Podcast Summary
Julie Solomon's journey to success despite obstacles: Hard work, determination, and creativity can help you achieve your goals, even when facing obstacles
Determination and creativity can help you overcome obstacles and achieve your goals, even when the odds seem stacked against you. Julie Solomon, a speaker, business coach, and influencer marketing expert, shares her story of growing up in a blue-collar family in Nashville, Tennessee, and her journey to New York City to pursue a career in PR. Despite not having any connections or experience in the industry, Julie faked her address and continued to apply for jobs until she landed one. Her perseverance paid off, and she went on to build a successful career in marketing, podcasting, and authoring a new book, "Get What You Want." The lessons from her past experiences have given her unique insights into creative strategies for monetizing content and growing a personal brand into a profitable business. Julie's story is a reminder that hard work, determination, and a little creativity can help you achieve your goals, no matter what obstacles you may face.
Determined to pursue music PR career despite challenges: Determination, persistence, and resourcefulness can lead to unexpected opportunities and career growth, even in the face of financial struggles and lack of initial success.
Determination and persistence, coupled with strategic planning and resourcefulness, can lead to unexpected opportunities and career growth. The speaker, despite facing numerous challenges such as lack of connections, no job, and no place to live, was determined to pursue a career in music PR. She utilized her knowledge from college to write press releases and contacted publicists directly, eventually landing interviews and her first job with a reputable PR firm. Although she faced financial struggles and had to leave due to inability to sustain her living expenses, the experience provided her with valuable industry knowledge and contacts, setting her up for future success.
Using setbacks as stepping stones to growth: Setbacks can lead to new opportunities and personal growth. Instead of giving up, use them as catalysts for self-discovery and resilience.
Setbacks and failures are an essential part of personal growth and can lead to new opportunities. Julie's story illustrates this perfectly. After losing her dream job and finding herself back at her parents' house, she felt lost and uncertain about her future. However, instead of giving up, she used this experience as a catalyst for self-discovery and growth. She learned valuable skills in the corporate world, but her true passion lay elsewhere. So, she pursued her interests on the side, starting with music publicity and eventually transitioning to book PR. These experiences helped her build the confidence and resilience she needed to eventually strike out on her own and start her own business. Despite the challenges she faced, Julie refused to let setbacks define her and instead used them as stepping stones to success. This story serves as a reminder that even in the face of adversity, we have the power to learn, grow, and create new opportunities for ourselves.
Embracing Change for New Opportunities: Determination and adaptability can lead to success in new opportunities. Stay open to change and take risks to pursue new career paths.
Determination and the ability to adapt to changing times can lead to new opportunities. The speaker, a publicist, was inspired by seeing the success of her colleagues in the industry and the emergence of influencer marketing. After leaving corporate America, she moved to Los Angeles and began blogging as a creative outlet and potential new career path. Despite being new to the scene and initially unsure of how to make connections, she persisted and eventually found success in the influencer world. The speaker's story highlights the importance of staying open to change and taking risks in order to pursue new opportunities.
Leveraging connections for monetization opportunities: Utilizing your background and network can lead to unexpected monetization opportunities. Teach others how to monetize their content to fill the gap in industry knowledge.
Building relationships and networking at events, even without a large following, can lead to monetization opportunities. The speaker, Julie, used her marketing and PR background to connect with brands and start earning money through her blog, despite having fewer than 5,000 followers. She then realized her expertise was in coaching and consulting other content creators, leading her to transition into that role. Blogging was a valuable tool during this time, but understanding the business side of content creation and monetization was crucial. The speaker emphasized that many influencers lack this knowledge and that teaching them how to capture their deserved earnings is essential, especially with the rise of micro-influencers. To secure placements, Julie shared an example of getting her whole house remodeled and featured in People Magazine by working with what she had and utilizing her connections.
Shift focus from follower count to value proposition: Persistently pitch value to media companies, act as a publicist to build successful collaborations.
In order to monetize a platform or build relationships with brands, it's important to focus on what value you can bring to the table rather than just your follower count. Julie, who had a background in marketing and PR, understood this concept well. When she couldn't get brands to work with her due to her small following, she shifted her approach and pitched media companies instead. By offering them content and acting as a de facto publicist, she was able to establish valuable partnerships. This story illustrates the importance of persistence, creativity, and understanding the needs of potential partners in building successful collaborations.
