PRCA PR Trends event

PRCA PR Trends event – Optimism and opportunity for PR professionals in 2021

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The theme of ‘optimism and opportunity’ in PR ran through all of the presentations at the PRCA’s ‘PR Trends 2021’ event on 20 January.

I joined five industry leaders – Stephen Waddington, Vikki Chowney, Adrian Ma, Shayoni Lynn and Rohan Shah – to explore the emerging trends impacting public relations and communications practice in 2021.

We delivered quick-fire presentations on an industry trend that we felt would define this year, and beyond.

At a time where ‘Zoom fatigue’ is high, the number and quality of the questions from attendees highlighted both the desire and energy that exists to shape modern PR practice.

Here’s the video for those who were unable to attend the live event.

In my presentation (which starts at 31:20), I suggested history has taught us that a crisis and shocking global events can provide a reset button and be catalysts for reflection, focus and innovation.

Many comms and marketing professionals have seized the opportunity to think differently and approach their challenges in a different way.

I highlighted that leading comms and PR agencies, specialists and in-house practitioners are using data in a smarter way.

There is a growing ‘data maturity’ in PR.

Comms professionals need to capture, track and analyse media, social media, search data, web analytics and first party data to inform corporate comms, brand messaging, creative, content strategy, campaigns and even which influencers or communities to focus on and work with.

The really smart ones are, of course, using Vuelio and our sister platform Pulsar to capture and blend this data.

Here’s a summary of what was discussed by each panellist.

Vikki Chowney, H&K Strategies

Vikki joined us from New York during Inauguration Day and focused on content trends:

  • We’re still ‘in the weeds’ but there is much optimism
  • The pandemic has meant that we’ve found new ways to be creative and we have found a real “creative resilience”
  • There are cost efficiencies to content today – clients are much more accepting of what can be realistically achieved against the backdrop of COVID and production restrictions
  • The five core themes in content in 2021 are:
    • Remote Directing – teams and individuals from around the world can be successfully brought into the creative and production process using remote technologies.
    • ‘Rough & Ready’ content is okay – content was mostly raw and realistic in 2020 and the world of content didn’t stop turning
    • Creator Inclusivity – events that would have been exclusive, behind closed doors or only seen by a few people can now be accessed by wider and global audiences
    • Humanising the spokesperson – we’re seeing a whole new side to corporate comms and company spokespeople. Virtual events have brought us into the homes of business executives and leaders and we’re seeing a new side of them
    • Influencers finding shared values – influencers are seeking to work with brands and businesses in ways that go beyond product placement. They want to work with those who share their values and are seeking partnerships and campaigns with meaningful societal impact

Stephen Waddington, Wadds Inc

Ever the consummate pro, ‘Wadds’ published his presentation during the event on his PR Top 10 Vuelio blog.

He highlighted the opportunity for value creation for PR agency start-ups and agencies scaling in 2021.

Stephen acknowledged that 2020 was a difficult year for many PR professionals working in sectors that have shut down, including culture, entertainment and travel.

But he also highlighted the 30 new agency start-ups in the UK that have seen the opportunity of building a business in a pandemic.

He recommended agency propositions should focus on the opportunities for value creation by helping organisations navigate these key topics:

  1. Britain’s place in the world
  2. COVID-19 recovery and rebuild
  3. Climate crisis
  4. Societal fractures
  5. Dispersion of education, healthcare, retail and work
  6. Media change: social and mainstream media
  7. Misinformation
  8. Workflow automation and artificial intelligence

Shayoni Lynn, Lynn PR

Shayoni focused on the trend towards increased application of data-driven behavioural science in communications campaigns.

As one of the ‘new breed’ of PR agencies carving a niche in this area, Shayoni and her team use audience data, behaviours and testing to inform their activity for their clients.

  • Behavioural insights help us understand conscious and the unconscious motivations that drive decision making
  • The application of behavioural science in communications campaigns can help improve vaccination take-up, convince people to adopt protective behaviours, engage with mental health services, etc.
  • We can’t afford to ‘stumble blindly’ anymore and we need to adopt a data-driven approach to communications planning
  • We need to understand audiences more deeply, including why they behave the way they do, why they make certain choices that they do, and what will drive them to take action.
  • Deeper insights into attitudes, habits and preferences can ensure our communications remain relevant, meaningful and effective
  • Nudge theory strengthens content, increases the visibility of calls to action and encourages users to take action
  • Cognitive bias are unconscious motivations that affect things like brand proposition, brand recall, consumer action, retention and loyalty
  • Consider yourself a ‘choice architect’ and design the optimum choice environment using human factors to help your audiences make better decisions quicker
  • Data has to monitor audience behaviour in real time
  • Behaviour changes are about context and what works once may not work again in a different context
  • Test in a randomised way, extract your data insights, learn from your test insights, and continually adapt your programme to ensure that you’re responding to your audience’s responses

Adrian Ma, Fanclub PR

Adrian talked about the role of PR in creating data and delivered the best joke of the day: ‘There were two types of forecasters, the ones that don’t know anything. And the ones that don’t know, we don’t know anything.’

  • Successful companies are deploying the use of big data and automation really well
  • Marketing has a larger technology ecosystem than PR
  • PR is one of the most powerful and impactful and cost-effective methods for generating brand awareness and managing reputation, but it hasn’t moved as fast as other marketing disciplines
  • BUT, more comms people are using the same data-driven language as marketers
  • 61% of all PR and comms departments are responsible for both digital and social content
  • PR provides a ‘smell test’ that marketers can use – ‘if we come up with an idea, and we can pitch it to a journalist and editor and a publisher, that is a proof point’
  • When PR is combined with content marketing it can drive much more value
  • PR should be tracking leads and mapping against customer journeys where we can
  • If we can do that, we create more trust in PR as an effective tool and can demonstrate ROI to ‘upper left brain’ results-focused marketers

Michelle Goodall, Access Intelligence

I highlighted that the leading comms and PR agencies, specialists and in-house practitioners are starting to use blended data in a much smarter way.

Drawing and acting upon evolving audience insights from blended data sources should be a big focus for comms professionals in 2021.

  • Crisis can provide a reset button
  • It’s an opportunity to think differently and approach our challenges in a different way
  • Many PR and marketing professionals are doing exactly that and looking at innovative ways to evolve and improve
  • It’s right to be optimistic about things – it’s a time of change in the industry
  • Many PR professionals have adapted to marketing and the converged space around paid, owned, earned and shared content and campaigns
  • There’s an evolving understanding of the breadth of data that’s available to PR practitioners to help shape messaging, creative campaigns and content.
  • Leading brands, organisations and agencies and specialists increasingly have ‘data maturity’
  • At a basic level, data enables us to develop insights and to measure the impact of our work
  • But there is an increasing sophistication in the way that agencies and brands and organisations capture, track and analyse that data to inform corporate communication strategies, brand messaging, creative content, strategy, campaigns, and even which influencers all communities and communities of interest to focus on to drill into
  • We’re moving from simple brand, competitor and messaging monitoring towards something much more sophisticated
  • For example, different groups of people talk about the same topics, brands and issues differently in social media
  • The shape of conversations around topics like Brexit, COVID, shopping, fashion and the way I talk about them and discuss them in my groups will be different to other audience groups or ‘communities’
  • Communities discussing the same topics can be segmented by demographic data, socio economic data, media, influencer and brand affinity, their interests, their habits, their mindsets, etc.
  • Identifying how multiple audience segments or communities discuss specific topics, brands and issues differently in social media, and how that evolves, can inform the shape of your campaigns and messaging over time
  • Technology enables this and we offer solutions to do this

Rohan Shah, Reuben Sinclair

And finally, Rohan provided an optimistic overview of the state of Comms and PR recruitment:

  • In April 2020, PR recruitment activity dropped by 80% with an uptick in September
  • Today, we’re back to pre-COVID levels and it looks promising – Tech, Finance, Healthcare are buoyant markets
  • Competition is fierce for talent – ‘be open to seeing good quality candidates when you can’ and tap into your network
  • No real evidence of change in salaries
  • Not having to travel to the office doesn’t mean a reduction in salary for job seekers – candidates should hold on to their true value
  • There is still demand for ‘publicists’, but agencies have been diversifying their services
  • Future proof your skills
  • There is demand for social media content marketing, research and insights and paid social media
  • Comms professionals need to understand data and connect it with impact
  • The industry is focusing on attracting people with these skill sets at entry level.
  • Get ahead on your remote training and development programmes now
  • Protect and enhance your employer brand – ensure the recruitment and retention experience is no different to how you treat your clients.
  • Make your recruitment processes robust and fair as possible. It’s an indicator to people of the type of company they want to work for

The optimism from the panellists was also shared by attendees on Twitter after the event.

