complex email sequencing project for one of my content management clients, I struggled with how to explain to my client via a single email my thoughts and recommendations.

After using Loom successfully to deliver a proposal, I thought, why not use it with a current client?

I fired up Loom and sent off a quick video, easily switching between the tabs I had open to show my client our current sequence in Mailchimp and a document I had created to explain what I wanted to do. 

Creating a video took what could have been a confusing back and forth over email and turned it into a very simply, easy-to-understand conversation leading to a clear outcome. Plus, my client was impressed with the tool, too!

3. To communicate more effectively with my team

Since my team is remote, we don’t always have the luxury of meeting in person or jumping on the phone anytime we need to discuss a project.

So now I’m using Loom to communicate with Team JL&Co.

Instead of sending a long drawn out email with tasks, assignments and to-dos, I’m creating quick videos to share updates on client projects, assign projects and detail out next steps.

The videos are quick — I aim to keep them under eight or so minutes. After all, I don’t want to create more work for my team members or inconvenience, recognizing that reading text is quicker than watching a video.

Since we’ve started using Loom, I’ve found myself staying more on top of keeping my team in-the-know,.

4. To build a training library for JL&Co

As JL&Co continues to grow, it’s only going to become more challenging to train and ensure team members understand processes.

So we’re using Loom to build a library of videos of how to complete important tasks for our clients and the JL&Co brand. Think: how to schedule social media for Client A, how to lay out Client B’s newsletter, how to create a case study for Client C.

We have a Google document titled “JL&Co Loom Library” and as we complete tasks we do time and time again, we’re turning on Loom to walk/talk through the process.

This way, when we eventually grow and bring on more team members, we’ll save time onboarding knowing that we’ve already created valuable training resources that a new team member can watch on their own. Or, if the task needs to be re-delegated to someone else, we all have access to the same materials. 

Other ways to use Loom

There are so many other ways to use Loom that I haven’t even explored yet. Here are some more ideas:

• Record a presentation or webinar (When I traveled to London and missed teaching one of my night classes, I recorded a lecture via Loom for my students)
• Develop training materials
• Share updates back and forth with team members
• Make a big company announcement
• Utilize as a way to welcome new clients or customers
• Send a thank you message

How could you utilize Loom in your business or job? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

Photo via Unsplash

The post Meet Loom, The Free Tool That’s Changing The Way I Run My Business appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

I sometimes find myself so deep in the weeds, I don’t always look at the big picture.

I walked away from JL&Co’s second annual retreat/planning day earlier this week with some major revelations about the future of the business. The team (Now three people strong! Welcome, Olivia!) had the chance to celebrate our successes, reflect on our shortcomings and look toward what the future holds.

It was also a huge wakeup call that some major changes need to take place if JL&Co is going to continue to grow and thrive as we move into our fourth year in business. 

3 changes coming to JL&Co 

Time for some change! Here are three big changes I’m making to JL&Co this year.

1. I’m prioritizing delegation

This is my motto for 2019 and beyond: Just because I can do it doesn’t mean I should do it.

As the founder and CEO of JL&Co, there’s a lot more I could be doing but I’m not because I’m busy taking care of tasks that could easily be transitioned to a more than capable member of the team.

At the time, it feels easier to just complete a task myself, especially if it’s something that takes 30 minutes or less. It’s no big deal, I tell myself.

But it is a big deal. It’s insanely counterproductive. And it’s costing me time and money.

It’s been a struggle to get out of the solopreneur mindset and into the mindset of a team leader. 

What’s the point of having a team if I’m not utilizing them to the fullest? After all, I chose both of my current team members because of their awesome skillsets, creativity and passion. I trust them. 

Here’s how I plan to prioritize delegation:

• We’re building a training library. The whole team is utilizing Loom (my absolute favorite new tool!) to walk through and screen record tasks we complete repeatedly. (Think: how to schedule social media for Client A, how to lay out Client B’s newsletter, how to create a case study for Client C). We’re slowly building a library of videos of how to complete important tasks for our clients and the JL&Co brand. This way, when we eventually grow and bring on more team members, we’ll save time onboarding knowing that we’ve already created valuable training resources. Or, if the task needs to be re-delegated to someone else, we all have access to the same materials. Yes, this definitely might feel annoying at first, and it’s going to take time in the moment to complete, but knowing that it will seriously save time in the long run is making this project more palatable. 
• I’m planning ahead. Like way ahead. I typically plan my to-dos and calendar week-by-week. On a Friday afternoon, I’ll sit down and take a look at the following week and draft my to-do list. This has worked well, but as the team continues to grow, I realized I need to plan my weeks much further in advance (think 2-3 weeks). This way, I can make sure I have enough time to assign and debrief action items to the team, especially knowing they work part-time for JL&Co and have other obligations. After all, it’s not fair to realize something is due on a Wednesday next week and assign it to my team on Monday morning. By looking further out into my calendar and client action items, we can work better together to smash deadlines. 

