Jan. 26, 2026
Teaching Clients The Value Of Patience In PR - Episode 331
The player is loading ...
In this episode of That Solo Life, Karen Swim and Michelle Kane tackle a common frustration for PR professionals: managing unrealistic client expectations. We have all heard the requests to ”make it go viral” or ”get us on the Today Show” immediately. While these aren’t bad goals, they often aren’t the right strategy for sustainable business growth.
Teaching Clients The Value Of Patience In PREpisode Summary
In this episode of That Solo Life, Karen Swim and Michelle Kane tackle a common frustration for PR professionals: managing unrealistic client expectations. We have all heard the requests to "make it go viral" or "get us on the Today Show" immediately. While these aren't bad goals, they are often the wrong strategy for sustainable business growth.
Karen and Michelle discuss why public relations isn't failing, but rather why clients might be hiring pros for the wrong reasons. They explore the "shiny object" syndrome and why one-hit wonders rarely build lasting credibility. The conversation digs deep into the psychology of the client relationship, revealing how impatience often stems from fear and a lack of trust. You will learn how to build trust during the business development phase, how to proactively address objections, and why you must be willing to walk away from business that forces you to work in panic mode.
Episode Highlights- 01:41 – The Core Issue: Karen introduces the topic: PR isn't failing, but clients may be hiring you for the wrong reasons or with the wrong understanding of the industry.
- 02:12 – The "Viral" Trap: Michelle discusses the common client desire for instant fame and why hitting a specific trade publication is often far more valuable than a flash-in-the-pan viral moment.
- 03:35 – Sustainability vs. Visibility: Why a single hit on a morning show doesn't equate to long-term credibility or sustainable business impact.
- 05:34 – Rocking the Boat: The importance of educating clients and setting the right expectations early, even if it feels risky during the sales process.
- 07:50 – The Trust Factor: Karen identifies that client impatience is often a symptom of distrust or fear about their investment, and how pros can address this head-on.
- 12:47 – Honesty Wins: Why telling a client "no" regarding unrealistic timelines (like speaking engagements) actually builds your authority and trust.
- 14:20 – Protecting Your Peace: A reminder never to let a client's lack of patience force you into working under pressure and panic.
- Website: Visit Solo PR Pro for more tools, resources, and community for independent PR practitioners.
- Join the Community: Connect with other solo pros and get the support you need to navigate your business journey.
That Solo Life is a podcast created for public relations, communication, and marketing professionals who work as independent and small practitioners. Hosted by Karen Swim, APR, founder of Words For Hire and President of Solo PR, and Michelle Kane, Principal of Voice Matters, the show delivers expert insights, encouragement, and advice for solo PR pros navigating today’s dynamic professional landscape.
Enjoyed this episode?
Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an insight! If you found value in today's discussion, please leave us a review and share this episode with a colleague who needs to hear it. Your support helps us continue to bring you the best advice for your solo journey.
Teaching Clients The Value Of Patience In PR
[00:11] Michelle Kane: Thank you for joining us for this episode of That Solo Life, the podcast for PR pros and marketers who work for themselves. People like me, Michelle Kane of Voice Matters and my wonderful co-host, Karen Swim of Solo PR Pro. Hi, Karen.
[00:26] Karen Swim: Here we are again. It's a grand thing. Hi Michelle, how are you doing?
[00:31] Michelle Kane: I'm doing well, doing well. Surviving winter so far. The days are slowly getting a little longer, which is good.
[00:41] Karen Swim: It, it's, I don't know, we're just having a really interesting time here in Michigan. I thought they were [getting longer], but then it's dark at 4 o'clock, which is not good. It's dark at seven. So that much longer? Not really.
[01:01] Michelle Kane: It's, well, slowly, slow, slow.
[01:06] Karen Swim: I'll take every 60 seconds I can get, so.
[01:10] Michelle Kane: Yeah, I know, I know. But hey, it's always, it's always sunny on the podcast. So it's good.