It feels like 2021 could well be the start of a new and exciting era in the communications industry.

If you’d like to find out how tools can help you capture, track, analyse and provide insight for your communications campaigns, please book a demo.

Shop Safe Shop Local Herts Chemist

Anatomy of a Campaign: Big Wave PR on Shop Safe, Shop Local

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The need to swiftly switch-up and rethink campaigns has been an ongoing challenge for PR and comms agencies since the UK’s first lockdown, but helping local councils to safely re-open the high street during the pandemic? For Big Wave PR, who were tasked by East Herts and North Herts District Council to do just that back in November, it’s been ‘the most challenging campaign we have ever worked on; whatever plans we create we have to change constantly.’

The Big Wave PR team take us through the Shop Safe, Shop Local campaign, the impact of Lockdowns 1 through 3 on their work and the importance of continuing to support the local high street.

Give us a brief overview of the Shop Safe, Shop Local campaign…
East Herts and North Herts District Council, like many other councils across the country, were awarded significant funds by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) to Re-open the High Streets Safely. The funds were awarded due to the ongoing pandemic with an aim to keep the public safe while re-opening shops, bars and restaurants.

We’ve been working with the two councils since November on an overarching campaign to encourage residents to shop safe and shop local through the pandemic.

Shop Safe Shop Local supermarket

What was the original brief?
‘To supply communications and public information activity to ensure that reopening of local economies can be managed successfully and safely’.

In a nutshell, the brief required a hardworking PR, social media and advertising campaign to ensure all business owners re-opened safely, while all members of the public were reminded of the latest public health advice.

What piqued your interest in it?
We’re specialists in the public sector and have worked with a wide range of local councils, such as Chelmsford City Council and Essex County Council. East Herts and North Herts District Councils are just a stone’s throw from our offices, so we knew we’d be able to provide specialist advice as well as hands-on support when required.

The pandemic has hit all business hard and we were keen to work on a large campaign that would really benefit our High Streets and support business, from small independents to larger chain stores.

Shop Safe Shop Local New Year Pledge

How did you win the pitch?
The pitch process was competitive and in-depth. We had to put together detailed proposals to show how we would engage with each member of the public, from students through to the retired, who may have been shielding for many months. We outlined a campaign with a multi-channel approach, including bought media opportunities with a local outreach across newspapers, broadcast and online. We also needed to develop a creative identity for the campaign and, in partnership with our associate design agency Phelan Barker, were able to put together a collection of proposed visuals, which really helped bring the campaign to life.

We made the shortlist of preferred agencies and finally went through for pitch presentations, which were all conducted via Zoom. We were very excited to learn we had become the chosen agency.

Which team members worked on this and which skills did they each bring?
Our MD Hilary Collins is our PR and campaign strategist, and she used her skills to breakdown community groups to create channels of communication that would directly fit each group. The team got together for collective inspiration to provide creative difference. Our creative director Carl Allen was keen to show a welcoming side to the High Street, albeit with retailers in masks, which became a common theme throughout our communications. The design team, headed by James Phelan, were amazing at creating a bespoke design solution, which joined the two councils together under a shared theme and clearly and very succinctly got over our Shop Safe, Shop Local message.

What were the main challenges you faced during the campaign?
This has been the most challenging campaign we have ever worked on; whatever plans we create we have to change constantly. The pandemic, and the Government’s reaction to keep COVID-19 in check, means we’re adapting and refining our messaging and scheduling on a weekly or even daily basis. On our first day of the contract, the UK was placed into the second lockdown.

Again, we were ready to launch a New Year pledge campaign and again, we were placed in another lockdown, so we had to reflect and quickly adapt to ensure our messaging was in-step with Government guidance.

What channels and stakeholders/influencers did you use to activate the campaign?
The campaign region covers nine towns, so it was vital we gained the support of each town council and BID (Business Improvement District). We undertook in-depth pre-campaign engagement to really understand and get to know each town’s needs. We also worked alongside Hertfordshire County Council to understand what messaging was already out there on the High Street and to also reflect on its COVID-19 safety campaign public information designs. This engagement activity really helped shape the campaign, and ensured we developed marketing communications that looked ‘in-keeping’ and targeted the local issues.

Sarah Temple from North Herts shopping local

What results, KPIs or coverage are you particularly proud of?
There’s several aspects of this campaign we’re proud of. First-up, we’re strong believers in ‘a picture tells a thousand words’. At the beginning of the campaign we commissioned our photographer to take stunning pictures of retailers going about their business, all masked-up, but all showing the passion they have for their business. We wanted to create a standout message, fresh communications that would turn heads and make a difference. The British spirit is alive and well on our High Streets and we wanted to demonstrate that, which our pictures show. These images have become the focal point for our content across social, online and advertising channels.

We’re also really impressed with the KPIs we’ve achieved for our New Year Pledge campaign. We had planned a big New Year launch to encourage all to buy local, but once we heard the country was going into lockdown, we transformed all communications into a ‘buy local and buy online’ campaign. Although we’re encouraging residents to support their High Street, it is always safety first.

For the revised launch we employed a range of digital outlets to get the message across and to target those in the community who were more adept at online shopping. We arranged media interviews with Councillors on radio, placed online news stories, bought homepage ‘takeovers’ on key media outlets, issued template social content to all town councils and BIDS to share on their own social channels and created online ads to push online traffic through to online shopping pages. The stats have proved very impressive.

What lessons from this will you take forward into future projects?
We’ve always thought of ourselves as flexible and can change our plans to meet the every-changing needs of our clients. But, this project has really taught us to be ultra-adaptable!

www.wearebigwavepr.co.uk www.phelanbarker.com

Do you have a campaign you would like to share? Take part in our Anatomy of a Campaign series – get in touch to find out more.

Building on the lessons of 2020 for 2021’s opportunities in PR and communications

Building on the lessons of 2020 for 2021’s opportunities in PR and communications

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‘Only by becoming solutions-led do I believe we earn the right to be heard.’

This is a guest post from CIPR’s Artificial Intelligence in PR Chair Kerry Sheehan on the changes PR professionals and communicators had to make in 2020 and how to utilise the lessons of last year for a successful 2021 in public relations and communications.

Many communicators were thrown to the forefront in 2020, re-modelling communication, marketing operations from the planned to the unplanned, and supporting business and organisations to do the same, many across services that serve millions of people in the UK and overseas, most with just hours and days to focus on the task at hand.

Throughout the year, audiences changed, consumers changed, and behaviour did at pace, meaning communicators had to be responsive to shifts and interdependencies to still ensure maximum impact.

However, during times of real darkness, facing relaying thousands of deaths, restrictions on lives, business and economic impacts to the nation on a daily and enduring basis, innovation was incorporated into communication. We weren’t shy at trying new things, particularly in data, artificial intelligence and digital, to work smarter, faster and to also aid behaviour change impact and improved outcomes.

Public sectors communicators were brave, confident, bold and creative, embracing contradiction and change throughout 2020 and this will continue to be the new norm, at accelerated pace. The challenge of 2021 will be to support organisations, businesses and brands build a better future. This is in our gift as solutions-led leaders but also inter-connected leaders. The leaders will be those who don’t just communicate but support organisations to weather the storms ahead by being solutions-led.

PR must be a sophisticated, solutions-led partner. We must capitalise on this for the benefit of our businesses, organisations and, importantly, society. Only by becoming solutions-led do I believe we earn the right to be heard.

Pre-COVID-19, we’ve already seen the emergence of increasingly educated and cynical audiences. Therefore, there will be the requirement for a deeper and ongoing level of engagement. Stakeholder expectations will be more challenging than ever before, it will continue to be merciless. But we must cut through the noise for impact, creating more allies and advocates from key stakeholders.

Seeking advantage, which requires boldness in the face of competition, be it for audience attention or the opposition, will be an ongoing challenge.

Business will need to influence and engage political decisions makers on every level, far more than ever before. Throughout 2020, we saw individuals and groups not usually associated with politics get involved, taking up issues like never before, getting involved in groups that meet or through social media activity. The nature of influence on political and business leaders has changed. Top-down models are no more.

Real data and analytical skills will continue to be a challenge for many. We need PR innovators, well versed in new and emerging technologies including real data, automation and artificial intelligence, driving organisations and businesses forwards.

We need to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Reputations that differentiate, that stand for something and build relevance and preference will be the ones who lead. A mind-set of ‘what if’ and ‘what next’ is not just for next risk but for the next innovation opportunity.