2. I’m focusing on chasing the right opportunities, even if they are fewer and farther between

When I first started my business, I said yes to almost every opportunity. At the time, it wasn’t fun (and probably wasn’t the best strategy in the long-run) but I felt immense pressure to make this work, so I took on clients that weren’t always a perfect fit. As JL&Co grew and became more stable, I eventually was able to turn down those types of projects and clients, and life and work became a lot less stressful and way more fun.

Interestingly, in year three of running JL&Co, I was presented with a new scenario. Now that the business is more established, I’m getting more interesting — and more lucrative —  referrals and inquiries.

But here’s the catch: Some of these more lucrative opportunities aren’t my ideal clients. They aren’t perfect fits, whether it’s based on the type of service they’re seeking, on an initial conversation or simply on a gut feeling. 

In 2018 I let myself get excited a couple of times and took on clients I probably should have immediately passed on. These mistakes were costly — both in the sense of losing actual money and in losing time and sanity.

I quickly learned that I was chasing money, not chasing the right opportunities. And while money is important, and yes, I want to be profitable and continue to grow, working with the wrong clients isn’t the way to do it.

Here’s how I plan to better vet prospective clients in order to find the right opportunities:

• I’m learning to listen to and trust my gut. If I’m being perfectly honest, I know within five minutes of talking to a prospective client on the phone if it’s going to be a fit. It’s just a gut feeling. But sometimes, I try to rationalize and negotiate with my gut — not the best strategy. 
• I’m aiming to eliminate my scarcity mindset. Though I’ve been in business now for three years, I still sometimes fear, “This could be the last client I ever work with” or “This could be the last time a cool business asks me to help them with content.” I sometimes approach business from a scarcity mindset — meaning there isn’t enough business to go around. But there is! And it’s better to say yes to the right opportunities than to waste time and energy on the wrong ones.  So this mindset needs to go — easier said than done, but I know it’s something I need to work on.
• I’m working on practicing patience — the right opportunities are fewer and farther between. Instead of saying yes to every opportunity, I’m working on practicing patience. I know that the right opportunities don’t come as often as other inquiries, but it’s better to have space to actually say yes to those opportunities rather than wondering how to squeeze them in because I’ve taken on other clients that maybe aren’t an ideal fit. In the long run, I’ll have better and longer lasting client relationships with the right clients, rather than onboarding and working with the wrong client for just a few months before figuring out it’s not a fit. 

3. The team is implementing chat, automation and project management tools as we continue to grow

Team JL&Co has outgrown our current processes.

When it was just me, it was totally fine to operate out of multiple inboxes, content calendars and Google Drive accounts, but now that the team and our client workload has grown, things have gotten more complicated.

It’s time to implement some new tools! This is the change I’m most excited about moving into the next year of the business. (Hello, I am a productivity nerd.)

Here’s how I plan to make JL&Co run more seamlessly:

• We’re getting on Slack. It seemed silly to join Slack when there were just two of us since we mostly texted or emailed when we worked together on projects. But with a new addition to the team (and more additions in the foreseeable future), it makes sense to start using Slack now. I’ve used Slack for years with one of my content management clients, and I absolutely love how in-the-know I feel with what’s going on in their business overall. I hope my team members will feel the same way! Plus, I’m excited about building JL&Co’s culture, and I see Slack as a great way to stay connected even though we work remotely.
• I’m looking for the right project management tool. Time to reign in all the inboxes and Google Drives! We’re moving everything over to a project management tool to keep us organized. I asked on Twitter and got multiple recommendations that I’m vetting, though I’m leaning toward Asana at the moment because I’ve used it before and like the interface. 
• I want to find more ways to automate parts of the business. When I worked on my website’s redesign last year, I was incredibly impressed with my designer Michaela’s amazing processes that seemed to be automated, yet still personalized to me. Signed the contract? Immediately sent a welcome email and even a sweet gift in the mail. Kickoff meeting over? Michaela sent me a Loom video walking through how to use Asana for my project. Even now that the project is complete, I’m still getting emails from Michaela to stay in touch and see how we can continue our partnership in the future. Michaela clearly set up some awesome processes upfront that are now automated but help her grow the business. This year, I want to find ways to do the same for JL&Co. 