[01:19] Karen Swim: It truly is.
[01:21] Michelle Kane: And we hope that our listeners feel that warmth and the rays of sunshine that we're sending your way. There we go. There we go.
And we're just gonna have a little fun with the topic today because we often talk about this, you know, clients' desires and whether they're realistic. So we're going to chew on this a little bit. How public relations, while it may be more frustrating in some ways, it's not failing. Your clients just might be hiring you for the wrong reasons.
[01:53] Karen Swim: Right. It's... we've talked about this so much about how PR has a PR problem. And not that it should be all our job, honestly, but this is where the education aspect comes in. You know, I mean how many times have we had someone saying like, "Just make it go viral. Get me on the Today show." Like that's going to solve all their problems and that's going to put them on the map and give them everything they want.
[02:26] Michelle Kane: While those aren't bad things, they're often not the right thing. Oftentimes the right placement in, let's say a trade publication, can do far more for their business. It's just not the bright shiny thing. And yeah, I don't know, sometimes it's like everything old is new again, right?
[02:48] Karen Swim: I think so, yes, exactly. One of the things is patience. Clients have a "want it right now," which... that's kind of our right? We want everything to happen immediately. We don't want to slow down. We don't want to develop strategy and really prepare for this success. And we don't want to see things through. We just want to, you know, do it, get it done and make it happen. And that is not really the best environment to create sustainable success.
[03:32] Michelle Kane: No, I mean, because, yeah, I mean, think about it this way. So you get one hit on a morning show and then that's it. Well, okay, so you've got one dose of fairly large visibility, but it's not all-encompassing. And it doesn't necessarily get you all of the credibility that you should be building through so many other tactics over time. And yes, over time, because you want to prove that "I'm here, I'm going to be here, we are still going to be here to serve whatever audience we're pursuing," and it's really not going to sustain any kind of good impact. But, you know, what do I know?
[04:24] Karen Swim: No, that is exactly right. That's so true, Michelle. It's on point. And I, you know, I don't... I do know how we solve that. We can't fix people's antsiness. But I do think that we have to educate now, just as we always have, but maybe it's even more important now, and set the right expectations.
And I know that sometimes that can be a bit tough when you have a challenging business environment and you have to work a lot harder. You have to work your leads a lot harder, you have to have a lot more in the pipeline, and sometimes it takes a little while longer to actually get to the table where you're having a conversation about engaging PR. So there's this natural reluctance to not want to upset a deal because someone says something. And you know that, yes, you can achieve that, but it's the way that they are explaining... but we have to rock the boat. And you have to be willing to walk away from business because you could engage and keep turning through accounts, but I don't like that strategy because it's not good for your reputation, it's not good for your mental health to keep turning people, and it's not good in this environment where there's already too much chaos. You want clients that truly understand and value what you do and will really allow you to work through the process in the proper way.
[06:12] Michelle Kane: Yeah, no, totally, totally agree. And even as we're discussing this, it's almost as though we need to begin any kind of exploratory conversations with almost like a little lesson. You know, not that you're talking down to them, but just saying, like, "Hey, well, right now in the current landscape where our team is seeing success [is] by these methods, and this is kind of where people are right now." Almost as an anticipatory thing to do. That way, you're kind of giving them something to think about and they're also getting to know you and figuring out if that's something they'd want to pursue. And, you know, not naysaying what they want right away. Because sometimes you run that risk of... it's like they're hiring you just to say, "Well, here's my list. Do my list." It's like, wait a second, you're hiring me to counsel you on what will and won't work for you? And sure, we might get to your list, but, hmm, let's lay some groundwork first so we have something [to come] back to. And I mean, I honestly think that some of the impatience on some clients' parts, potential clients, stems from distrust.
[07:29] Karen Swim: Right. It's interesting that this came up recently on one of my own client calls where, you know, we've been talking to this really great client, really enjoy this brand. And I'm really looking forward to the work. But he said, "This is where the trust comes in." And it was really profound because he said, "I see where I really need to trust because..." And it's like, thank you for understanding some of the things that I was nervous about.
