By Gini Dietrich
Hey, Carrie Morgan! How did we meet?
I can’t remember!
Hang on. I did a #FollowFriday on her exactly one year ago (how weird is that coincidence?). Let’s see if it says how we met.
Nope. Totally doesn’t say.
We’re both communicators so it has to be that she stumbled on Spin Sucks or I stumbled on Rock The Status Quo and the rest, as they say, is history.
She also is a search goddess, according to her recommendations on LinkedIn, which strikes me as fancy because no one has ever called me a goddess in a recommendation. I mean, I make my team call me that, but I sign their paychecks.
So let’s get her on the Spin Sucks Inquisition and crown her a goddess.
What is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made in Your Career?
The biggest mistake in my career was trying to force-fit my personality to work in an agency culture that didn’t accept honesty and creativity.
You’d think that would be the IDEAL place for those traits, but it was a train wreck.
I was eventually fired when I wouldn’t change the results of a focus group to fit what the agency president thought investors of the real estate development concept wanted to hear.
While I didn’t realize it at the time, I was far better off out of that environment.
I’m a lone wolf with an insatiable curiosity and desire to learn, and have discovered that being a consultant is a far, far better fit.
I just celebrated my sixth anniversary for Rock The Status Quo, and love being an independent digital PR consultant. It’s allowed me to take career-boosting risks that I could not have done as an employee.
What is One Thing about Yourself that Would Surprise Most People?
Before I committed to a marketing and PR career, I was a horse trainer.
I went to college in Virginia to study equine science, spent years showing western then hunter/jumper, and trained horses and was a riding instructor in Washington, Florida, and California.
More than 20 years of my life was completely devoted to horses, then I went cold turkey in my mid-twenties when I ended up a single parent.
I intend to get back into dressage when my nest is empty of children—something that is looming just a few years away!
If You Could Achieve Everything You Ever Wanted in Life, but Had to Die 10 Years Sooner, Would You Make that Trade?
Nope – working hard to achieve something wonderful is appreciated far more than enjoying something that falls into your lap. It’s all about the journey, right?
What Industry Advice or Practice Would You Most Like to Cry Foul On?
I’d like to call foul on anyone in our industry who still mass-blasts out their press releases to hundreds of editors and reporters, and doesn’t carefully build their media lists.
These two dinosaur practices need to be abolished in favor of small, relevant media lists customized for each news release, and custom pitches.
What is the Best Book You’ve Read in the Past Six Months?
I’d have to say Chris Brogan’s “The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth.”
As an introvert and risk-taker who gets as much criticism as support, it really resonated.
(Editor’s note: Clearly she missed the memo that the only answer to this question is Spin Sucks.)
Why Does Spin Suck?
Carefully crafted, creative story angles are wonderful, especially when paired with a specific reporter’s beat or publication—which everyone should be doing—but spinning a story of lies or partial truths definitely sucks.
Those who do it are simply not creative enough to produce unique thinking.
Sad. #shakinghead
Where You Can Find Carrie Morgan
Carrie, like every good communicator, is pretty much everywhere on the web. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, on #PRProChat, and on her blog.
She also has two books forthcoming: Digital Haystack and Above the Noise.
Have fun stalking!