A focus area must be to listen, analyse, plan, act – shifting to being anticipatory. Business models will continue to adapt and innovate; this is the new normal.

Data and AI
The big opportunity is data, new technologies, digital innovation, automation and AI. I’ve upskilled to build algorithms, machine learning processes, be equipped to confidently advise and guide on business opportunities in these areas but also the business and people considerations, and become au fait with real data and the challenges it brings us in terms of bias and ethics. This is a huge area of opportunity for us. Ethics will be a growing USP for us. It’s a complex and difficult area. But many still haven’t upskilled into these areas iI. They should to remain relevant or risk getting left behind by those who have upskilled and the new entrants, many of whom are now coming prepared.

Innovation
Innovation will come first. Test, make, sometimes break, learn, but innovate continually. If you cannot show you are continually looking to try new things, incorporating true innovation, I don’t think practitioners are showing up.

Organisations, businesses and brands will require nimble, fast and creative ideas in a world of flux, responding in hours not days. Nothing beats co-creation, strongly anchored in expertise of public relations, marketing, data, analytics, creativity, business and commercial which will win the day.

Ethics
This is our opportunity to lead, new reputation risks will come as society focusses on razor-like ethics and behaviour of organisations, as people behaviours continue to change at accelerated pace.

Risk management
Crisis management is no longer just good enough. Communicators have to be able to manage risk and provide risk advice and guidance, reducing organisational risk exposure.

Leadership
We need the right kind of leadership. There seems to be gaps in transformational, collaborative leadership from people who are brave, bold and innovative, and who are not afraid to take on who are people smarter than themselves to ensure impactful delivery.

ESG
We must support to tackle poverty, inequality and diversity and, importantly, inclusion as well as aiding carbon reductions and making sure organisations are climate-friendly. Public scrutiny in these areas will cause ill-equipped organisations not leading with purpose to fail.

Fighting fake news
We must show up to defend the truth. Disinformation and fake news pose one of the biggest challenges to the truth and social cohesion we have seen in decades. We are fighting an infodemic war, despite the many algorithms taking down insurmountable amounts every week.

The big challenge of 2021 is for communicators to become guardians of the truth, putting ethics at the forefront. That is through continuing to build and maintain trust with our stakeholders, as part of our licence to operate, and providing more direct evidence-led communication. It also means issuing full clarifications and rebuttals, as appropriate, through being switched on communicators conducting effective horizon scanning.

We are also faced with the weaponisation of artificial intelligence, deploying and aiding fake content, be it audio, video, images, fake news and so on. We must always be switched on to this. It is a threat of our times.

For more on AI in PR, read about Kerry Sheehan’s work at CIPR here. For more trends to be prepared for this year, check out our round-up of predictions from industry thought leaders.

Follow Kerry on Twitter @PRKezza.

Rob Colmer PRCA

PRCA appoints Rob Colmer as PR Council Vice-Chair

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The PRCA has welcomed Rob Colmer as Vice-Chairman on its PR and Communications Council for 2021.

Rob brings experience from in-house and consultancy work across the private and public sectors at an SME and a multinational company. He currently leads Shell’s global sustainability communications and reporting and has been with the company since 2002.

Council members involved in the election process were swayed by his manifesto focusing on the support of the public relations industry during recovery as well as continuing work on improving diversity, inclusion and professionalism.

‘I’m honoured to have the opportunity to support the Public Relations profession, particularly at such a challenging point in time,’ said Rob Colmer.

‘With close to 100,000 people working in this sector, the PRCA is committed to addressing the immediate challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting the continued growth and success of the PR industry.’

PR and Communications Council Chair Julia Herd is looking forward to working with Rob on this year’s challenges: ‘I’m very happy to have Rob on board to help drive positive change in what will be a pivotal year for the PR industry.

‘I have no doubt that his expertise, combined with the expertise of the other council members, will be a huge asset in addressing some of the challenges that have arisen off the back of Covid. I am very much looking forward to what this year will bring and would like to thank Rob in advance for his support and commitment’.

More information on the appointment can be found here on the PRCA website.

From Comms Professional to CEO

CIPR publishes skills guide: From Comms Professional to CEO

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CIPR’s guide From Comms Professional to CEO posits that PR professionals have the right skills and experience to become CEOs.

Written and researched by 2020 CIPR Board member and How-Now Communications founder Mike Browne, the report examines what factors hold communications practitioners back from applying for leadership roles and offers advice for making the leap.

Those interviewed for the report include United for All Ages director Stephen Burke, Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association CEO Ruth Davison, Political Studies Association CEO Michelle Doyle Wildman, Ellwood Atfield founder Gavin Ellwood, British Medical Association CEO Tom Grinyer, Kings College Hospital Charity CEO Gail Scott-Spicer and Future First CEO Lorraine Langham.

‘I’ve always thought the skill set of senior communications professionals makes us ideal CEO material but haven’t seen lots of people having made the leap,’ said report writer Mike Browne.

‘I think this is partly about self-confidence and partly because of a lack of visible role models. I hope this report will help tackle both of these issues and support any communications professional thinking about taking the step up to a CEO role to “just do it”. I would like to thank the chief executives who have made the journey and gave me their time, career stories and learning. Their insight along with the thoughts of a leading head-hunter give hints, tips and inspiration for anyone who thinks they have CEO potential.’

CIPR President Mandy Pearse is encouraged by industry practitioners’ willingness to continue to upskill throughout their careers: ‘Whatever stage of your career you are at, and whatever your ambitions, this guide should fill you with confidence that you can go as far as you choose by merit of your experience and skills. In particular, I was pleased to see the importance of committing to CPD as a clear and recognised way to demonstrate one’s professionalism, adaptability and commitment to best practice.’

Find out more about From Comms Professional to CEO at CIPR’s free event on Friday – details can be found here on the CIPR website.

Matt Coyne manversusbaby

Influencer Insight: Matt Coyne, manversusbaby

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If the words ‘man vs baby’ conjure up an unfairly-matched cage-fight-type scenario in your head, you need to quickly discover Matt Coyne’s award-winning parenting blog manversusbaby.

20 million people (and counting) have read what was Matt’s very first post, written during a family shopping trip, and the blog continues to attract fans across social media. Winner in the Parenting category at last year’s Online Influence Awards, here Matt shares what got him into blogging originally and how his community has become just like family.

How did it feel to win your category at the Online Influence Awards last year this year?
Amazing. And to be recognised among such a really great bunch of parenting influencers is something else. So yeah, great!

Matt Coyne of manversusbaby with baby

What started your passion for your subject?
I honestly don’t remember. That’s the truth. I was in that alternate universe of early parenthood at the time and one day I just started writing.

My first post was when Charlie was three months old. I remember going to a shopping centre and while Lyns went for a wander around the shops, I wrote about my first few months as a dad. It ended up being over a thousand words long and I wrote the whole thing on my phone!? I suppose I was trying to make some sort of sense of the whole thing. But the response to that first post was insane; it was reshared by people like Ashton Kutcher and has now been seen by over 20 million people. I think I just thought, ‘I’ve hit on something here’ and threw myself into it.

How has the pandemic impacted your work?
As a writer, I tend to spend most of my days sitting at a computer, eating Pringles, in my pants anyway, so my working day hasn’t changed that much, to be honest.

The only real impact has been on events. I would have been promoting my second book throughout 2020, and all the events were cancelled, which is a real shame. But if that’s the worst thing I have to put up with in 2020, I will definitely take that.

What do you love most about being a blogger/influencer?
I have had every terrible job. I’ve been a toilet roll packer, turnstile-operator, cardboard box folder and a sorter of coat-hangers for Burton Menswear. I have been sacked a lot. This is the only job I’ve ever loved. I love writing, I love the weird and wonderful opportunities that come with it. And I love the community that makes up my audience, they just feel like one big family.

How do you like to work with brands and PRs?
I do like a collaborative approach and the freedom to make branded content that isn’t jarring for my audience. There’s nothing more off-putting than an influencer suddenly changing gears to point out how some pile cream, or whatever, has changed their life, because they’ve been given a rigid script and talking points. But brands and PRs aren’t daft – they know that influencers know how to reach their own audience, I think.

I like working with brands that are not overly serious. And in all areas. The best PRs and brands are well aware that parenting isn’t necessarily just about nappies and baby carriers. Parents also enjoy booze, and holidays and a night off at the cinema or a gig. They need tech to make their lives easier, and books and TV to wind down with. In the end, parenting can incorporate pretty much anything and seeing them enjoy these things can make for some really funny and engaging content.