So don't forget that your clients are people and they may have some fears about PR from past experiences or just not understanding our process. We take it for granted that big brands or just brands have at least a base level knowledge of how this all works. And really they don't. So if they don't really understand, they may have some fears and they may feel like, "Oh, gosh, we're going to spend this money, but what are we really going to get back from it?" You know, let's face it, that's at the heart of all of the insecurity. And so it's a process of us developing that trust with them and leaning into what they fear and helping them to understand how those fears are unfounded or how we overcome what they're talking about. And so it's funny that as much as we talk about trust with our clients and how important it is, sometimes I don't think about it that deeply of creating trust in the business development situation. It's kind of a natural, I think, for all of us. So I don't really consciously think about building that trust, but it is something that I recently was called out [on] in a positive way. That's like, oh, yeah, I really need to actively think about that.
[09:38] Michelle Kane: Yeah. Yeah, that's true.
[09:40] Karen Swim: Although it's funny, in my earlier days, I would swing the other way. I'd be like, "You're just calling me and you want me to do... How do you know I don't stink?"
[09:49] Michelle Kane: Yes. When you are young in this career, sometimes you feel like, oh, my God, they're gonna hire me. Do they know, really? They know that I'm, like, fresh out of school?
[10:04] Karen Swim: But that is so true. And I think that that bodes well for that potential relationship because not only do they understand that trust is a huge factor, I think it's something that we have to convey that, okay, not only do we have the intellect to deliver good results for you, please know that you're in good hands. We are going to treat you as if you're our own kind of situation. And that we value you. So hopefully you will also be valuing our approach to you. It's all with great care. Because why would we want to present something that we don't either care about the outcome or we don't care what it looks like, we just want to cash the check? I mean, that's no way to sustain a business. So I'm not saying that those daredevils aren't out there, but that's just no way to run a business.
[11:05] Karen Swim: And I think we can't forget that as human beings, we always want to validate our decisions. Right? We want to know that when we choose a service or a product, that we're making a good decision, and we want that decision to be validated. And we want it to be validated before we purchase it. We want it validated, obviously, by the performance of that thing that we put our money on. But we also want to know that other people that we like, know and trust have had a good experience. You know, if you're going to a new barber or a hairstylist, that's something that's important to you, and you genuinely want to know if that the result is going to be something that you're happy with. If you're buying a new kind of laundry detergent, you don't want to buy something that's going to rip your clothes apart. So we humans do have that need to kind of know that we're going into something.
And this is where the sales process really comes in at and really refining those sales skills and understanding how to win your customers. So you're giving them information along the way. You're not shying away from their objections. You're leaning into them. Over time, as you do this a lot, you will start to see how you can build objections proactively into how you present to clients. You'll overcome those objections before they even ask them. But, yeah, don't be afraid when they're pushing back. And don't be afraid to say no to things that are unrealistic. If a client's coming to you in June and saying, "Hey, I want to get speaking engagements," you really need to be honest and say, "Are you talking about for 2027?" Because any submissions have already closed for the year. Doesn't mean that there can't be a cancellation, we can't circle up with organizers, but probably not going to happen. But here's what we can do. I think that honesty, even if it means not getting business, really works in your favor.
[13:21] Michelle Kane: Absolutely. Absolutely. And sometimes it's... you're just not a good fit because what they're asking for is blatantly unrealistic. And if they're not going to budge, then, you know, hey, I guess I'm not for you right now because again, my credibility is always on the line. Our credibility is really all we have. You know, because we don't build bookshelves. I mean, yes, we can point to case studies, but our credibility—that working with us will be a positive thing and beneficial—that is our currency. So choose carefully. Don't be afraid to have the conversations because that will really help you as you decide whether or not to move forward and how to move forward.