Change is good

They say the only constant is change. 

Change can definitely be scary — after all, the unknown can always feel daunting.

However, I’m really pumped for these three changes. These changes mean JL&Co is growing and adapting. I look forward to seeing what sort of changes I’ll need to make in the years to come as I’m sure JL&Co will dramatically change once again. 

Stay tuned! Next week, I’ll share the second annual State of JL&Co. I’m excited to share with you more behind-the-scenes details from retreat day and overall takeaways from our third year in business.

What changes do you plan to make in your business or work life this year? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

The post 3 Major Changes I’m Making to JL&Co This Year appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

Perhaps you envision a glamorous life, filled with high-profile events and parties or long days spent bopping from client meeting to client meeting in sky-high heels.

Unfortunately, most movies and TV shows get PR completely wrong.

Here’s a more accurate image of a day in the life of a PR professional: head down, at a computer, tap-tap-tapping away at the keyboard. 

Most people think because PR professionals work to attract the attention of the media that we aren’t doing much writing ourselves, but that simply isn’t true.

With nearly a decade of experience in the PR industry (Whoa, when did that happen?!), first at a hospital, then at a tourism bureau, and now as the founder and CEO of Jessica Lawlor & Company (JL&Co) working with clients, I know first-hand just how much time I spend each day writing.

Spoiler: It’s a lot.

As I work with my clients, I find myself honing my own writing as I brush up on many of the basic (and not-so-basic) tenets of writing we often forget.

From figuring out how to get a journalist’s attention with just an email subject line to adapting my writing voice and style for multiple clients, my training, background, and career in PR has certainly influenced — and improved — my writing.

What do PR pros do?

In its simplest definition, PR is about telling stories to ensure a brand or individual’s message is heard by the key audiences they most want to reach. Different from advertising or content marketing, PR professionals work directly with journalists, bloggers, and influencers to allow them to tell the story, giving the piece the all-important and impactful third-party endorsement.

The responsibilities of a PR professional vary widely. Here are some tasks you might find a PR professional chipping away at during the course of a work week:

• Researching media outlets and individual journalists
• Brainstorming creative story angles
• Writing press releases
• Crafting short and personalized email pitches for journalists
• Coordinating media interviews
• Drafting talking points for their company or client’s spokespeople for interviews
• Speechwriting
• Following up with journalists about story ideas
• Publishing content on social media

How my PR background has made me a better writer

It’s no surprise then that PR pros first and foremost must be strong writers. Over the past 10 years in the field, I’ve discovered four distinct ways my PR expertise has made me a better writer.

1. My writing is more concise

Did you know? There are now more than six PR professionals for every one journalist. 

This staggering statistic means that, more than ever, PR professionals must send journalists clear and concise pitches in order to get their message heard. 

Case in point: Last year, my client Muck Rack released the results of its annual journalist survey. We wanted to get the attention of several industry-specific media outlets, and Forbes was at the top of our media list. 

I crafted a short pitch to send to the journalist we identified at Forbes who might be interested in this type of story idea. Here’s the pitch we sent:

Hi [Name of reporter redacted],

Muck Rack is getting ready to release the results of our 2017 journalist survey, and I wanted to check if you might be interested in an interview on some of its findings. Might make for an interesting trend piece about journalism and social media use.

[This was followed by a list of key statistics from the survey.]

As you can see, the pitch is extremely short — just about 200 words, and gets straight to the point. If a journalist were to express interest, then I’d send more information and details.

The point of a pitch is to get a journalist interested. Keeping pitches short and sweet can help a busy journalist scanning their overflowing inbox to know if they’re interested much quicker. 

Here’s the good news: The journalist loved the pitch, and assigned it to a writer on his team. The story was published by Forbes — a major win for Muck Rack!

2. I know how to write a compelling headline

Ah, the elusive headline. 

It’s often one of the most challenging parts of any writing assignment: Crafting a creative headline that will entice people to actually read your piece and one that search engines will understand for search engine optimization purposes, too.