From 15,000 pitches to a World Market deal and beyond: Persistence and creativity can lead to significant opportunities. Keep pitching and think creatively to make the most of every opportunity.
Persistence and creativity can lead to significant opportunities for content creators. In the beginning of her career, the speaker pitched to over 15,000 brands before securing a deal with World Market. She then leveraged this partnership to secure coverage in People Magazine, resulting in a full home renovation and over $250,000 worth of services. This experience inspired her to create a course, Pitch It Perfect, to help other content creators learn how to secure brand deals. This story demonstrates the importance of not giving up and thinking creatively to make the most of opportunities. Additionally, the use of platforms like Shopify can make it easier for entrepreneurs to set up and scale their businesses, allowing them to focus on growth and success.
Leveraging Shopify and Yahoo Finance for Business and Investments: Growing businesses can use Shopify for affordability and ease, individuals can start businesses or side hustles with its trial period. Manage investments with Yahoo Finance, linking all accounts for a unified view. Successful partnerships require the 'spotlight method': focus on brand needs, offer solutions.
Growing businesses can benefit greatly from using Shopify, and individuals can start their own businesses or side hustles with its affordable trial period. Additionally, managing investments can be simplified by using tools like Yahoo Finance, which allows users to link up all their investment accounts for a unified view. The key to successful partnerships between content creators and brands is using the "spotlight method," which involves focusing on the brand's needs rather than one's own self-interest. By putting the brand first and offering solutions, individuals can build long-lasting and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Misconceptions about PR and publicity: Build a strong brand, create quality content, practice persistence, and proactively seek out PR opportunities to grow an audience and secure PR success.
The perception of PR and publicity being an unattainable goal for those without a large following or extensive credentials is a misconception. The speaker, who has seen firsthand the success of her Pitch It Perfect program, emphasizes that building a strong brand and creating quality content are key to growing an audience and securing PR opportunities. She compares this to learning a new skill, like chemistry, where taking the necessary classes and practicing are essential for success. The speaker also encourages persistence in pitching to brands, as failure is not a reflection of the effectiveness of PR as a whole. Lastly, she emphasizes that it is the responsibility of individuals to proactively seek out PR opportunities, rather than waiting for brands to come to them.
Identifying your signature pitch: Find unique value, create multiple pitch options, learn from rejections, and demonstrate how you can help brands achieve their objectives.
Building a successful pitch involves understanding the unique value you bring to the table and finding ways to transfer that belief to potential brands. This means identifying your signature pitch, which is a specific opportunity that demonstrates how you can solve a brand's needs. Brands often want to say no initially, so it's important to have multiple pitch options and to learn from rejections. My signature pitch, for example, comes from my background in education, and I use it to offer solutions for educational events and experiences. The goal is to show brands how you can help them achieve their objectives and make their yes more likely.
Authentically connecting with brands using the Spotlight Method: To pitch successfully, connect authentically, show credibility, and deliver on a clear promise
To successfully pitch to brands, you need to authentically connect with them, showcase your credibility, and deliver on a clear promise. Connection is key, and the Spotlight Method can help you authentically connect to the brand. Credibility can come from various sources, such as a strong content creation ability or a dedicated following. And finally, your promise should be something you can deliver on, providing value to the brand through conversion or brand awareness. Negotiating deals is the next step, and the upcoming book "Get What You Want" by the speaker aims to help readers negotiate with confidence and worthiness. The book will provide practical steps and mindset shifts to help readers achieve their goals.
Understanding pricing in negotiation: Ask for brand's rate first, offer a range, negotiate terms and deliverables for mutual benefit, and aim for control while securing better deals.
Effective negotiation involves understanding that there's not a one-size-fits-all approach to pricing. Instead of immediately offering a price, ask the brand for their rate first. If they don't provide a number, offer a range. This puts the power back in your hands and allows for mutual benefit. Remember, if the brand's offer feels too easy, you may be undervaluing yourself. Always aim to negotiate not just the price, but the terms and deliverables as well. The goal is to let the brand feel in control of the decision while still getting what you want. By using this approach, you'll gain confidence in your worth and be able to secure better deals.
Discover the benefits of using Indeed for hiring: Indeed saves time and resources for businesses by offering attracting, interviewing, and hiring features in one place. Over 80% of employers receive perfect resume matches and pay for applications that meet their requirements, leading to 4 times more hires than other job sites combined.