[14:12] Karen Swim: Yeah. And you should never allow a client's lack of patience to lead to you working in panic and pressure. Just don't do it. It won't be happy for you. And just as that business came to you, if you have to walk away from it, better business will come your way. A better fit will come your way. So absolutely be encouraged. You can do it.
[14:41] Michelle Kane: Yep. Protect your peace, stand your ground. All the good things. But it's true. Well, we hope you've gotten value from our time together today. I'm all right—hello, January! And if you have, please do share this around. And please do let us know what you think. Hit us up at soloprpro.com. In fact, check out that website. There's always something good to glean to help us be better practitioners in communications. And until next time, thanks for listening to That Solo Life.
Transcribing live conversations can be tricky so please be forgiving of any typos or errors that you find. Love something here and want to share? Great, please keep reading!
You are more than welcome to share the transcript (up to 500 words) in media articles (e.g., PR News, O’Dwyers), on your personal website, in a non-commercial article or blog post (e.g., Substack), and/or on a personal social media account for non-commercial purposes, provided that you include attribution to “That Solo Life” and link back to the soloprpro/podcast URL. For the sake of clarity, media outlets with advertising models are permitted to use excerpts from the transcript per the above.
But please note that no one is authorized to copy any portion of the podcast content or use That Solo Life’s name, image or likeness for any commercial purpose or use, including without limitation inclusion in any books, e-books, book summaries or synopses, or on a commercial website or social media site (e.g., Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.) that offers or promotes your or another’s products or services.
Got questions? Email us at info@soloprpro.com.
[00:11] Michelle Kane: Thank you for joining us for this episode of That Solo Life, the podcast for PR pros and marketers who work for themselves. People like me, Michelle Kane of Voice Matters and my wonderful co-host, Karen Swim of Solo PR Pro. Hi, Karen.
[00:26] Karen Swim: Here we are again. It's a grand thing. Hi Michelle, how are you doing?
[00:31] Michelle Kane: I'm doing well, doing well. Surviving winter so far. The days are slowly getting a little longer, which is good.
[00:41] Karen Swim: It, it's, I don't know, we're just having a really interesting time here in Michigan. I thought they were [getting longer], but then it's dark at 4 o'clock, which is not good. It's dark at seven. So that much longer? Not really.
[01:01] Michelle Kane: It's, well, slowly, slow, slow.
[01:06] Karen Swim: I'll take every 60 seconds I can get, so.
[01:10] Michelle Kane: Yeah, I know, I know. But hey, it's always, it's always sunny on the podcast. So it's good.
[01:19] Karen Swim: It truly is.
[01:21] Michelle Kane: And we hope that our listeners feel that warmth and the rays of sunshine that we're sending your way. There we go. There we go.
And we're just gonna have a little fun with the topic today because we often talk about this, you know, clients' desires and whether they're realistic. So we're going to chew on this a little bit. How public relations, while it may be more frustrating in some ways, it's not failing. Your clients just might be hiring you for the wrong reasons.
[01:53] Karen Swim: Right. It's... we've talked about this so much about how PR has a PR problem. And not that it should be all our job, honestly, but this is where the education aspect comes in. You know, I mean how many times have we had someone saying like, "Just make it go viral. Get me on the Today show." Like that's going to solve all their problems and that's going to put them on the map and give them everything they want.
[02:26] Michelle Kane: While those aren't bad things, they're often not the right thing. Oftentimes the right placement in, let's say a trade publication, can do far more for their business. It's just not the bright shiny thing. And yeah, I don't know, sometimes it's like everything old is new again, right?
[02:48] Karen Swim: I think so, yes, exactly. One of the things is patience. Clients have a "want it right now," which... that's kind of our right? We want everything to happen immediately. We don't want to slow down. We don't want to develop strategy and really prepare for this success. And we don't want to see things through. We just want to, you know, do it, get it done and make it happen. And that is not really the best environment to create sustainable success.