I’m more than happy to be DMed or emailed through the blog and I’m happy to write articles or turn up for events or share anything on my blog, Facebook or Instagram that I think my followers would be interested in.

What plans do you have for 2021?
I’m currently working on my third book, and on a TV script based on the blog. I plan to go to the pub a lot more than in 2020… and, in the longer term, I just hope I keep getting away with arsing about online for a living.

Which other influencers/podcasters do you follow/enjoy?
I really love The Unmumsy Mum, The Ramsays and LadBaby. All very different from one another, trailblazing and unique. And they’ve all just been really good and positive fun in a time that has felt rather crap at times for a lot of parents.

Which other media do you always make time for?
I listen to a lot of podcasts, from the Ramsays’ Shagged, Married, Annoyed to This American Life. I love films of all kinds and I’m also a reality TV nut; I’m A Celebrity, anything like that. I was glued to that last year. I was lucky enough to go do a charity trek in the Himalayas with the lovely Giovanna Fletcher, so was delighted that she took the 2020 crown. And I’m currently really enjoying The Queens Gambit on Netflix and the new Ridley Scott series on Sky.

Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

Best Books for PR Professionals

Best books for PR professionals

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If reading more is one of your resolutions for 2021, why not mix business and pleasure by picking up a top tome or two to fire-up your passion for public relations?

Here is a rundown of best books for PR professionals featuring instructional, educational and biographical books you may have always meant to check out, need a refresher on or are just worth a re-read during your down time…

Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger
Understand the science of why certain behaviours, products and services get popular and make your own stuff more successful – that’s the focus of Jonah Berger’s New York Times and Wallstreet Journal chart-topping book, originally published in 2013. Whether you work in B2B, product or policy, introduce yourself to, or brush up on, these techniques for creating the most sharable of sharables.

Hype Yourself: A no-nonsense PR toolkit for small businesses by Lucy Werner
PR for the smaller business requires a specific approach, and Lucy Werner’s 2020 book of straight-forward tips and tools is a must-read for those looking to hype themselves, their products or their clients. For more on the book, check out our interview with Lucy on her inspiration, switching things up during a pandemic, and the advantages of taking charge of your own publicity.

The Business of Persuasion by Harold Burson
Persuasion expert Harold Burson – ‘the 20th century’s most influential PR figure’, according to PR Week – pours experience from his 70-year career in public relations into this 2017 memoir. Learn from his highlights and take in some history lessons while you’re at it (the more things change, the more they stay the same – one of the stories from the book features the problem of confederate flags in Ole Miss from years gone by).

YouTubers: How YouTube shook up TV and created a new generation of stars by Chris Stokel-Walker
If you’re confused/intrigued by the fast rise of bloggers, vloggers and Instagrammers when it comes to influence, Chris Stokel-Walker goes through the emergence of YouTube as a platform and how it created a new form of celebrity/trusted voice/parasocial friend for the general public. For more on the book, read our interview with Chris on what’s next for YouTube and influencer culture.

The Indispensable Community – Why Some Brand Communities Thrive When Others Perish by Richard Millington
In the words of the author himself, here’s a book for ‘if you’ve ever struggled to explain the value of your community, if you’re not sure how to get the best results from your community, or your members aren’t doing what you need’. Published in 2018, Richard Millington shares how to build communities for true engagement.

PR School: Your Time to Shine: A Masterclass in Publicity for You and Your Business by Natalie Trice
Shining a light on the art of gaining coverage in the mainstream media, Natalie Trice shares 23 years of PR wisdom in her 2019 book, PR School. ‘We all have an ego but if you want PR to work for you, you need to be seen in the media closest to your tribe on an ongoing basis – that’s when the magic happens,’ says Natalie. No need to enrol for refresher lessons on the principles of PR – read more about it in our interview with Natalie here.

If you still haven’t decided on a New Year’s resolution, check out what your PR and comms peers are vowing to do in 2021 in our New Year’s resolutions round-up.

PR and comms people what are your New Year's Resolutions for 2021? Part 2

PR and communications people – what are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2021? Part 2

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Read on for more New Year’s Resolutions from PR and communications practitioners that might make your 2021 a little easier, too (featuring less phone time, more book time and new habits)… 

For Part One, click here. 

HonestDigitalComms’ Lucy Yates will take time to celebrate successes
‘My main one is to celebrate my wins, even the small successes. Life is tough and can be pretty thankless, so it’s important to mark the good moments. As a busy freelancer, it’s all too easy to just move on to the next thing, but taking time to reflect on successes or treat yourself for doing well is a great way of commemorating quality work or reaching milestones.’

Xpand Marketing’s Jag Panesar will be holding a book
‘I’m committed to reading more! I’ve got into the habit of listening to audio books, but a recent challenge saw me purchase an actual book and it reminded me of how great it feels to hold a hard copy of a new book in your hand. I’ve collected a lot of books over the years which are all waiting to be read, so challenge accepted.’

White Rose PR’s Louise Pinchin is restructuring her day (and her bad habits)
‘This year I’ve been inspired to replace my bad habits and commit to starting each day doing at least one thing that contributes to new business before I get on with the day job; finishing each day with a business and personal ‘to do list’ for the following day so things aren’t spinning around my head all evening/night; replacing the need to start work at 6am with half an hour of yoga before I switch on my laptop thus getting into a better morning routine; after 2pm I’m replacing half the caffeinated cups of tea I have every day with herbal tea. Fingers crossed these are realistic commitments I can stick to!’

Institute of Development Studies’ Natalie Orringe wants to inspire change
‘The big learning of 2020 was how quickly and how consistently life would change, above all in global news, politics and science. Doing well when things are so volatile requires resilience and, above all, investing in the team to make sure people have the time to reflect and adapt. In our world at IDS, 2021 will bring renewed focus on how we translate complex research into evidence-based stories that capture people’s imagination and inspire change. It can be done!’

Little Seed Group’s Ellen Cole will make PR more accessible
‘I will be launching several new e-learning modules to support sole-traders, small charities and micro-businesses to become more confident in overseeing their own online and offline communication channels. These courses will include Mailchimp Marketing, How to Write a Media Release and several social media courses. My aim is to release a new course each month so that I can help others to thrive post-pandemic.’

Big Wave PR’s Hilary Collins is going local
‘One of the biggest industries to feel the pinch in 2020 was the High Street. from January 2021 onwards we are actively seeking out local businesses we can support. While there’s restrictions in pubs and restaurants, it’s a great excuse to order a takeaway!’

The Digital Voice’s Julia Smith will be recharging
‘Always take a moment. We are living in a period of intense transition and change. This doesn’t look set to stop any time soon. Take a moment to recharge, even if you can’t take a whole day out. I encourage the team to take time off and to recharge – whether just for a day, or even an hour. This time matters, and it means we come back together recharged, motivated, and ready to give our best selves. We may have just had a holiday, but we still need a moment for ourselves – every day.’

Sophie Attwood Communications’ Rachel Tompkins is going to worry less
‘On a personal level, I’m going to try to worry less about the things that aren’t in my control. We’ve were trying to move house in 2020 and it’s a long, slow and very frustrating process!’

KC Communications’ Katrina Cliffe is spending less time on her phone
‘My new year’s resolution is to keep any work-related apps off my phone so that when I finish up for the day, I’m not tempted to sneak a peek. Last year, I took the decision to remove my work email, work chat apps and any other apps that were work-related. This knocked off about two hours per day where I was using my phone more than I needed to be.

‘While having the ability to work remotely is great and brings about a number of benefits, I do believe that working remotely has made myself and my colleagues too available which leads to burn out and impacts creative ideas and in turn results. We need to afford ourselves some time.’

Ballou’s Cordy Griffiths is setting up clear boundaries
‘Working from home has blurred the work-life boundaries a little. I am constantly on my phone during the day and in 2021 I am going to be more strict with myself about it, carving out online time and separating that out from real life time. Maintaining work inside a boundary is an ongoing process that requires a bit of reflection, noticing new habits and checking unhelpful behaviours.’

If you’re ready to take on 2021’s challenges, here are 8 tips for getting motivated for work and some predictions for which trends to expect in PR and communications this year from 13 industry thought leaders.

PR and comms people what are your New Year's Resolutions for 2021? Part 1

PR and communications people – what are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2021? Part 1

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Losing weight, going to bed earlier, keeping active – traditional New Year’s Resolutions aren’t going to cut it for PR and communications in January 2021 as we get stuck into more working from home, uncertainty in the market and, well, uncertainty everywhere.

If you haven’t made your own resolutions yet, or are curious how fellow PR and communications people are getting ready for the challenges of a new year, here are a selection of vows for 2021 to consider taking up yourself.

