Five ways to lean into your introverted personality as a PR Pro
⌛ By Kaylin R. Staten ⌛
I wear my heart on my sleeve. As an introverted public relations practitioner, writer, and business owner, I use that to my advantage.
In the coming months, content will continue to change and center on one of my favorite topics: introversion in your chosen career path.
Here are five ways I use introversion to my advantage as the owner of Hourglass Media:
Marketing messaging
In today’s world, we crave human connection. We plant our eyes on scrolling newsfeeds and an ocean of emails flooding our newly cleaned inboxes. We binge watch our new favorite TV show on Netflix and send endless text messages throughout a day. In other words, we are tied to our screens and often do not come up for air as we are drowning in the 0101010101 world. I use emotional intelligence and specific aspects of my introverted personality to form the messaging for Hourglass Media’s marketing. As a nonprofit communicator at my core, I love blending calls to action with the tugging-on-the-heartstrings moments. It feels genuine for me to wear my heart on my sleeve, so I just do it. I resisted it for a long time, but now, I can’t imagine not showing what I love through my company’s words, phrases and photos.
The mission statement
When I first started my company, I had a lame mission statement. Seriously, in my original business plan, I never even finished it! It started with, “The mission of the company is to provide quality integrated-communications…” LAME. As my company evolved, I decided to give it a storybook flair, considering my love for reading and writing, in addition to services and products provided. The second iteration WAS better than the first, but it was still too vague and would serve as a kicker under a headline on a landing page.
It was:
“Hourglass Media, formally Hourglass Omnimedia, cultivates the timely and refined communications story you never knew you always wanted.”
It was cutesy and sentimental with hopeful rose-colored optimism, but mission statements need to be to the point.
Now, it is:
“Hourglass Media unveils the heart of your story through public relations, writing and education.”
We can only go up from there. :)
Values
Many of Hourglass Media’s values mirror my own set of personal values. I started the company with the blood, sweat, and tears of my successes and missteps. So, I always recommend that solopreneurs and small business owners lean into their own personalities and tendencies to form the inner workings of their companies. After all, they are indeed labors of love. You do not want to build something from the ground up only to end up hating it. Maintain your values as you scale, and you will remain true to yourself and her heart.
Here are some of my core values that form The Hourglass Principles and beyond:
Compassion
Grace
Resilience
Authenticity
Brand archetypes
I love to mix psychology with the creation of a brand. Kaye Putnam is one of the best in the biz at helping people do exactly that. When I took the Brand Personality Quiz, I gained so much clarity. Not only does it help you define your innate brand advantage for your ideal client, but it also allows you to do that by being yourself.
Take the quiz here. BTW, I’m a Lover and Creator hybrid.
The overall aesthetic
As a highly-sensitive person, my surroundings affect my mood and motivation. While I can still be productive otherwise, it definitely helps to have a brand I love to look at. I love allthethings, so I blended those loves into the creation of Hourglass Media. I use vintage aspects throughout the aesthetic, from 1920s to 1940s influences, such as Art Deco, dahlias (for The Black Dahlia, naturally) and advertisements that could have run back then. Consider your brand and how it appeals to the senses of you, your team and your ideal clients.
Read more about the lessons I’ve learned in my first decade in PR.
Kaylin R. Staten, APR, is an award-winning public relations practitioner and writer based in Huntington, WV with nearly 16 years of professional communications experience. As CEO and founder of Hourglass Media, she uses her compassionate spirit and expertise to delve into the heart of clients’ stories. She is a recovering perfectionist, mental health advocate, wife, cat mom and Leia Organa aficionado. Connect with Kaylin on LinkedIn.