You have established yourself as a top PR consultant and credible communications professional via Mopwater PR. Tell our Sisters how you managed to get started in your field.
After getting a dual degree in English and History from Howard University, I began my public relations career as a PR coordinator at a major foundation, and later a lobbying and fundraising shop with interests in energy and Africa. I then switched over to journalism after winning a very prestigious fellowship to Northwestern University. I worked as a journalist for the Washington City Paper for a couple of years before transitioning fully into public relations. Since then, I have been working on a number of personal professional projects in addition to helping small businesses and organizations with their public relations, marketing and social media.
I started my blog as a way to brand myself, raise my professional profile, and position myself as an expert in my field. Having the blog has led to speaking invitations, guest writing invitations, interviews like this one and other opportunities. Earlier this year, I decided to create an event series where I invite speakers to discuss the things I write about in the blog. I also published a book on how to find your best PR career.
The current trend toward online and social media creates a niche for young bloggers like you. How have you used new media tools to carve Mopwater’s niche?
I don’t think there would be a Mopwater without social media, or at least without social media, Mopwater would be much less relevant. A lot of the trends I report on are PR 2.0 trends (the intersection of public relations and web 2.0 i.e social media and new media). So I talk a lot about how to use microblogging sites like Twitter, Social Networking sites like facebook, and video sharing platforms like YouTube or Vimeo for effective public relations.
Not only do I write about social media, but I totally depend on social media to promote the site. Once I write a post, I may share it on Twitter, Facebook and my relevant LinkedIn groups. The information placed in the right places and in the right context spreads easily with social media.
What advice can you offer women who are interested in starting a blog?
Start with a plan, but allow the content to unfold. By this I simply mean to roll with the proverbial punches. When I began blogging at Mopwater PR + Media Notes, I originally thought I would be talking a lot more about news articles that mentioned social media, a la the New York Times Bits Blog or Wall Street Journal Digits. But after a while I began to see what readers really responded to—my own experiences from the PR frontlines in my own words—and I built more content from there. Also my blog has been a great place for “How To” information so I try to build that in whenever possible. My point is, start blogging but don’t expect the magic overnight. Get to know your audience. Get to know what you like, get to know what they like, get to know the rhythm of the conversation and let your content flow from there.
Many women find blogging and the internet community overall to be intimidating. Is there any validity to that concern?
I actually find the opposite to be true because it’s the internet and not face-to-face interaction. I’m not intimidated at all, although I can see how someone would be.
In which ways can blogging benefit women in both their career and as an individual?
Professionally, blogging can really brand a person and position you as an expert in your field. Beyond your ability to “do the work,” blogging shows your passion for your industry, and allows you to showcase your personality and creativity. If an employer were looking at two candidates with all things being equal education and experience-wise, but one candidate had an amazing blog that was well-respected within the industry…you get where I am going with this.
Personally, I think blogging is a great confidence builder for women. And blogging is social by its very nature, allowing for a kind of connectivity that I find very exciting.
Do you have any favorite blogs?
I’m such a media nerd. I love all of Media Bistro’s blogs, namely PRNewser and FishbowlDC. I also love PR-Squared, Mashable, WSJ Digits, NYTimes Bits, and The Social Media Examiner.
As a wife and mother of two, how do you manage to balance your professional and personal life while remaining happy?
I have the most amazingly supportive husband who is a true team player. I also have a great sounding board in my mom who always reminds me to rest because I am a workaholic.
Sometimes I step back and look at my life and think of how lucky I am to love what I do and have a good marriage and two healthy beautiful babies that I adore. With all of that it’s pretty easy to be happy.
How do you stay motivated?
I observe the competition.
Tell our Sisters one defining moment for Amanda Miller Littlejohn
My blog’s first event Twitch! Public Relations in the Age of Social Media in January was a truly “I can do anything I set my mind to,” moment for me. I was able to bring together a stellar panel of journalists to discuss their use of social media in front of a sold-out room of public relations professionals who all found out about the event through one social media channel or another. It was extremely gratifying to see my vision come to be.
For Sisters who are interested in contacting, what is the best way to connect with Amanda/Mopwater PR?
You can find me on Twitter. I’m @amandamogul.
http://www.millerlittlejohnmedia.com/
Amanda Miller Littlejohn is an idea oven and brand problem solver working at the intersection of public relations, marketing and social media. Specializing in new media and online communications, Amanda helps individuals, businesses, and organizations leverage social media and new media tools to create exciting, creative PR and marketing programs. Her favorite tasks are concept development for new content and programs, i.e. editorial and creative direction for blogs and websites, video and photo series, and other visual content. Once content is created, Amanda loves to create a strategy to get the content to go social.
Amanda is passionate about helping communicators obtain the new media savvy so in demand in today’s marketplace. She has developed messaging for large national non-profits, local associations, consulting firms and mid-sized business. Amanda is a former journalist and a writer first by training and passion4. She enjoys using her journalistic training to report on the latest industry news and trends for Mopwater. In her rare spare time, Amanda writes creatively and is currently laboring through a collection of five novellas-two of which won prizes in the 2006 and 2007 Larry Neal Creative Writing Awards sponsored by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Amanda is married to Marc and has two sons-Logan and Connor Benjamin. She lives in Washington, DC.
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