A CAREER IN PR PROVIDES

FROM BEAUTY TO FINANCE, DIGITAL TO HEALTHCARE,
What is your proudest accomplishment
in your job so far?
A CAREER IN PR PROVIDES
THE VARIETY TO PURSUE
YOUR PASSION.
It has to be when I completed my apprenticeship. It’s what
I was working toward for a year and it was more than worth
it for the experience alone. However, getting a qualification
and the opportunity to work full time is the reason why it’s
my proudest accomplishment.
Public relations is all about reputation. It’s the result of what you do, what you say, and what
others say about you. Working as a PR professional involves communicating with the public
to ensure they have positive opinions of anything from an individual, such as the Prime
Minister David Cameron, or an organisation, such as the retailer Topshop.
Spotlighting sectors
Daniel Bailey
FASHION
Digital Executive
Whiteoaks PR
Working for your favorite fashion retailer, brand or
designer will involve networking with fashion journalists,
popular bloggers and organising product launches
and promotional events. Fashion PR is competitive,
and undertaking internships is important if you want
to find work in this sector.
What three key skills do you need in your job?
Three that come to mind are: polished writing skills, this
is a biggie in PR! Be quick on your feet; you should be
able to quickly react to what’s happening on social media.
Finally – time management; you’ll be surprised at how much
time social media sucks out of your day.
Ellie Weatherseed
Senior Account Executive
Lisa Berwin Communications
What is your proudest accomplishment
in your job so far?
What are your plans for the future?
As it’s only the start of my career, I guess the only option
is to work my way up! I’m looking forward to gaining more
experience in the PR world and having the opportunity
to learn new skills as I continue with my career.
In January this year, I organised and co-hosted
a conference called ‘UKFT Rise Start-up Fashion’
for budding fashion entrepreneurs, hearing from numerous
key industry speakers on various topics that affect
start up fashion businesses. I sourced speakers which
included high profile names from companies such as
Aurora Fashions, Ted Baker, Stylist Magazine, Harrods,
Orla Kiely and Patrick Grant, Creative Director of E.Tautz
and organised the venue, pulled together the agenda
and promoted the event to all major fashion trade press.
The event was attended by 200 fashion entrepreneurs
and was a raving success.
Technology is one of the fastest changing industries,
with PR professionals working at the forefront of innovative
brands such as Apple, Sony or Twitter. They will be the first
to know of groundbreaking developments in technology
to then share with journalists.
POLITICS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
WHAT IS
IT LIKE
TO WORK
IN PR?
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What is a typical day like?
No two days are the same – my day can change
at the drop of a hat when a request comes through from
a journalist or one of my clients. I usually start my morning
by reading all of the national newspapers, focusing
on the business sections and scanning over key retail trade
websites such as Drapers and Retail Week. It is imperative
to know what is going on in your clients industry. At the
moment I am organising a client’s event at Chelsea Flower
Show and black tie awards gala the NatWest UK Fashion
& Textile Awards. My day can range from being out of the
office all day at client meetings to writing a press release,
pitching stories to the press and reporting for clients.
TECHNOLOGY
Politics and public affairs work with local, national
and international governments to influence public policy
and to shape the future of society. PR professionals
aim to build and maintain a strong reputation for their
organisation and find common ground with its publics.
specialising my studies in marketing and PR. From then
on, I undertook numerous internships throughout my
studies at press offices of various brands such as Tommy
Hilfiger, Marks & Spencer, Jaeger, My-Wardrobe.com
and MyFlashTrash.com. For my placement year, I worked
as the PR Assistant at luxury menswear brand Hackett
– where I took away the most invaluable experience.
Following graduation and a year travelling overseas,
I am now a Senior Account Executive at fashion & retail
specialist B2B agency Lisa Berwin Communications
looking after key fashion, retail and FMCG clients.
What three key skills do you need in your job?
Why did you choose to get into PR?
I’ve always had an interest in social media. After seeing
an opportunity to become a digital PR apprentice
at Whiteoaks, one of the UK’s leading technology PR
agencies, the idea of getting involved in the PR industry
and being a part of Whiteoaks’ digital team had really
appealed to me!
How did you get into PR?
Through the PRCA’s apprenticeship scheme. It’s a great
way to get into the industry if university isn’t for you.
The PRCA and everyone at Whiteoaks supported me all the
way through the course. At the end of it I gained a Level 4
BTEC and a full-time position at Whiteoaks.
What is a typical day like?
The first thing I do is to check on each social media
account to see if anything has happened overnight.
Then throughout the day I’ll be finding relevant content for
future posts, as well as managing the communities for each
account and making sure everything is running smoothly.
Why did you choose to get into PR?
I am a confident upbeat and sociable individual and enjoy
working in sociable environments. I have always wanted
to work in the fashion and retail industry. PR enabled me
to work in environments I not only thrived in but enjoyed.
It may sound silly but I still get a buzz when I see a product/
story I have pulled together featured in a key publication
and hearing from my client that they secured new
business because of it. I love being involved in every stage
of the process.
How did you get into PR?
Before starting university at the London College of
Fashion, my intention was to have a career in fashion
buying. In my first year studying I undertook a work
experience placement at a new start up womenswear
designer and was thrown into doing their PR. After
securing my first piece of coverage I was sold on
Strong communication skills – you are on the phone
with members of the press and clients on a regular basis,
you need to be confident. Organisation – especially
working in an agency environment, you are working
for numerous clients and need to make sure you organise
your time effectively. Journalists have strict deadlines
– organisation is key to ensure that these deadlines
are met. Industry Knowledge – it is important to gain
wide industry knowledge.
What are your plans for the future?
Hopefully one day I will run my own PR agency! Within
the next 5 years I want to be Senior PR Manager/Director
level leading one of the best PR agencies/in-house press
offices looking after high profile clients.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
www.prca.org.uk/
www.prapprenticeships.com
www.prweek.com
www.milkround.com