As difficult as it may be, writing headlines and subject lines that get people (specifically journalists) to take action is a major part of the job. After all, it’s a PR pro’s responsibility to get the attention of journalists who often receive hundreds of pitches each week.

One of the best ways to ensure a journalist actually opens your email? A creative and honest subject line.

Here are a few recent subject lines I wrote that yielded media results for clients:

• Test your speed at the Mercer Museum: Interactive racing exhibit closing soon
• 5 former PA governors to participate in first-ever Governors’ Panel at Pennsbury Manor
• Is Twitter dead? Journalists say no in new Muck Rack survey
• Did you know the Jaws of Life were invented in Bucks County?

You can see that these subject lines use various techniques to grab attention, including timeliness (closing soon!), uniqueness (the Jaws of Life were invented where?!), and prominence (five governors in one room is pretty impressive). 

Here’s my trick: I never write just one headline. In fact, thanks to editor Alexis Grant, whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with for many years, I write 10 to 15 headlines or subject lines for every article/pitch/email I write. 

Why? Because the first headline you write is pretty much never going to be the strongest. As you write more and more headlines, words start to click in a different way, and you’re often able to choose a much stronger end result than if you had gone with your first headline.

3. Adapting a new voice is a breeze

Writing is difficult enough, but on top of that add writing in someone else’s voice. That takes the challenge to a whole new level.

PR professionals write in voices different than their own all the time. Whether a PR pro works in-house at a company or at an agency working with several clients, they have to adapt their writing accordingly. 

As the communications coordinator at a hospital, I was tasked with writing letters and speeches from the company CEO on a daily basis. I’d often attend meetings and events he took part in to better understand his tone and expressions he used regularly.

Then, as the individual in charge of media relations and social media at a local tourism bureau, I adopted a more playful and fun voice to share travel tips and ideas.

Now, as a business owner juggling multiple clients at a time, I find myself switching between voices on an almost hourly basis. It’s much easier now that I have this experience under my belt.

4. I’m a pro at sniffing out creative story angles

A successful PR pro thinks like a journalist. They’re always seeking out new and exciting ideas within the companies they represent.

After all, with journalists receiving hundreds of pitches a week, you want your idea to stand out from the rest.

The key to finding the best angles? Dig deeper than the initial story idea. (P.S. This works for writers looking for creative ideas to pitch to editors too!)

For example, imagine you’re the PR director of a museum celebrating its 100th anniversary and are tasked with getting the attention of the media. On its own, unfortunately, an anniversary isn’t much of a news hook. 

Instead, what if you pitched the story of the security guard who has worked at the museum for the last 35 years? Now, you’ve got a compelling human interest angle, a personal story, and an anniversary. That sounds like a smashing PR success in the making to me.

For every idea you come up with, see if you can take it one or two levels deeper. I promise your end result will be much more compelling than your original idea.

Can your job make you a better writer?

Whether you work in PR or not, I’m willing to bet there’s some part of your job that can allow you to hone your writing skills.

Perhaps you can observe your surroundings a bit more, and pick up on the voices of the people you interact with on a daily basis.  Maybe you can work on your own email subject lines, even if you’re just messaging a co-worker. Or you can read your next piece of writing for clarity to see if you can make it even more concise. 

There are small ways we can all improve our writing on a daily basis, no matter what career path we’re on.

As for me, I’m looking forward to kicking off my next decade in the wonderful and wacky world of PR and I’m hoping I’ll continue to improve my writing skills along the way. 

A version of this post originally appeared on the Craft Your Content blog.

The post 4 Surprising Ways a Decade in PR Has Made Me a Stronger Writer appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

(Totally guilty here. I love me any excuse for new beginnings!)

No matter your approach — call them resolutions, goals or intentions, or perhaps you select one word to guide your year — the sentiment is the same.

Though my opinion on “resolutions” has changed over time, I still look at the new year as an opportunity to re-evaluate, check in and prioritize for the coming year.

My stance on New Year’s resolutions

It’s no secret that for years, I’ve been back and forth on my stance about new year’s resolutions or goals. 

Each year, I consider what’s going to work best for me for the coming year. For example: 

• Last year in 2018, I selected nine goals that naturally fell into three categories — blog, business and personal life.
• In 2017, I decided there were no rules — I purposely chose not to set any type of goal or intention for the year. 
• In 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013, instead of setting goals, I selected three words to guide my year. 