For more New Year’s Resolutions in PR and comms, check out Part Two here.

Carnsight Communications’ Georgia Christley will be kinder to herself
‘To do more exercise at my desk and ensure I take regular screen breaks. It’s easy to get sucked into emails and forget to take yourself away! To push myself out of my comfort zone more. To establish a better sleep routine, I find being a mother of two young children I squeeze as much me time in the evening as possible but forget to recharge my batteries sometimes! To take part in a charity event to raise money for Sightsavers/Age UK/British Heart foundations in honour of my father who passed away in Nov 2019 and I miss so much every day. Being kinder to myself and taking a family holiday somewhere HOT (when possible).’

…and Carnsight Communications’ Leigh-Ann Hewer is taking up healthy habits
‘To incorporate healthy habits into my working day such as walks at lunchtime and more nutritious meal choices. Cut down on caffeine and get better at making the swap to decaf – it pains me to say!’

Life Size’s Lee Lodge will be shaking off the cobwebs
‘I want to put more emphasis on respecting the boundaries between work and the personal lives of myself and my colleagues. I’m a bit of a slow starter, so like to begin at least a couple of mornings during the week with a run to shake off any cobwebs. I’m going to block out these mornings in my calendar as ‘focus time’, and concentrate on a particular task once I’m back from my run. My colleagues will know not to schedule any meetings with me during this time.’

…And Life Size’s Manon Thomas is improving homeworking
‘Workwise, my priority will be improving homeworking while it lasts. While most of us are still working from home, I want to find new opportunities and ways to engage more socially with the people I interact with daily, whether they’re my colleagues, clients or journalists. It’s harder when you can’t meet face-to-face, but these discussions are one of the aspects I enjoy the most in my job.’

Zapp Communications‘ Louise Burke is out on her bike
‘I honestly find I get the best ideas when I’m out exercising. It’s a great way to plan with a clear head and obviously it doesn’t have to be a bike it could be a walk, run or swim etc. So if you can take an hour and use it for planning. I guarantee you won’t regret it!’

Teamspirit’s Adam Smith will keep up a culture of creativity
‘When we work remotely, we can still maintain creativity. We want to find new ways to stay interesting, evolve and adapt our working behaviours in a hybrid workplace – whether it’s having a walking brainstorm, or holding virtual workshops with breakout rooms to keep our training programme going.’

TDC PR’s Tim Duncan is focusing on kindness
‘The challenges and anxieties that 2020 brought has made me realise, even more, how important kindness is in leadership, especially in stressful, fast-paced industries where this simple human trait is often ignored or sneered at as a weakness. I argue that it’s kindness that keeps team morale up when things are down. It’s the glue that keeps teams together, motivated and aligned to make a business viable. For me, it’s a strategy that works. PR should not lose sight of its humanity and its duty of care of its practitioners.’

Visibility coach Natalie Trice will be putting herself front of the queue
‘Saying no to things that I do not want to do is something I started to do in 2020 – when we take something on that we don’t really want to do, it takes up so much headspace and stops us from doing what we really want to do, and can also lead to feelings of resentment and anxiety.

‘In January, I will be finishing on Friday at 3pm, put my out of office on and heading to the beach with my dogs. Finding a balance in 2021 is a real priority for me and while I love working with clients and seeing them shine, I know that to keep my energy high, I need to put myself at the front of the queue from time to time.’

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry’s Hannah Patel won’t be overcommitting
‘In 2021, my resolution will be to maximise time with friends and family, but not to overcommit.

‘Life pre-pandemic was crazy. And I only realised it when everything ground to a halt in March. I seemed to manage to pack a ridiculous amount in and constantly burn the candle at both ends (as my mum would say!). So, although I miss seeing colleagues in real life, going to the pub with friends, having dinners with family etc (and feel very lucky to be able to do those things), I’ve realised that slowing down is OK. And that sometimes, you can enjoy things more the less you’re able to do them.’

Down At The Social’s Emily Alice Valentina Sutton is expecting the unexpected (in Russian)
‘My New Year’s Resolution is to go with the flow, that you can adapt campaigns and stories easily, that nothing has to be set in stone, but you can use any situation to create something tangible and relatable.

‘My own personal resolutions outside of my work life are to finally do the things I’ve always said I wanted to do but as the year goes on, I forget about them as I get tied down with other priorities. So, I will learn to surf and ski, finally get to see New York and improve my Russian!’

Skout PR’s Rob Skinner is focusing on the day
‘It may sound obvious but the importance of making time and space to focus on the task in front of you shouldn’t be underestimated. When you’re running an agency it’s very easy to always be thinking ‘what’s next?’ and ‘where are we going?’ These things are important, of course, but if 2020 taught me anything it’s that what you do today is as important as where you are headed in the future.’

…and Skout PR’s Claire Lamb will be ready for planning taxis home
‘2020 has taught us to allow staff to work how they want where possible. That said, we’re looking forward to getting back in the office when we can and to celebrate the end of COVID-19. By my reckoning we’ve missed at least two big company events and nights out, and although we did hold them virtually, it would be nice to do in real life – even if it does mean sorting the taxi home!’

Aura Ads’ Bella Adams is getting some fresh air
‘My resolution for 2021 is to leave my desk and take a walk outside in the fresh air during my break. I’ve found that taking even ten-or-so minutes away from my screen and grabbing some fresh air is super helpful. It clears my head (which is often thinking of about 100 different things at once) and I often return to my desk feeling happy, focused and in-the-zone.’

Foundation Agency’s Emma Hull is wearing her glasses (Emma – please wear your glasses)
‘One of my new year’s resolutions for 2021 is to wear my glasses more while at work (she types, without her glasses on). I’ve been told I need to wear them because my eye strains on the one side, but I also paid a little more for the anti-glare glasses, so I really should be wearing them to protect me from any future damage and to get my use of them. The original reason for not wearing them is because my face doesn’t suit glasses (stupid reason, I know!) but now I’m working at home and nobody can see me, I literally have no excuse. I know a lot of people that should be wearing glasses and they don’t, me included, so hopefully a few people hop on board this resolution!’

Need more motivation for taking on 2021? Here are 8 tips for getting motivated for work and predictions for what to expect in PR and communications this year from 13 industry thought leaders.

Emmanuel Ofosu-Appiah

PRCA welcomes Emmanuel Ofosu-Appiah to its Race and Ethnicity Equity Board

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PRCA’s Race and Ethnicity Equity Board (REEB) has appointed Emmanuel Ofosu-Appiah.

Bringing experience from his time in corporate communications, including work with FTI Consulting, Kekst CNC and Mercer, Emmanuel campaigns for equal progress and pay for black men and women in public relations. He is currently a Board Committee Member of the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Black Business Association and Board Governor of South Quay College in East London.

PRCA REEB Chair Barbara Phillips MPRCA said:

‘We are delighted to welcome Emmanuel to the Race and Ethnicity Equity Board. One of our members has taken a leave of absence and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to approach Emmanuel.

‘There is so much to do in 2021 to consolidate REEB’s great start in 2020. We need a strong character who has technical expertise as well as the lived experiences particular to Black and Brown people in PR and communications. REEB’s primary goal is to continue to breakdown the many barriers that exist and stop us from achieving racial equity for all of the different groups within our industry.

‘Black men in PR are like gold dust and REEB is now fortunate to have two with Emmanuel, alongside Cedric Brown MPRCA. Exciting times ahead!’

‘I am thrilled to join the PRCA’s Race & Ethnicity Equity Board’, said Emmanuel. ‘This is an important position and I am committed to ensuring the PR industry adopts a proactive approach to ethnic and racial inclusion. We are at a vital point in the journey for greater racial diversity following many unfortunate events last year.

‘We need more senior ethnic leaders in our industry to attract younger talent. This year is all about action and I look forward to working with Barbara and REEB to make sure we progress.’

More about Emmanuel Ofosu-Appiah’s appointment can be found on the PRCA website.

For more on REEB’s aims, read our interview with its chair Barbara Williams.

Maddie Moate

Influencer Insight: Maddie Moate

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‘When we started at the beginning of March 2020, never would we have dreamt of its success and the community we have built,’ says presenter and YouTuber Maddie Moate of the success of her show for families: Let’s Go Live.

Highly Commended in the Disruptor category at the 2020 Online Influence Awards, Maddie has been busy with daily live science shows for parents homeschooling in and out of lockdown. Read on for what kick-started her passion for her subject and how she likes to work with PRs and brands.