[03:32] Michelle Kane: No, I mean, because, yeah, I mean, think about it this way. So you get one hit on a morning show and then that's it. Well, okay, so you've got one dose of fairly large visibility, but it's not all-encompassing. And it doesn't necessarily get you all of the credibility that you should be building through so many other tactics over time. And yes, over time, because you want to prove that "I'm here, I'm going to be here, we are still going to be here to serve whatever audience we're pursuing," and it's really not going to sustain any kind of good impact. But, you know, what do I know?
[04:24] Karen Swim: No, that is exactly right. That's so true, Michelle. It's on point. And I, you know, I don't... I do know how we solve that. We can't fix people's antsiness. But I do think that we have to educate now, just as we always have, but maybe it's even more important now, and set the right expectations.
And I know that sometimes that can be a bit tough when you have a challenging business environment and you have to work a lot harder. You have to work your leads a lot harder, you have to have a lot more in the pipeline, and sometimes it takes a little while longer to actually get to the table where you're having a conversation about engaging PR. So there's this natural reluctance to not want to upset a deal because someone says something. And you know that, yes, you can achieve that, but it's the way that they are explaining... but we have to rock the boat. And you have to be willing to walk away from business because you could engage and keep turning through accounts, but I don't like that strategy because it's not good for your reputation, it's not good for your mental health to keep turning people, and it's not good in this environment where there's already too much chaos. You want clients that truly understand and value what you do and will really allow you to work through the process in the proper way.
[06:12] Michelle Kane: Yeah, no, totally, totally agree. And even as we're discussing this, it's almost as though we need to begin any kind of exploratory conversations with almost like a little lesson. You know, not that you're talking down to them, but just saying, like, "Hey, well, right now in the current landscape where our team is seeing success [is] by these methods, and this is kind of where people are right now." Almost as an anticipatory thing to do. That way, you're kind of giving them something to think about and they're also getting to know you and figuring out if that's something they'd want to pursue. And, you know, not naysaying what they want right away. Because sometimes you run that risk of... it's like they're hiring you just to say, "Well, here's my list. Do my list." It's like, wait a second, you're hiring me to counsel you on what will and won't work for you? And sure, we might get to your list, but, hmm, let's lay some groundwork first so we have something [to come] back to. And I mean, I honestly think that some of the impatience on some clients' parts, potential clients, stems from distrust.
[07:29] Karen Swim: Right. It's interesting that this came up recently on one of my own client calls where, you know, we've been talking to this really great client, really enjoy this brand. And I'm really looking forward to the work. But he said, "This is where the trust comes in." And it was really profound because he said, "I see where I really need to trust because..." And it's like, thank you for understanding some of the things that I was nervous about.
So don't forget that your clients are people and they may have some fears about PR from past experiences or just not understanding our process. We take it for granted that big brands or just brands have at least a base level knowledge of how this all works. And really they don't. So if they don't really understand, they may have some fears and they may feel like, "Oh, gosh, we're going to spend this money, but what are we really going to get back from it?" You know, let's face it, that's at the heart of all of the insecurity. And so it's a process of us developing that trust with them and leaning into what they fear and helping them to understand how those fears are unfounded or how we overcome what they're talking about. And so it's funny that as much as we talk about trust with our clients and how important it is, sometimes I don't think about it that deeply of creating trust in the business development situation. It's kind of a natural, I think, for all of us. So I don't really consciously think about building that trust, but it is something that I recently was called out [on] in a positive way. That's like, oh, yeah, I really need to actively think about that.
[09:38] Michelle Kane: Yeah. Yeah, that's true.
[09:40] Karen Swim: Although it's funny, in my earlier days, I would swing the other way. I'd be like, "You're just calling me and you want me to do... How do you know I don't stink?"
[09:49] Michelle Kane: Yes. When you are young in this career, sometimes you feel like, oh, my God, they're gonna hire me. Do they know, really? They know that I'm, like, fresh out of school?
