RACHAEL PERROTTA
Communications Consulting



SERVICES



PUBLIC RELATIONS





Even before I received my marketing degree from Columbia College Chicago in 2002, I was breaking news. The first press release I wrote and distributed, for a campus group fighting education funding cuts, got the organizers a spot on ABC 7 Chicago's nightly news. Since then, I've written, edited, faxed, emailed, tweeted and pitched hundreds of press releases.


I work with clients ranging from convention planners, legal firms and kickstarter entrepreneurs to restaurant owners, software developers and educational institutions. There isn't one right way to put together a great press release – but there are a million ways to get it wrong. Let my experience guide your brand into the news.


Everything about pitching and distributing press releases has changed. If you're still doing PR like you were five years ago, you're probably doing it wrong. Twitter has become the hub for interacting with reporters, breaking news and sharing articles. I have just as much success tweeting pitches at journalists as I do when I email them — if not more.


My press releases have generated articles in national and international outlets including the AP, AFP, Newsweek, VICE, the Atlantic, Democracy Now, the Guardian, FOX News, NBC News, Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, USA Today and NPR.


Locally, information I distribute has been covered in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, DNAInfo Chicago, Chicagoist, Chicago Reader, ABC7-TV WLS, NBC5-TV WMAQ, CBS2-TV WBBM, WGN-TV, Chicago Tonight, WBEZ Public Radio and more.


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SOCIAL MEDIA





Recently, I worked with a convention client who was seriously short on attendees. In just one week, I increased their social media stats by 100% across the board, with a matching increase in sales. Using Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I created incentives that brought value to customers without impacting my client's bottom line.


When I was growing up, all you needed was a single flyer to promote an event. In the social media age, you need to constantly produce new graphics, incentives, promotions and contests to sustain interest and interactions.


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INFLUENCER RELATIONS





How do things go viral? More and more often, it's because you pay for them to. Organic (ie. unpaid) outreach is a critical component of any communications campaign. But in today's social marketplace, you can buy the influence you need to reach distinct audiences in a way that's more authentic than an ad or even a news article.


Bloggers and social media powerhouses with high engagement rates can be paid a fee or offered an incentive to share your product or service. I can help you navigate this new field by finding the right influencers to promote your brand and writing pitches that get their attention.


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DESIGN





Great design is no longer optional. If your brand doesn't have a slick website and engaging graphics to share you can't be competitive in the social marketplace. Investing in social media consulting and a website update will add value by giving consumers greater confidence in your brand.


For the web, I design and write copy for sites like this one and fight4medicare.com. For social media I make profile pictures, headers, graphics and memes optimized for each platform.


For print, I design business cards, letterhead, stickers, postcards, pamphlets, sell sheets and and flyers.


View my Design Portfolio for examples of my 2017 work.


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branding





When you look at your website and your social media pages, can you tell they're from the same company?


Does your brand have specific fonts, colors and a logo you use in everything you do?


Branding is all about synchronicity. The more you're able to standardize the look and feel of your business across platforms, the more professional you appear, which gives your customers confidence. Ask me for a free consultation on how I would take your brand to the next level.


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publicist for the people





For nearly two decades I've donated PR services to grassroots organizers fighting for social and economic justice. My goal with my volunteer work is to elevate marginalized voices and connect activists with news professionals. When you hire me to work on your project, you are supporting the free PR services I donate to my community.


​Groups I've worked with include:


National Lawyer's Guild, Chicago Chapter ● We Charge Genocide ● Black Youth Project 100, Chicago Chapter ● Lifted Voices Chicago ● Assata's Daughters ● Project NIA ● Chicago International Youth Peace Movement ● Uptown People's Law Center ● Rising Tide Chicago ● Students for a National Health Program ● Anti-War Committee – Chicago ● Black Lives Matter, Chicago ● #ByeAnita campaign to oust Alvarez ● Global Climate Convergence ● Chicago IWW May Day Committee ● #TraumaCenterNow campaign with Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY) ● Frack Free Illinois ● Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign ● Chicago Light Brigade ● Chicago Students Union ● Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo ● Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke ● #ReparationsNow campaign for CPD torture survivors with Chicago Torture Justice Memorials ● Village Leadership Academy ● Women Against The Machine ● Free Matt DeHart ● Free Marty G ● Tar Sands Free Midwest ● FURIE Chicago ● Chicago Votes ● Chicago #TrainTakeover ● Child Care Advocates United, Inc ● #FightForDyett Hunger Strike ● Christian Peacemaker Teams ● Scrappers Film Group ● Lucy Parsons Labs ● Chicago Freedom School ● Women's All Points Bulletin


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RACHAEL PERROTTA



PR + SOCIAL MEDIA + DESIGN
Chicago, IL