How did it feel to be Highly Commended in your category at the Online Influence Awards last year?
My partner (Greg Foot) and I have worked extremely hard to create content for families in need during lockdown and it’s really wonderful to have that recognised by the awards. Our YouTube family science show Let’s Go Live is now on to its 60th episode! Never when we started it at the beginning of March would we have dreamt of its success and the community we have built.

What started your passion for your subject?
The content on my YouTube channel varies from travel videos to live science shows packed with activities, but at the heart of all the content is curiosity and a passion to get out, explore and answer questions about the world. I love variety, new experiences and seek a bit of adventure in my life, so answering questions about the world and traveling to go in search of them ticks all my boxes!

How has the pandemic impacted your work?
Hugely! On the first day of lockdown, we pivoted from making videos based on location to hosting daily live science shows from our spare room. Let’s Go Live was a direct response to the fact parents needed help with homeschooling and we were well-positioned to become not only surrogate science teachers but familiar friendly faces that families and children could rely on.

What do you love most about being a blogger/influencer?
Being on YouTube is just a small part of my job as a whole, but I hugely enjoy that it’s an aspect of my career I have full creative control over.

How do you like to work with brands and PRs?
Carefully and considerately. I have a predominantly young audience so advertising is something I am extremely cautious with. I think this caution pays off though, as when I do collaborate with a brand whose values align with mine, I really enjoy the process of recommending and featuring their work as I’m genuinely excited about them!

The most efficient way is through my agent at Mirador Management. Brief messages via social media accounts appear to be less trustworthy or serious. As for content, I’m open to suggestions but I’m not particularly interested in simply holding up products and talking about them – anything I advertise has to fit into a larger creative idea.

The way I collaborate with brands depends on the brand and its campaign. For example, if the brand is going to appeal to my adult/parent audience I might consider collaboration on Instagram or Facebook over YouTube as that is where my parent audience is most active. I also prefer to work with brands on a long-term basis. I feel this creates room for more creativity and is overall more trusted by my audience.

What plans do you have for 2021?
We’ll have to wait and see how and when the world opens up!

Which other media do you always make time for?
I listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks when I’m pottering about or traveling. I hugely recommend Surprisingly Brilliant, a science history podcast, and my guilty pleasure would be listening to A LOT of podcasts about theme parks! I’m pretty nerdy when it comes to themed entertainment!

Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

PR industry bodies respond to Government lockdown announcement

PR industry bodies respond to announcement of England’s third national lockdown

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Industry bodies PRCA and CIPR have responded to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of a third national lockdown across England with calls for further support for those working in PR and communications.

‘While those in our industry will understand the reasons for these restrictions, it is imperative that the Government now delivers further, critical support to businesses, employees and freelancers,’ said PRCA director general Francis Ingham.

‘Whether this is in the form of VAT, business rates, NI, personal tax, an open-ended furlough scheme, a genuinely innovative attitude must be adopted to support jobs, livelihoods, and mental health. We remain particularly concerned for the self-employed in our industry who have been hit hard by the stop-start lockdowns. The Chancellor must, today, announce new support measures that extent deep into this year.’

CIPR President Mandy Pearse also sees the need for support increasing: ‘It is clear that 2021 will be as challenging, if not more so, than 2020. We know our work has never been more valuable. Our public sector communicator colleagues will be working hard today to translate lockdown rules and to support the public and businesses as well as both in-house and agency teams supporting organisations impacted by lockdown.

‘We are aware of the impact this has on PR colleagues and we encourage them to remember to give attention to their health and wellbeing and access the existing support available. Last year the sense of community in our industry and the support that came with it was an inspiration. In 2021 we must continue to stick together, to look out for each other, and to call out to each other for help in tough times.

‘The CIPR will continue to do everything we can to support our members and to call on decision-makers for the necessary support – financial or otherwise – to help them to do their jobs effectively and successfully.’

Tips for getting motivated to go back to work

8 tips for getting motivated for 2021 in PR and communications

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Getting back to work after a break is always difficult. Motivating yourself for January 2021 is going to be particularly challenging after what was such a busy and stress-filled 2020 for PR and communications.

To help you get back into the swing of things, here are eight tips from mental health and PR professionals for setting priorities, achieving goals and keeping your energy up.

1) Make self-care a priority from the start
‘Most people don’t realise that even modest levels of stress cause our cognitive capacity (the ability to focus and make clear decisions) to drop by about 40%. In other words, our efficiency drops and it takes us 40% more time to complete even basic tasks. So, take regular breaks (once an hour for at least five minutes), a 40-minute lunch break and exercise outside, which can be as simple as a walk.

‘Self-care must be the primary priority in January. If necessary, agree some self-care initiatives with your boss: take the pressure off yourself so that you don’t need to hide.’
Mark Newey, psychotherapist and founder of www.headucate.me.

2) Get to bed early
‘The night before you go back to work, make sure you go to bed early and that you have a nice healthy dinner so you’re ready for the morning. Going to bed early will allow you to have a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead, as well as helping you get your sleep schedule back on track.’
David Wiener, training specialist at AI-based fitness and lifestyle coaching app Freeletics.

3) Go through the plans you put together at the end of 2020
‘Remember that exercise you did before leaving the office, where you identified the specific tasks that will need picking up in the New Year? As you begin to get ready for work again, this understanding will immediately give you clarity and focus on what your first few days or first week will look like. This will help you to add more detail to those first few days, as required. It essentially avoids you having to start with a blank sheet of paper, so to speak, and reduces the chances of you procrastinating and feeling a sense of anxiety.’
Danny Sangha, clarity, alignment and confidence coach.

4) Set realistic goals
‘Make sure that you aren’t packing too much in the diary for the first week of January and set some clear goals for Q1. Taking regular breaks once things are up and running again and planning each working day where possible creates structure and means you are working to a clear set of deliverables each day instead of feeling overwhelmed.’
Lauren Lunn Farrow, founder and MD of TheExpertAgency.co.uk.

‘If you are worried about getting motivated again, why not schedule a planning day into the week you return to work. A day to really gather yourself up and recharge your motivation. Set manageable goals in this time to help you break it down and write lists for each project to help you get back into the swing of things.’
Mental health campaigner Ali McDowall, co founder of The Positive Planner.

5) Don’t skimp on rest
‘When returning to work in January be sure to build periods of rest into your working day and see how much it improves productivity. It is time for us to truly begin to acknowledge the need for recovery and rest in our working days. We can no longer run our lives in a relentlessly linear fashion collapsing with fatigue at the end of the every day. Make 2021 the year when we put our wellbeing at the top of the agenda.’
Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, neurophysiologist and sleep expert.

6) Give yourself a stern talking to if you need it
‘Visualise your work done which will help you to actually do it. Speak firmly to yourself – “You will sit down now and do your work efficiently”’.
Ailsa Frank, author and hypnotherapist.

7) Prioritise
‘With so many fresh opportunities on the horizon, you can feel a bit like a kid in a candy store and end up taking on too much at once. And that ends up being overwhelming, and an ineffective use of time. I know that focusing on projects in priority order will be the best way to deliver client results.

‘I’ve also got a list of my biggest work achievements written down, which I find really helpful to refer to when I need an extra boost of confidence.’
Bettie Moran, outreach team lead at Glass Digital.

8) Start something new
‘January is a notoriously difficult month to stay positive, mainly because it is the mid-point of winter for many of us and it signals the end of any festivities we may have been enjoying. And yet, January can also be the start of so many great new adventures – which is partly why we set out new rules for ourselves each year.

‘My one top tip on how to stay positive is to invest 30 minutes, every day, in doing something new for yourself and your mindset. Imagine having an advent calendar for January 2021 and behind every date is a new and interesting experience. It could be walking a new route, yoga, learning a new language, trying a different recipe, reading something, sewing, baking… The options are endless, but the really important thing is that whatever you do gives you a breather from the everyday remote working routines that you will now be experiencing. Novelty and variety are very important to our motivation and energy levels, and we have been desperately short of them these past months, so actively make time for them in 2021.’
Stuart Duff, head of development at Pearn Kandola.

Ready for an eventual return to the office in this year? Check out 11 ways to mentally prepare for returning to the workplace.

And for trends to plan for, check out our round-up of predictions for PR and communications in 2021 from 13 thought leaders.

Top 10 PR & Communications blog posts of 2020

Top 10 PR & Communications blog posts of 2020

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This year has been a tough one for public relations and communications professionals. Yet the sector has proved its worth many times over as a strategic management function, with advice and counsel, crisis management, effective internal comms and the need for clear messaging in difficult times.

Those working to make it happen have faced extra pressure, longer work hours and significant mental strain.

We’ve aimed to provide support, advice, and guidance through think pieces from Public Relations, Public Affairs, Political and Communications practitioners, alongside addressing some of the big challenges being faced across the industry.

