Congrats Horizon Data Center Solutions

Once in a while I like to share something about one of my clients. Today's story is about Horizon Data Center Solutions.

HDCS operates a 25,000 square foot state-of-the-art data center that is based in Dallas. In their world, what that means is they are big. Big, big. The gentlemen behind this operation are leaders in their field, and they are motivated, service oriented, and smart.

Last week we put out a news release about their "stellar" growth, and it's been picked up in their industry very respectably. The client seems almost surprised by this first success, and I have to smile, because I know clients, and with these guys, this is just the start. They have a lot more great things to talk about and a lot more opportunities to share their news. Horizon is a new client that I will enjoy working with.

Here's why: PR gets a bad rap on occasion and has somehow been associated with not telling the truth or with making up stories. We've all heard the phrase, "Give it the PR spin." But the role of a publicist and the real goal of PR is to provide journalists with access to interesting stories that their readers will care about. You do that on either a very selective or a mass distribution basis.

A good client for me understands that they can't have press releases that sound like sales sheets or ads. They understand that if they are willing to give numbers (a $70 million lease, 300% growth, plan to add two data centers in the next six months...in Horizon's case) that's a story. If everything is secret or shrouded by a corporate veil, or they don't have "permission" to talk about it...there is no story. Then the PR person has nothing to deliver, and journalists will not be interested in being the conduit for the fluff. Not to mention that if you're a publicist your reputation is at stake every time you send something out. If you send schlock just to appease a client, the good stuff you send out may not get looked at either. You can quickly get locked out.

Back in 1987 -- a long time ago when I was a public relations coordinator at a national association I went to a conference, and one speaker was the Public Relations VP from BASF or some gigantic company. I remember him saying something shocking and exciting at the same time. He said, "If you are forced to write a release that is not news, do yourself a favor and once it's approved, throw it out. Don't send it." This resonated with me because at the time half my time was being spent on news that wasn't news, or that wasn't going to do anyone any good. It was what today they would call "vanity PR," "So and so has written an article entitled blah, blah, blah.."

Of course this was in the days before we had email, when we would xerox, fold, stuff and stamp press releases and physically mail them, often with pictures of people, products, and events. PR departments had big trays full of mail. We had labels, and stamps, and everything went through the mail room. It was hard to "dump a tray" and not send out a release, but I do think I may have done that once or twice. In the long run, it was better for my employer and for me.

Today I avoid that problem by telling my clients that we not only have to have a story, we have to have a really good story, something worthy of an impactful headline that is keyword rich and SEO-friendly. We also need a combination of custom distribution and targeted pitching and national wire service or paid placement. That's just the way it works today. We also need an understanding of timing and opportunities and goals and objectives -- not just the clients, but the media target timing, opportunities, goals and objectives. It's a science with a creative execution, and I like that.

So welcome Horizon Data Center Solutions to the OutreachPR portfolio of clients. We certainly hope you'll continue to be pleasantly surprised at the results we can achieve. PR really does work. You just have to have the right person handling it for you, and she has to have the right clients. When that happens, it's a good combination.

Moving On

Perhaps the biggest regret I have working as a consultant is it often means saying goodbye to people I like before I'm really ready.

The nature of my work is that I accept projects, work on short-term contracts, and always work with budgets that eventually -- sometimes sooner rather than later -- come to an end. What that means is that oftentimes, just as I start to enjoy working on a particular project or with a particular person, it's time to move along.

The good news is that I am fortunate enough to have a guardian angel that watches over me. I know this is the case because nearly every time I begin the final phase of a project or a relationship -- sometimes even before I know that is the case, something new and thankfully even more exciting, more interesting, or more aligned with my particular skill set comes along.

It happened again last week. A contract looked to be coming to an end, or at least not growing as I'd hoped. Sometimes I can't wait to see clients go away. And sometimes, like this time, it was work I really enjoyed for a client I really like.

But my guardian angel was watching out for me. He/she always seems to come through. Before I even had a chance to worry about what would fill the hole in my schedule next month, or to languish too much in that "nobody loves me" place, I got a call from a new company that needed my help. At the risk of jinxing my good fortune, I really have to marvel at how this works. And the fact is, it always has.

As an adult who lived through adolescence without the "benefit" of medication, I will freely admit that if I were growing up today, I would probably be diagnosed as having ADD. The fact that people come and go in my work life, and that my projects change daily, and that I have a variety of different types of things to work on, are all really good things for me.

Now I will admit that in a way, the uncertainty of my career is a bit unsettling. In fact, the constant change or worry would be enough to drive some people insane -- or at least push them toward a more stable career. But for me, what I do and how it all works is a huge blessing in my life. I know I get bored easily, and sometimes the people I like the best this week annoy the heck out of me next. It's really good that as one door closes, even if not all the way, another --or two or three-- always opens up. I know it's my guardian angel, the answer to my daily prayers, and a true gift from God.

My husband has always said that he worries twice as much about everything because I don't worry at all. It's not true. I have a regular worry schedule that wakes me up often around 3 a.m. But, in my business, even when you do your best, the job ends. That's sort of the goal. And even though the timing isn't always on my schedule and sometimes it hurts or I feel for a moment unwanted or unloved or unappreciated, I know that doing something new and moving on is for the best for someone. And it's not about me.

So once again, for the umpteenth time this year, and the bajillionth time in my career, I'm preparing to move on to new things -- exciting new projects, interesting new clients, and thanks to my guardian angel, some as yet unseen adventures that someday sooner or later I'll be really sad to let go.