5 minutes with...

Please provide a brief introduction to yourself & Bauer Media

I’m pretty new to this industry, however, writing was always something I wanted to make a career out of. Before being employed by Bauer Media, I was working in retail while writing creatively on the side and attending writing courses across the city. Working with Liverpool based organisation, Writing on the Wall, allowed me to work towards getting some of my poetry published as well as building up my confidence to apply for a writing role. I’ve been with Bauer Media Group since I was lucky enough to be taken on as a Storytelling Executive at heat and Closer magazine back in September last year. Before my contract ended, I was offered a position as a Commercial Content Writer with the Affiliate Team. I get to write content for Yours, Mother & Baby, Spirit & Destiny and a whole catalogue of magazines that I love writing for.

Give us the inside scoop, what is your favourite part about working as a Commercial Content Writer?

A big part of my love for being a Commercial Content Writer is that there’s so much creative freedom to write articles that you’re passionate about. You’re trusted to pitch your own ideas and it’s so satisfying when they pay off. There’s a lot of innovation, creativity and passion that goes into it. For me, there’s never a boring day because there’s something new to write about all the time. It only helps that the team I work alongside are the most talented group of writers that lift you up and celebrate your successes. Working remotely works so well for me because it suits my needs perfectly. Despite the fact I’m working from home, I’m still getting the balance of being connected and sociable with the team I work with regularly.

What’s the most memorable approach you’ve had from a PR (good or bad!)?

I think the most memorable are the PRs who call you or invite you for a coffee. Personally though, I’d much rather answer an email than a phone call! I find the phone call approach slightly intrusive, especially when they haven’t asked whether it’s ok beforehand. Saying that, whenever I have been called by a PR they’ve been nothing but polite. Of course, most of the PRs are from London and, being from Liverpool, meeting up for a coffee isn’t exactly feasible. That approach of ‘let’s go for a coffee’ always stands out for me. I always remember getting that email for the first time!

If you could give a PR advice on what to do to get your attention and secure coverage with you - what would it be?

For me, it’s all about a personal approach. We know that these emails are getting forwarded to thousands, but when it’s an email that addresses me personally it makes me want to pay attention. Personalising your emails may take a good amount of time, but I’d be more likely to respond to a personalised email than a generic one any day! Also, a friendly and polite approach is everything. Spamming or being too pushy in your pitch will make me switch off instantly.

What types of products and price points are you personally looking to feature?

Working closely with Mother & Baby and Yours means that we cover a lot surrounding family life. From affordable everyday mum essentials to expensive gift guides, it’s important to cover a variety of products with differing price points so that you’re appealing to all of your readers. Baby and parenting products obviously feature a lot in Mother & Baby, while for Yours, who are our more mature audience, are more interested in home appliances or mature fashion. Being interested in fashion myself, I love featuring fashion pieces, as well as make-up and astrology which are some of my favourites to write about.

Tell us about the best press event you have ever been to!

The best – and first! – press event I attended was the CIJ Homewares Christmas Long Lead Power Pitching Event! Previously working in retail, I’m no stranger to having the topic of Christmas come up in July, but it was still fun to see everyone in festive jumpers. With each pitch being a power pitch that was around six minutes long, it really hit home the importance of a pitch being straightforward and to the point. Due to the concise pitching method, it completely captured my attention. Not to mention, it was exciting hearing from big brand names about all of the amazing products they’ll be offering around Christmas.

Tell us something fun that people don't know about you!

Something people found out about really quickly because of my Instagram is that I love to sing, play the ukulele and I’ve also tried my hand at burlesque. Anything creative and I’m on board (even if I’m not particularly good at it!).