In the fast-paced world of marketing and public relations, you can’t be caught off guard with a new project or crisis. Your work must be ready to go at any moment. That’s why a virtual assistant for PR writers is so important. A virtual assistant is a person who provides assistance to other professionals on an as-needed basis. They are remote workers who often specialize in a specific set of skills. You might think that having someone virtually assist you will take up more time than just handling it yourself, but in reality, they can save you time by taking on some tasks you wouldn’t normally have time for. This post covers the best virtual assistant for your PR writing needs and examples of how they can help you get more done faster and easier.
Why Should You Use a Virtual Assistant?
If you’re not sure whether you need a virtual assistant, here are some reasons why you might want to consider hiring one.
– You’re Overwhelmed: It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind and feel completely overwhelmed by your workload. It’s important not to overcommit to your workload because it’s easy to get burned out and lose focus on the important tasks. Hiring a virtual assistant gives you the option to offload grunt work and uninteresting tasks like data entry, scheduling, and research.
– You’re a New or Small PR Firm: If you’re just starting a PR firm, or if you have a small team, you might not have the capacity to take on every project that comes your way. Managing client expectations, your team’s workload, and the growing demand for your business can leave you with more than you can handle. A virtual assistant can help you take on more projects so you can grow your business.
– You Want to Focus on the Bigger Picture: As a PR writer, it’s your job to strategically plan and carry out PR campaigns. It’s also your responsibility to stay on top of the latest PR trends. In many cases, PR writers also handle the editing and proofreading of press releases, articles, and other content. And in the best case, PR writers get a chance to work directly with clients and develop relationships with them. You might be a great PR writer, but there are other things that you could do that would be better for your clients and your business.
– You Want to Work Remotely: Many people want to work remotely, but it’s not always easy to find a virtual assistant (and a good one at that). If you want to work remotely, hiring a virtual assistant is a great option, but you need to make sure you hire someone reliable and trustworthy.
– You Want to Step Up Your Client Care: As a PR writer, you have a special relationship with your clients and your editor. If you’re working with in-house PR staff, their boss may not understand the amount of work and effort that goes into PR campaigns. Having a VA who can step in to help with client relations and onboarding can help you step up your client care.
Hiring a VA is Actually Cheaper Than You Think
The thing people often don’t realize is that hiring a VA can actually be cheaper than doing it yourself. You don’t have to break the bank to hire a VA either. When you hire a VA, you’re also hiring their experience. They have skills and insight that you may not have and that you can use in your business. This is why hiring a virtual assistant can be cheaper than doing it yourself. And if you’re an entrepreneur or work in a small company, you likely can only do one or two things really well. Working with a VA gives you access to their skills so you can do more with your team and do it faster.
The Best Virtual Assistants for PR Writing Tasks
When you’re hiring a virtual assistant, it’s important to find one who can take on the tasks you need help with. If you’re overwhelmed with social media posts to schedule and emails to send out, hiring someone who can only manage content or research your competitors isn’t going to help. There are virtual assistants who specialize in PR writing, and they can be a great help to PR writers who need assistance with PR campaigns. Here are some of the most common ways PR writers use virtual assistants.
– Content Creation: Content is the backbone of your PR campaigns. PR writers often spend a lot of time writing content, but they also need to make sure that it’s optimized for SEO, targeted for their audience, and properly formatted for social media. When you have a VA who can also write content for you, you can use your time more efficiently.
– Research: PR writers are often tasked with finding data related to a story. This can be anything from finding statistics to prove a point to finding sources for interviews. Hiring a data-mining VA to help with research can save you a lot of time and effort that you can put towards other projects.
– Social Media Management: PR writers often have to manage social media channels for their clients. This includes posting articles, responding to comments and questions, and scheduling content.
– Managing Press Releases: PR writers often manage and edit press releases. This includes reviewing the release, making changes, and adding in the necessary information before it goes out to the media.
– Managing Client Relations: Clients often want to talk to the PR writer who’s managing their campaign. But many PR writers have other work they need to get done, so it’s not always easy to make time for a phone call. Hiring a VA who can take on client relations makes sure your clients are happy and taken care of.
How Can Your VA Help with PR Writing?
A virtual assistant can help out with many aspects of your PR writing tasks. Depending on the type of VA you hire, you can have them do a lot of the grunt work for you. Here are some ways a VA can help with PR writing.
– They Can Take on the “Chores”: When you’re working on a campaign, there are all kinds of “chores” that need to get done. This can include anything from pitching stories to updating your social media calendars. Your VA can help with these less “sexy” tasks so you can stay focused on the campaign.
– They Can Take on the “Grunt” Work: Sometimes when you’re working on PR campaigns, there is “grunt” work that needs to be done. This can include things like formatting content for a specific site, updating your blog, or researching your competitors. Your VA can take on this type of work so you can focus on other projects.
– They Can Edit and Proofread Your Work: If you’re like most PR writers, you probably spend a lot of time editing and proofreading your work. Hiring a VA who can edit and proofread for you can free up your time so you can focus on other projects.
– They Can Manage Your Calendar: When you’re managing a client’s PR campaign, you’ll likely have a lot going on. Managing your calendar and making sure you don’t overcommit to projects can help you stay on track and do a better job for your clients. Your VA can help you manage your calendar and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
– They Can Be a Second Set of Eyes: Every PR writer has a set of “critical eyes” when they’re editing and proofreading content. But no one is as critical of their work as they could be. Hiring a VA who can look at your work with a fresh set of eyes can help you improve your work.
PR writing is a lot of work, and if you don’t have someone to help you out, it can seem impossible to get everything done. Hiring a virtual assistant can help you get more done and feel less overwhelmed. When you hire a VA for your PR writing tasks, you have a new set of skills and expertise that can help you do more. Hiring a VA isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity for PR writers who want to get their work done efficiently and effectively.