And this year? I’m sticking with what I did in 2018 — because it worked! I’m setting nine goals total, falling into those same categories — blog, business and personal. 

My 2019 goals

Here’s a little secret about how I create goals: I didn’t think too hard about them.

Over the past week or so, I’ve done some reflecting, and when I sat down at my computer, these are the nine goals that flowed naturally. The nine goals that felt aligned with how I’m feeling at the moment and how I want to feel in 2019.

Let’s get to it!

Blog:

• Build community. When I launched JessicaLawlor.com back in 2012, I knew I wanted more than just to blog — I wanted to build a community of likeminded people to share stories and support and root for one another. Over the years, I’ve changed, as has my blog and my goals for the blog, especially as I launched my business, JL&Co. However, one thing that hasn’t changed is my desire to create community. While the desire hasn’t changed, my priorities did, and unfortunately, this one took a bit of a backseat as I worked on building my brand and business. In 2019, I want to bring that sense of community back to this space. I’m not sure exactly what this looks like just yet, but I’m excited to see it start to take shape.
• Utilize my redesigned website and blog to the fullest. After completing my 2018 goal of redesigning this very website, one of my major goals for 2019 is to make sure I’m using the rebranded site to the fullest to get the most out of it I possibly can. Since I invested so much time, energy and money into the site last year, I really want to see that work pay off this year. However, I know the saying, “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t apply when it comes to websites. If I want people to find my site and get value from it, I have to put in the effort. This means regular content planning, blogging consistently (I’m aiming for 3-4 posts/month again), spending more time sharing and promoting content on social media, email marketing and diving deeper into the world of affiliate marketing.
• Refocus email marketing efforts. Even though I know email marketing is important (and a great strategy for community building!), it hasn’t always been at the tippy-top of my priority list. For the past several years, I’ve dutifully sent out a newsletter to my email list every two weeks, and while this approach is fantastic and I love the replies I get from the community, I know there’s more I can be doing! In 2019, I plan to develop an email sequence for new subscribers — this is something I’ve wanted to do for awhile, but have pushed to the backburner. I also hope to grow my list by 10 percent and increase my list’s average open rate. (P.S. Are you on the list? You can sign up over in the side bar!)

Business:

• Reshape the work I take on to align more closely with the lifestyle I want to achieve. One of the main reasons I quit my 9-5 to start my own business was so that I could choose the type of work I want to do, where I work from and the people I want to work with. I wanted a life filled with more flexibility. In 2018, I found myself saying yes to opportunities that didn’t always align with my overall goals for JL&Co — point blank, I found myself chasing money rather than chasing the right opportunities. In the end, this never turned out well. In 2019, I want to intentionally shape the work the JL&Co team takes on. To do this, I plan to confidently and respectfully decline projects that aren’t a fit and work hard to attract and pursue projects that are. My goal is to bring on another content management client a la current clients Muck Rack and The Write Life, land more short-term PR strategy projects and continue to earn more bylines by writing for sites and outlets I love.
• Earn $100K. Last year I set a very lofty goal to earn six figures from my business. I fell short of this goal in 2018 (more to come on why I failed to achieve this goal in my annual State of JL&Co post in February), but I know I can make this a reality in 2019. The lessons I learned last year have made me a smarter business owner, and I feel confident in once again publicly setting this goal. Take two!
• Grow my team. Bringing on a team member two years ago was the single smartest decision I’ve made since starting JL&Co. Rachel has been an incredibly important part of JL&Co’s growth. Together, we’ve been able to complete more than I ever thought possible, and I’m so excited to grow the team in 2019. My plan is to bring on another contractor for the next few months (and potentially longer). I also plan to grow my extended team by continuing to work with my website designer, and potentially bring on other experts in certain areas (SEO, design, Pinterest) to assist with specific one-off projects to help JL&Co thrive. 