Here are ten of our most popular PR and communications blog posts of 2020:

1. 11 ways to mentally prepare for an eventual return to the office
While it’s unlikely that the PR and comms workforce will be heading back to 9-5 office-based working any time soon, mentally preparing for the eventuality has been on our minds – we gathered advice from mental health practitioners on how to get ready when offices eventually reopen.

2. Private members’ bill ballot: The 20 successful backbenchers
Back at the start of the year, 20 backbench MPs won the opportunity to introduce their chosen Bills in a Private Members’ Bill ballot and became important stakeholders for anyone working in public affairs – our political expert Sam Webber summarised the details.

3. Holly Lynch MP: Tax bills are driving are most experienced cops out of policing
Another popular politics-related post was this guest feature from Holly Lynch, Labour MP for Halifax, who shared her thoughts on police pensions and tax bills.

4. How do you balance parenting with WFH: Part 1
When even Joe Wicks wasn’t enough to keep the kids occupied, we looked at balancing work and family commitments when WFH got difficult – a selection of PRs battling through it earlier this year shared their secrets for success.

5. How to pitch to busy newsrooms in busy times
As the PR and comms industry faced extra pressure during the pandemic, so too did busy newsrooms, battling furlough, redundancy and misinformation – pitching quickly and accurately became even more important.

6. How to pitch to freelancers
And here was the start of our How to pitch to… series (our full guide is available to download here) – starting with freelance journalists working across all areas of the media.

7. 6 questions PRs ask journalists that are guaranteed to make them annoyed, angry or irate
With busier newsrooms came the potential for shorter fuses – this guest post from Motive PR’s Steve McComish covered the questions that journalists really don’t want to hear from PRs… ever.

8. The PR guide to the NLA
For the practicals of monitoring print and online coverage, we answered some frequent questions about the NLA and covered which licences work best for PRs.

9. Virtual events and why they’re more important than ever
‘Large mass gatherings are no longer part of the calendar and as we all adapt to social distancing, events have had to adapt too’ – our events specialist Rebecca Potts covered the importance of virtual events and the best way to get going online.

10. How to sell in a pandemic
Covering the biggest concern for a large portion of the industry this year was this guest post from Darryl Sparey, starting with an appropriate Jay Z lyric and finishing up with the assurance that things will ‘be okay’ – a thought for us all to hold on to going into 2021.

And finally…
We’d like to end the year with a big thank you to everyone in communications, public relations and public affairs for all your hard work that’s continued through the ongoing challenges.

However you’ll be celebrating the holidays, we hope you’ll be taking a well-earned break – stay safe, and we’ll see you for more successes next year.

For more of the big trends in PR and communications in 2020, check out this round up of ten 2020 trends from 13 industry thought leaders. 

Preparing for 2021? Make note of these trends coming up for PR and comms next year.  

The Globetrotter Guys

Influencer Insight: Sion and Ben, The Globetrotter Guys, on travel blogging

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‘Trying to keep a travel-focused blog alive without being able to travel is a huge challenge,’ say Sion and Ben, who have been meeting the challenges of the pandemic with upbeat and interesting content over at The Globetrotter Guys blog.

Winners in the Best LGBTQ+ category at the Online Influence Awards, The Globetrotter Guys successfully switched from sharing practical information on navigating unfamiliar parts of the world for LGBTQ+ people to 2020-friendly advice for what to do when the furthest travel possible is a walk to the sofa. Read on for how Sion and Ben rerouted, how they like to collaborate with PRs and their possible plans for 2021.

How does it feel to win your category this year?
Honestly, we were both shocked and thrilled. There were some incredible people within the LGBTQ+ category so we felt very proud to have had the nomination, let alone a win!

What started your passion for your subject?
There are so many more things to think about as an LGBTQ+ traveler, not least of all some serious safety concerns depending on where you choose to go. We wanted to share our own experiences, both good and bad, to give other LGBTQ+ travelers the confidence and information to expand their own horizons and see more of the world. While we were on the road, we also wanted to give a platform to those that lived in different countries to share their own stories about being LGBTQ+.

How has the pandemic impacted your work?
Massively so! Trying to keep a travel-focused blog alive without being able to travel is a huge challenge. However, we have invested a lot of time into refreshing and creating new content outside of travel that our audience would also be interested in, whether that’s the best LGBTQ+ shows to watch in lockdown or our favorite clothing brands aimed at the LGBTQ+ market.

What do you love most about being a blogger/influencer?
It’s a wild ride for sure and there has been so much to learn! For us, we really love the sense of community, especially being in the LGBTQ+ niche, it’s something that automatically brings us, our followers and other LGBTQ+ bloggers together and makes us feel like what we do can really help others.

What plans do you have for 2021?
At this exact moment in time it’s hard to predict! The optimist in us hopes that a vaccine is successfully, effectively and efficiently rolled out and travel can resume again. Assuming that is the case, we have some big LGBTQ+ travel conferences we plan to attend including IGLTA in Atlanta and Proud Experiences in New York. We also want to create content in new destinations we have never set foot in before such as Lisbon, Puerto Vallarta and more of the US.

How do you collaborate with brands and which kind of brands do you really like working with?
We love working with brands and PR companies that have the right intentions when it comes to the LGBTQ+ market. We really appreciate it when brands and PR companies either understand or take the time to ask questions about the LGBTQ+ community.

We collaborate with a huge range of brands from travel to fashion, grooming, food and beverage and everything in between. We do this through creating promotional content on our website or through our social media channels, predominantly Instagram (@theglobetrotterguys).

Naturally, we get a lot of collaborations which focus on Pride but what is more important to us and our audience is being included in campaigns all year round and being a visible gay couple outside of Pride month (we are gay all year!). We really like working with brands that understand this point and are inclusive in all their campaigns. We also love to see brands giving back to the LGBTQ+ community – a % of profits from a campaign going to an LGBTQ+ charity, for example.

For PRs looking to work with you, how would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
We are always happy to talk so for any PR companies that would like to work with us, just drop us an email and we can arrange a chat. We like to get to know the brands and the PR companies we work with, as having a good relationship is really important to us. When it comes to content we like to get creative so are always keen for people to bring ideas to us as well as us sharing our own ideas.

Which other influencers/podcasters do you follow/enjoy?
There are so many inspiring influencers out there. We really love the likes of Once Upon a Journey, 27 Travels, Couple of Men and Nomadic Boys to name a few, but the list honestly goes on!

Which other media do you always make time for?
We always make time at the end of the day to cuddle up on the sofa and get into a bingeworthy show on Netflix – we are currently getting through Schitts Creek, which is hilarious. By contrast, stick us by a pool and we will pretty much always have the latest edition of Attitude Magazine in hand, one of our favourite gay magazines that we have been reading for years!

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Niki Hunter Ekins Splendid Communications

Has 2020 changed PR and comms forever or will we go back to business as usual?

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This is a guest post from Niki Hunter Ekins, managing director at Splendid Communications.

2020 has been a year of extremes. The rise in mental health issues, food poverty, job losses and isolation at the hand of COVID-19 has been matched by unprecedented levels of community spirit, empathy, neighbourly connection and better work-life balance thanks to flexible working.

Beyond the pandemic, 2020 was the year where politics became yet more polarised, and Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion went head to head with the establishment to try to drive forward a better future for all.

2021 will be no different. The vaccine rollout will bring hope but not before we are impacted by both Brexit and a new lockdown at the hands of a mutating virus. A deep financial recession and high unemployment seems almost inevitable, so how will brands and agencies continue to improvise, adapt and overcome? Will we remember the lessons learned?

For agencies

The triple bottom line
2020 has made people stop and think. Like many others, it has given us at Splendid a renewed focus on ensuring we don’t just deliver to the bottom line, but that we’re creating a diverse work environment and reducing our impact on the planet. Reporting on people, profit and planet will keep these goals on track.

Protecting work-life balance and mental health
This year has only intensified the impact that our busy and stressful industry can have on mental health. Agencies that put a focus on solutions and support for their staff will be the ones that successfully attract, retain and grow great people.

Offices as collaboration hubs
Agency life is all about problem solving and being creative and we’ve found methods to maintain excellence in delivery for our clients. When lockdown eases, offices are likely to become spaces for creative collaboration, learning and team building rather than day to day delivery. My expectation is most people will be office based for something like three days per week rather than five as the default.

Proving ROI
With a recession imminent and Brexit set to increase the cost of goods for clients, we have to expect that more eyes will be on performance and ROI. Agencies or teams that have already established clear measurement models will be top of the pile for receiving new briefs.

