It was really a no brainer deciding where in the world I’d rather be, so I decided to test the PR waters over the hotter side of the globe.
Moving to a new country knowing hardly anyone was a pretty daunting experience and starting my role at Blue by Red PR was even more daunting. I immediately realised how important knowing the media, journalists and your contacts are. After working for 5 years in the UK for the same PR agency my little black book was looking very full – in Sydney it was near enough empty, which took me completely out of my comfort zone.
Reassuringly, after sinking my teeth into Australian PR I discovered that the same principles apply over here – knowing the media is crucial and building strong client and journalist relationships plays just as an important role. I’ve found that by launching myself into the Sydney social and networking scene I’m quickly filling up my black book again!
The most refreshing difference so far has been discovering that with the Australian press, not every story you pitch has to have a celebrity connection. The UK is celebrity obsessed – even with the D listers from Big Brother and the market has become totally saturated by celebrity based weekly magazines. From my experience, the only way a journalist would take the slightest bit of notice of your products is if one of the hottest celebrities of the moment is using it. I’ve found that Australian media are much more open to writing about a product or brand simply because it’s genuinely something good and interesting.
When I first came to Australia I thought I may be taking a step back, but actually I’ve already learnt so much, been inspired by the wonderful people I work with and offered a lot more – except internet shopping!