Personal:

• Be more thoughtful and intentional in my relationships. After setting and accomplishing a goal to make new friends in 2018, this year I want to focus on really nurturing those new (and old) friendships and relationships. I want to work on being a better friend, family member and partner. For me, this will look like dedicating time to get birthdays and important dates on my calendar so I can send cards and acknowledge special days. It will look like setting up more phone or in-person dates with friends to stay in touch and continue building relationships. It will include more time spent with my family. This goal was inspired by a few very unfortunate circumstances — after seeing a lot of sadness and loss for those around me in 2018, I want to fully embrace and appreciate the time I have with those I love the most.
• Practice patience. Lately I’ve found myself being very reactive and quick to get annoyed or angered by something someone says, emails or something I read online. I’ve found myself with a shorter fuse than normal. In 2019, I want to focus on taking a step back when something bothers me and thinking before reacting. I want to really ask myself: Is this worth getting worked up over? Can I take another approach? Besides this mindset shift, which will definitely be a work in progress, I plan to get back into a regular yoga practice and choose inspiring books and podcasts that help me achieve this goal. If you have any recommendations, I’m all ears!
• Continue my health/fitness journey. Once again, I’m not setting any type of fitness or weight loss goal, as I find it’s often a recipe for disappointment. However, I am repeating my goal to simply continue on my personal health journey that I started two years ago. Since 2018 began, I started meeting with a nutritionist who has taught me so much about real food — I want to continue my good habit of meal planning and prepping with food that fuels me, limit drinking to weekends only and continue my workout schedule (at least two days of yoga/week and three days of cardio/strength training). 

Here’s to 2019! Let’s make it a year to remember.

I want to hear from you! Do you set goals for the new year? If so, drop them in the comments below. 

The post Who Loves a Fresh Start? Setting Goals for 2019 appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.

2018 had its fair share of challenges, but it also had many moments of joy and accomplishment.

As we race toward the end of 2018, I wanted to take the time to slow down for a moment and reflect back on the year. It’s one of my very favorite end of year activities! I love checking in on my goals and taking a look at how the blog performed.

A look back at my 2018 goals

While I’ve been back and forth on setting new year’s goals over the past few years, in 2018 I was firmly #TeamGoals.

I set nine goals in three different categories — blog, business and personal. I knew the goals I set were challenging, yet attainable, and after I hit publish on that post, I felt excited for the year ahead.

So…how did I do? Let’s check in!

Blog:

• Blog consistently. When it comes to blogging, publishing consistently is key. I set out in 2018 to blog at least three times a month, and for the most part I achieved that. I fell off the wagon a bit in the fall as I worked on the website’s rebranding/redesign, but for the most part, I published 3-4 posts each month. In 2018, I published 34 posts (two more than in 2017!) so I consider that a win. 
• Partner with more travel destinations and brands. After dipping my feet in the travel blogging waters a bit in 2017, I set out to partner with more destinations and travel brands in 2018. I definitely achieved this goal after I secured a paid partnership with the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board at the beginning of the year. We worked together in the winter on an itinerary centered around stepping outside your comfort zone and again in the spring for a tour of Montgomery County’s charming small towns. As I prepare for a three-week trip this March to San Francisco, Hawaii and Australia, I’m hoping to get a few more partnerships under my belt!
• Get my affiliate marketing in order. I’ve slowly started incorporating affiliate marketing into my blog, but look forward to diving even deeper in 2019. The way I’ve chosen to implement affiliate marketing is by including brands I love in blog posts I’d write anyway — I did that here in this post about all the tools I use to run my business. While I didn’t earn a significant amount of money through affiliate marketing (just a couple of bucks, really), I know this is a viable monetization strategy, and want to spend more time on this in the coming year.

Business:

• Earn six figures. Last year I set a super lofty financial goal for JL&Co. I made this goal very public, as I believe fully in transparency. My goal was to earn $100,000 from my business. Here’s where I get to tell you the not-so-fun part. I fell short of this goal. I’ll have more details in my state of JL&Co post in the new year, but I had a few setbacks, and didn’t quite get there. I did earn slightly more in 2018 than in 2017, so I count that as a success. I also consider this an important lesson in that while the goal is always to earn more than the year before, the reality is it’s not always going to happen, so I do need to prepare for that possibility. 
• Redesign my website. YES, YES, YES! A goal that was 150% achieved and crossed off the list. I started the redesign process over the summer and launched the new site in November. (Hi! If you’re reading this, do you like the new look?) It feels so good to have a site that I’m proud of, and I hope this momentum will continue into 2019. Plus, I already landed a new client after the redesign, so it’s definitely working!
• Get bylines. I spent a lot of time in 2018 writing, and it felt SO. GOOD. I wrote seven articles for The Penny Hoarder and three for Craft Your Content, plus several more client bylines. Here are a few of my favorite stories I wrote in 2018: Sick of Negative News, This TV Reporter Left Her Job and Started a Podcast, Down the Shore: Here’s Why This Attorney Quit His Job to Buy a Run-Down Hotel and How I Earned $6K Last Year with My Side Gig as a Yoga Instructor. I want to write more in 2019, and I am always looking for interesting stories to tell. If you have one, I want to hear from you!