[10:04] Karen Swim: But that is so true. And I think that that bodes well for that potential relationship because not only do they understand that trust is a huge factor, I think it's something that we have to convey that, okay, not only do we have the intellect to deliver good results for you, please know that you're in good hands. We are going to treat you as if you're our own kind of situation. And that we value you. So hopefully you will also be valuing our approach to you. It's all with great care. Because why would we want to present something that we don't either care about the outcome or we don't care what it looks like, we just want to cash the check? I mean, that's no way to sustain a business. So I'm not saying that those daredevils aren't out there, but that's just no way to run a business.
[11:05] Karen Swim: And I think we can't forget that as human beings, we always want to validate our decisions. Right? We want to know that when we choose a service or a product, that we're making a good decision, and we want that decision to be validated. And we want it to be validated before we purchase it. We want it validated, obviously, by the performance of that thing that we put our money on. But we also want to know that other people that we like, know and trust have had a good experience. You know, if you're going to a new barber or a hairstylist, that's something that's important to you, and you genuinely want to know if that the result is going to be something that you're happy with. If you're buying a new kind of laundry detergent, you don't want to buy something that's going to rip your clothes apart. So we humans do have that need to kind of know that we're going into something.
And this is where the sales process really comes in at and really refining those sales skills and understanding how to win your customers. So you're giving them information along the way. You're not shying away from their objections. You're leaning into them. Over time, as you do this a lot, you will start to see how you can build objections proactively into how you present to clients. You'll overcome those objections before they even ask them. But, yeah, don't be afraid when they're pushing back. And don't be afraid to say no to things that are unrealistic. If a client's coming to you in June and saying, "Hey, I want to get speaking engagements," you really need to be honest and say, "Are you talking about for 2027?" Because any submissions have already closed for the year. Doesn't mean that there can't be a cancellation, we can't circle up with organizers, but probably not going to happen. But here's what we can do. I think that honesty, even if it means not getting business, really works in your favor.
[13:21] Michelle Kane: Absolutely. Absolutely. And sometimes it's... you're just not a good fit because what they're asking for is blatantly unrealistic. And if they're not going to budge, then, you know, hey, I guess I'm not for you right now because again, my credibility is always on the line. Our credibility is really all we have. You know, because we don't build bookshelves. I mean, yes, we can point to case studies, but our credibility—that working with us will be a positive thing and beneficial—that is our currency. So choose carefully. Don't be afraid to have the conversations because that will really help you as you decide whether or not to move forward and how to move forward.
[14:12] Karen Swim: Yeah. And you should never allow a client's lack of patience to lead to you working in panic and pressure. Just don't do it. It won't be happy for you. And just as that business came to you, if you have to walk away from it, better business will come your way. A better fit will come your way. So absolutely be encouraged. You can do it.
[14:41] Michelle Kane: Yep. Protect your peace, stand your ground. All the good things. But it's true. Well, we hope you've gotten value from our time together today. I'm all right—hello, January! And if you have, please do share this around. And please do let us know what you think. Hit us up at soloprpro.com. In fact, check out that website. There's always something good to glean to help us be better practitioners in communications. And until next time, thanks for listening to That Solo Life.
Transcribing live conversations can be tricky so please be forgiving of any typos or errors that you find. Love something here and want to share? Great, please keep reading!
You are more than welcome to share the transcript (up to 500 words) in media articles (e.g., PR News, O’Dwyers), on your personal website, in a non-commercial article or blog post (e.g., Substack), and/or on a personal social media account for non-commercial purposes, provided that you include attribution to “That Solo Life” and link back to the soloprpro/podcast URL. For the sake of clarity, media outlets with advertising models are permitted to use excerpts from the transcript per the above.
But please note that no one is authorized to copy any portion of the podcast content or use That Solo Life’s name, image or likeness for any commercial purpose or use, including without limitation inclusion in any books, e-books, book summaries or synopses, or on a commercial website or social media site (e.g., Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.) that offers or promotes your or another’s products or services.
Got questions? Email us at info@soloprpro.com.