Indeed is a powerful hiring platform for businesses, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. With features like attracting, interviewing, and hiring all in one place, it saves time and resources. Indeed's data shows that over 80% of employers receive perfect resume matches when sponsoring a job, and businesses get more value for their money as they only pay for applications that meet their requirements. Additionally, Indeed delivers 4 times more hires than all other job sites combined. For niche influencers, targeting a specific audience can lead to charging higher rates for sponsorships. A transformational story shared by the interviewee involved hiding $30,000 of credit card debt from her husband, which revealed her toxic origin story around money and success. This story highlights the importance of understanding and being worthy of money, and the need for a balance between making and budgeting it.
Personal Growth and Business Success through Money Management: Acknowledge limiting beliefs, seek support, prioritize self-advocacy, adopt a profit-first mindset, focus on profitability, seek financial education, and build a strong personal brand.
Understanding and managing money is a crucial aspect of personal growth and business success. The speaker shares her personal journey of hiding significant credit card debt from her husband and the hard truths she learned about her relationship with money. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and addressing limiting beliefs, seeking support from trusted team members, and prioritizing self-advocacy and self-promotion. The speaker also encourages everyone to adopt a profit-first mindset and to be their own publicist, advocating for themselves with clarity and confidence. To be more profiting tomorrow, young professionals can start by focusing on their profitability, seeking financial education, and building a strong personal brand.
Focusing on personal growth and development through skill stacking: Pay yourself first, ease into life for greater abundance, recognize the value of every experience, and transferable skills can lead to long-term success
Focusing on personal growth and development through skill stacking can lead to increased profitability and success in various areas of life. Julie Solomon, an influencer and PR expert, emphasized the importance of paying yourself first and allowing ease into your life for greater abundance. She used her background in publicity and PR to gain a competitive edge as an influencer by mastering the art of pitching herself. Similarly, the host, who runs a social media marketing agency, highlighted the transferability of skills learned from previous jobs, even if they seem unrelated to one's current field. By recognizing the value of every experience and the skills gained from them, individuals can set themselves up for long-term success. To learn more about Julie and her resources, visit juliesolomon.net.
Leveraging past experiences for new opportunities: Use past skills and experiences, no matter how insignificant, to gain advantages in new industries or ventures. Invest in yourself and build a strong foundation of skills for future success.
Past experiences and skills, no matter how seemingly insignificant or unrelated to your current goals, can provide valuable advantages in new industries or ventures. The speaker shares her personal journey of using sales skills learned from retail jobs to close millions of dollars in sales for her social media and podcast agency. She emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of opportunities to learn and gain experience, even if it means starting with minimum wage jobs or internships, and not being overly focused on money in the early stages of your career. By investing in yourself and building a strong foundation of skills, you'll be better equipped to succeed in the long run.
The Power of Gaining Experiences and Crafting a Signature Pitch: Gain valuable experiences, focus on connection, credibility, and promise in a signature pitch, reveal your budget first in negotiations, and use an odd number for pricing to seem thoughtful.
Gaining valuable experiences, even if it means interning for free, is crucial for future success. The speaker emphasizes the importance of putting in the work and sacrificing to acquire necessary skills. Additionally, when crafting a signature pitch, focusing on connection, credibility, and promise is essential. Connection means putting people first and understanding their needs, credibility involves highlighting unique qualities or skills, and a promise ensures the ability to deliver results. When negotiating, it's beneficial for the brand to reveal their budget first, and using an odd number in pricing can make your offer seem more thoughtful. Overall, the speaker's passion lies in marketing, sales, and content creation, and she encourages listeners to reach out for insights. A shoutout to Mavis 1892 for leaving a 5-star review is also given.
Empowering and inspiring podcast for millennials: Listen to influential guests share valuable insights to enhance your life and make an impact
"Young and Profiting" is a must-listen podcast for millennials seeking to significantly enhance their lives. The show features influential and successful guests who share valuable insights, making it an essential resource for those looking to grow and make an impact. Mavis 1892's glowing review is a testament to the show's value, and listeners are encouraged to leave a 5-star review to be featured. Halataha, the host, expresses gratitude to his team and audience for tuning in. Overall, "Young and Profiting" is a podcast that empowers and inspires, providing listeners with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed in their personal and professional endeavors.