Personal:

• Read at least 12 books. If you’ve been around these parts for awhile, you may remember that this very website used to be a book review blog! Welp…I’m really sad to share that I read a pathetic four books in 2018. (The books were really good though!) I simply don’t make time for reading (though I sure do consume a lot of the internet!) I do want to continue to make this a goal for 2019, and hopefully I can do better then.
• Continue my health and fitness journey. Last November, I recommitted to my health and fitness in a major way, so my goal was to continue that momentum into the year. This was a major win! I began working with a nutritionist in 2018 and made some major life changes. I’ve also continued working out five days a week (three days of bootcamp, two days of yoga) and I am loving the variety of my workouts. I’m seeing a difference in my body, and more importantly, I’m feeling SO. GOOD.
• Reconnect with old friends + make new friends. I had a rough year when it came to friendships in 2016 and 2017, so in 2018, I really set out to change that and make new friends. I am so, so pleased to share that I accomplished this goal. Joining Bumble BFF and meeting my now good friend Megan was the jumping off point, and since then I’ve met a few other awesome gals from various podcast Facebook groups I’m a part of. I had a Christmas party at my apartment last weekend, and I felt so much joy looking around the room seeing all of my new (and old) friends together. It feels like this area of my life finally clicked back into place.

All in all, I’m extremely proud of my progress in 2018. If we’re keeping track, it appears that I fully achieved six out of the nine goals, and made headway on the others. Not too shabby!

Stay tuned for a post about my 2019 goals — I’m still in planning mode at the moment.

The 10 most popular posts on the blog in 2018

Each year, I always love taking the time to review how my blog performed throughout the year. I dig into my analytics and compile the top posts from the year to see what type of content resonated the most with the community. 

In 2018, I published 34 posts. Here are the 10 most popular posts on JessicaLawlor.com in 2018.

1.  Turning 30: Words of Wisdom from 30 Women Who’ve Been There

2. A Slice of Charm in Philadelphia: A Guide to Visiting Chestnut Hill

3. The New To-Do List Productivity Hack That’s Changing The Way I Work

4. When One Door Closes: The Important Lesson I Learned From Losing a Client

5. I Run My Own Business: Here’s What A Typical Day In The Life Looks Like

6. A Gutsy Weekend in Valley Forge: 36-Hours in Montgomery County, PA

7. 8 Pieces of Advice I’d Give My Twenty-Something Self

8. This Inspirational Quote Absolutely Drives Me Up A Wall

9. The Complete List of Tools I Use to Run My Blog and Business

10. 8 Simple Ways to Instantly Boost Your Productivity (And Improve Your Day Too!)

A few quick notes/reflections about the top 10 posts:

• Crowdsourced content is powerful. The #1 post about turning 30 blew the traffic of every other post out of the water! With literally 10x more traffic than any other post this year, it’s clear this post resonated with a lot of you. Because the post included 30 other women, it was more widely shared than other posts I wrote. This is a great reminder that crowdsourced content tends to perform well as it includes a large number of people and creates community.
• Travel posts tend to perform well! I wrote three dedicated travel posts in 2018, and two of them landed on the list. I hope to have much more travel content for you in 2019.
• You still like when I’m honest, transparent and vulnerable. Writing about losing a client wasn’t easy, but I knew it was important to share one of the more difficult parts of running a business, and it’s clear from the post’s #4 slot that you like when I do this too.
• You’re enjoying posts about productivity. Several of the posts in the top 10 are either 100% about productivity or touch on the topic in some way. That’s great, because I have lots more productivity-focused content slated for 2019.

Thank you for being part of this community in 2018! Whether you’ve been around for years or you just found this little pocket of the internet in 2018, I am so grateful to have you here! 

I’m pumped for what’s ahead — I hope you are too.

Did you set goals in 2018? Did you achieve them? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

The post Farewell 2018: A Look Back at Goals + Top 10 Posts on JessicaLawlor.com appeared first on Jessica Lawlor.