08:25 am
Client Posts a job brief
We take the information in the job brief and the algorithm searches our freelancer database to find the best matches
We harness data to a real grasp of how freelancers and clients work together
At the heart of what we do is some maths which does the heavy lifting of connecting the right clients with the right freelancers. It doesn’t replace the important personal trust between freelancer and client. It makes it more likely to succeed.
It works by both freelancer and client using simple, drop-down menus to describe what each party can expect from the other.
We turn that information into our unique PR Heat Map which presents the client with a short list of freelancers with the best mix of recent experience, skills and contacts.
That avoids a huge amount of wasted time for both freelancer and client and starts the conversation based on real understanding of what the brief requires.
Then we put freelancer and client in contact and the magic happens.
HOW ARE PROFILES MATCHED?
Our system matches over 700 data points to create The PR Cavalry Heat Map which clients can view in a number of different ways –
By specialism
We rank the freelancer’s suitability for the brief by scoring how closely you match the requirement in terms of:
- - knowledge of the client’s target market
- - the type of PR work eg CSR, sponsorship support, product launch etc.
By recency
When you’re hot, you’re hot and recent experience in a market and doing the type of work required is immensely valuable
By day rate
Clients can prioritise day rate when they are creating their shortlist of ideal freelancers. Freelancers can vary their day rate depending on how busy they are to attract more work or rule out all but the most attractive briefs.
Here’s an Example of Our Heat Map
This is what a client sees once they have used our menu-based system to clarify their objectives, their audiences and the budget.
Key Points
When freelancers create their profile they will go through some simple drop-down menus to score their abilities in each area. The client will mirror that process in describing the business outcomes they would like to achieve and state what hitting those targets is worth to them.
At every step we are helping to iron out the vagueness and uncertainty that bedevil much PR work and which leads to dissatisfaction. In this example of The PR Cavalry Heat Map you can see how closely a range of freelancers meet the client’s needs, how recently they have done this kind of work in the client’s market and by the size of circle how much their day rate is.
In the near future we will be introducing ratings for both freelancers and clients to add even more transparency and certainty at the very outset of a project.
Typical project timeline
Here are the steps in a typical project
08:25 am
10:00 am
THE PR CAVALRY HEAT MAP SHOWS THE BEST MATCHED PROFILES
Our algorithm presents the results in an at a glance table, with the client able to click to see full profiles
11:35 am
CLIENT SHORTLISTS FREELANCERS AND THE FREELANCER SEES THE BRIEF
The freelancer makes the first contact and both parties weigh up if the match and the chemistry is right and details are negotiated.
3:20 pm
Project Starts
The contract is signed by both parties on our secure messaging platform and the work begins. The legal contract is between freelancer and client.
3:20 pm
Document Exchange
Variances to the contract are shared on our messaging platform (this protects the integrity of the contract between both parties and is required for the freelancer to enjoy the continued benefits of being part of The PR Cavalry)
3:20 pm
Final Step
The freelancer invoices the client for their professional fee via our platform and the client pays into our client account, triggering the pro-forma invoice for our commission.
Creating and Maintaining your profile
One simple rule – the more you tell us about your skills and experience – the better the odds of being matched with a client who wants what you have.
A Few Tips
Because your experience and the kind of contacts you have will change each month, it pays you to keep your profile fresh – just pitched a great feature with a journalist you haven’t worked with before? Tell us, or our algorithm won’t know! You can update it as many times as you want.
Tell us what you’re worth. If you are mad busy this month and you can’t take any work on, then either change your status to unavailable, or increase your day rate so that only the really juicy briefs come your way. If you’ve got time going spare, then you can drop your day rate to attract more work, then switch it back when it suits you.
Check the details, before you confirm that you want your profile to go live, read through our agreement which is designed to be fair to you, to the client and to us. It’s in plain English, is all about being professional and fair with each other and there being no surprises, but it is a binding document to protect everyone in case things hit a bump.