PR support, consultancy and training

Before crossing over to journalism I spent five years working in luxury travel PR, heading up 15 clients (including Conrad Hotels, YTL Hotels, Sani Resort and ITC Luxury Travel) as account director before I left.

I come from the unique position of understanding the PR, client, journalist (both as an in-house editor and freelancer) and blogger needs – we all have to work together, and there are ways to keep this nice and efficient, so everyone is happy! All too often I see PRs making strange decisions on behalf of their client, or journalists being rude about PRs. This makes me sad. These are both tough and demanding jobs, and we are all pulled in different directions. It’s really important that PRs understand how the journalist side of things works, and the pressure journalists are under (I am also very quick to let other journalists know that PR isn’t all champagne and parties, too!).  

So how can I help?

Writing, creative consultancy and a sounding board:Whether you’re looking for some support with press release writing, need a journalist’s perspective on something or are struggling for creative ideas that’ll get you press coverage, I can help.

Training: Now that I’m a journalist I’m on the receiving end of some – to put it lightly – bad PR. Lacklustre and lazy pitching, unhelpful email replies, press releases littered with mistakes and time-wasting meetings are just some of the things I experience on a daily basis, and I know there are plenty of editors with long ‘bug bear’ lists too. This frustrates me because I know that all of this is avoidable. One of the things I missed most after leaving PR was training my team up to be superstar PRs who were friendly and efficient. I can help your team get to this place and provide valuable insight on what works and what doesn’t in the world of PR – with both my PR and writer/editor hat on.

This is particularly valuable to junior members of PR agencies who often don’t get the training they need to build relationships and do the best job they can. I provide workshop sessions for PRs going through the ‘essential skills’ of doing a good job as a travel PR, like how to write a good pitch and how to approach meetings (sounds simple, but a lot of people fall short). I can also provide insider training and helpful tips on how to secure coverage, build relationships with press and bloggers and keep your client happy. If you’d like me to help your team get to grips with any or all aspects of the job then just let me know.