Split-Second with Lorrie Walker

One of my core assignments for this semester was to conduct an online interview with a current public relations professional. I had the pleasure of contacting and interviewing Lorrie Walker, of Lorrie Walker Communications Inc. based out of Tampa, Florida.

A strong proponent of Internet-based marketing and online public relations efforts, Lorrie encourages the use of social media in public relations campaigns where appropriate. She believes the advent of blogs, social networking outlets and sites devoted to posting and distributing articles and press releases are powerful tools in helping small businesses compete with their larger counterparts and carve out their own portion of the market share.

AB: What training or education did you receive before entering the Public Relations field?

LW: I served in the U.S. Army, where I was trained as a journalist/public affairs specialist. When I got out, I always was fortunate enough to get good jobs without a college degree. However, I went back to school a few years ago and completed a bachelor's degree in business and professional leadership. I have to say that the bulk of my knowledge has come from working in the journalism/PR field.

AB: Can you describe to me what a brief overview of your career path before and during PR?

LW: I started out as a journalist in the Army. After the Army, I did a bit of freelancing before securing full-time work at a small weekly newspaper. I moved on to a daily newspaper eventually, then left journalism to work in the non-profit sector as an executive director. I did a lot of PR work as the executive director. From there, I became the public relations director for a private university before I started my own boutique PR firm in May 2007.

AB: Do you belong to any PR organizations such as the CPRS or IABC, please list?

LW: I once belonged to the Florida Public Relations Association.

AB: So how have these organizations benefitted you?

LW: I'm currently not a member, but am seriously considering rejoining. Networking is important, and these types of professional organizations help provide networking opportunities.
AB: How has the PR field evolved since you entered it? How did you respond to these changes?

LW: By far, the Internet has brought about the most changes. Social media and Internet marketing are SO VERY IMPORTANT in public relations campaigns these days, and it is something that is on my "to do" list for every client. I've embraced these changes because they tend to be so much more cost-effective than many traditional media/PR outlets. I'm fascinated with search engine optimization and Internet marketing efforts, so it was easy for me to embrace these new opportunities.
AB: Thank you so much for your time, Lorrie. Any other valuable information or experiences you wish to share?

LW: Running a small PR firm has been rewarding, but it requires a lot of diligence and hard work. There's something about not having a regular paycheck that can either make you fail miserably or really get you off your butt and seeking out opportunities. I do a lot of networking and I put a good amount of effort into optimizing my Web site so that I am easily found on the Internet.