Meetings with purpose
Video conferences aren’t going anywhere. I anticipate only critical meetings will be in-person, saving valuable travel time, money and carbon emissions. But in a creative business where people buy people, we need to make time to find ways to make real connections with both clients and team members.

…and no more kissing
Whether you love it or hate it, cheek kissing won’t return anytime soon. Social distancing will be a hard habit to break and for good reason. Long live the elbow bump!

For brands

Product and price isn’t enough anymore
Data from Global Web Index shows that people now care more about brands that support people during COVID-19 and are eco-friendly, and more than 40% say brands should place more focus on social causes and the wellbeing of their employees. ‘Purpose’ has gone mainstream.

Actions > words
For brands wanting to do more than just make a great product, it’s critical that they weave it into the fabric of their business and not just use it as a marketing campaign. People are actively researching the ethics of a brand more than ever so they will be called out and lose customers if they are seen to not deliver. Seeing rival supermarkets come together to stand up against racist comments was a great moment and I hope we’ll see more of this inter-category collaboration in 2021.

Watch where your money goes
If brands aren’t careful, their ad spend can support sites that promote climate denial, anti-vaxxers, white supremacy or hate speech. The Conscious Advertising Network is making strides in bringing this challenge to the front of mind of every brand.

Make money go further
Brands will need to balance satisfying consumer desire for more ‘purposeful’ businesses with the need to deliver better value as we head into a recession. This is no easy task, and we should be revisiting the lessons from the 2008 recession to help guide us. Brands that manage to offer quality alongside value and purpose will thrive. Help people make their money go further by providing tangible, real-world help e.g. recipes that feed the family for £5. Convenience becomes critical, so give people products or services that save both time and money. Lastly, give people some affordable enjoyment, whether that’s staycations, days out or mealtime indulgence. They’re going to need it.

For more 2021 PR and communications trends to prepare for, read our round-up of predictions for next year from 13 industry thought leaders. 

The Lewis Foundation self isolation kits for COVID-19

Winning PR campaigns: Lorraine Lewis, The Lewis Foundation

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Helping to bring cheer – as well as 2020 essentials like hand sanitiser – during lockdown this year was The Lewis Foundation with their self-isolation packs for COVID-19 campaign.

Highly recommended in the Best Cause-led Influence Campaign category at this year’s Online Influence Awards, The Lewis Foundation’s work provided much-needed comfort and practical help to those struggling while self-isolating. Co-founder and CEO Lorraine Lewis takes us through the aims of the campaign and the need to reach out and help others this year.

How did it feel to be highly recommended in your category?
It was amazing to be recognised for our work during lockdown. The campaign was of importance to us as it was about supporting patients being treated for cancer who were self-isolating at home.

People could not go out to get items they needed to help pass the time and provide comfort. It made a real difference to people knowing that others cared about them to do this.

What was the original brief for the campaign?
To provide self-isolation gift packages to adult cancer patients who were shielding at home. The gifts were to not only help pass the time, with items such as puzzle books and craft sets, but also included hand sanitisers, hand creams and toiletries that people needed and struggled to get hold of. The aim was to provide support to people who had to shield due to being vulnerable.

What most excited you and your team about it?
Seeing people surprised at receiving a gift, which was not expected, for free. It helped to lift people’s spirits at a really scary and uncertain time.

What do you love most about working on campaigns like this one?
Knowing that the work you are doing is making a real difference to people in our community, who need support but are often not discussed. It helps to highlight the need to reach out and support others.

How important are influencers for campaigns like this?
Extremely important. You can use your platform to highlight issues in our society that people are often not aware of and inspire people to get involved in your mission to make a difference.

Amy Roots is now live!

Live music session in support of our charity The Lewis Foundation to raise awareness and support to us in giving free gifts to adult cancer patients in hospital.

Posted by The Lewis Foundation on Saturday, 5 December 2020

What have been the main challenges for your team this year?
Not being able to fundraise in the way we normally would has meant we have to adapt and be creative in how we get gift items and funds. However, our community – individuals, schools and businesses – have rallied around to help us keep going by fundraising, donating and providing gifts.

What have been your highlights of 2020?
Seeing a real sense of community spirit, with people reaching out in whatever way they can to help support others in need. We have loved seeing kindness to others.

Check out more winning campaigns from the winners of this year’s Online Influence Awards: Zero Waste Scotland’s ‘Scotland is Stunning – Let’s Keep It That Way’ and Flourish Management x Topshop SNO.

Tips for logging off from work over the festive season

10 tips for logging off from work during the festive season

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Lucky enough to have a festive break from work coming up? With the stresses and strains of working in PR and communications having taken an upturn this year, you deserve a break.

If you’re going to need help with turning off your laptop and staying away from your inbox, here are ten tips from mental health professionals and fellow PR and comms people to help you get ready to rest for a while… (and then come back even stronger for 2021).

1) Promise yourself you’re going to have some proper time off to recharge
‘I know from personal experience that PR is a particularly stressful, full-on job: incessant client/journalist demands on your attention just never seem to take a day off. But our productivity and our all-important need to be creative take a dive if we don’t allow ourselves “off” time.

‘Promise yourself that you’ll have a complete break over Christmas to restore your energy. You wouldn’t dream of not charging your phone battery – you also need recharging regularly.’
Suzy Glaskie is a functional medicine certified health coach, founder of Peppermint Wellness and host of the Wellness Unwrapped podcast.

2. Acknowledge that you need a rest
‘One way that I’ve mentally prepared for the Christmas break is to acknowledge why it’s important to let myself truly switch off and that it’s not the end of the world if I miss something. This has helped me gain some perspective and will be useful to think back to if I find myself gravitating towards my inbox.

‘Getting organised will also help me put my mind at ease. That’s why I’ve set aside my last half-day for tying up loose ends. I’ve also set my out-of-office to come on earlier so that I’m not tempted to pick up new projects in those last few hours.’
Bettie Moran is the outreach team lead at Glass Digital.

‘This has been a terrible year emotionally and it is safe to say that nobody has escaped increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression. These are not mental illnesses: they are signals from our system telling us that things aren’t right and that we need to change something.

‘The paradox of mental health is that the more stressed and anxious we are, the more we need to deal with it… but the less time we seem to have. Christmas 2020 is different. Total self care (and that of family) is compulsory: no messing about.’
Mark Newey is a psychotherapist and founder of www.headucate.me.

3. Pick your last day and stick to it
‘While you might be tempted to work through Christmas, this year more than ever, my advice is not to. I am not talking about shutting up shop for a month and flying away, because let’s face it, I am not even sure you could do that with the ever changing COVID-19 rules, but I am saying that it is OK, more than OK, to give yourself a break. Decide when your last day of work is going to be, and stick by it.

‘It might take a couple of days to wind down, and you might also need a mince pie or two as well, but don’t set your alarm, take emails off your phone, get outside, take some exercise, don’t watch too much news and look after you over the festive period.’
Natalie Trice is a coach and mentor for PR professionals.

4. Prepare for your time off
‘Preparation is key – make sure you have all loose ends tied up before the Christmas break. Being organised and letting clients know any hours the office will be closed and also flat planning for early January this side of Christmas will help you take a proper break from emails and being on call 24/7.

‘The news agenda is still running and still changing during the Christmas time off so having a news desk rota in the office for clients and media works well so everyone can share the load, perhaps running reduced hours for time pressing media requests.’
Lauren Lunn Farrow is the founder and MD of TheExpertAgency.co.uk.

‘Pausing can be difficult for many who feel like they are spinning lots of different plates and terrified of dropping one. Stopping can seem almost anxiety inducing if you are used to going at 100mph and afraid that you might lose some of your momentum.

‘Our top tips are: writing a comprehensive list on your last day of work so that you have something to come back to, turning off your notifications as sadly not everyone will be switching off, planning an act of self care each day to bring some intention to your time off and last, but not least, get that out of office on!’
Mental health campaigner Ali McDowall is co founder of The Positive Planner.

5. Tie up loose ends
‘Plan ahead and make a clear list of the most important tasks that need to complete before you leave. This will also allow you to evaluate your workload while you still have enough time to get everything important done.’
David Wiener is a training specialist at AI-based fitness and lifestyle coaching app Freeletics.

‘Break down milestones into the specific tasks that contribute towards achieving them. These tasks should be sequenced and worked through in order; one at a time.

‘If you get the above done before you leave the office, you won’t have any niggling thoughts to bother you while you’re off – be fully present and make the most of your well-earned break.’
Danny Sangha is a clarity, alignment & confidence coach.

6. If you can, go cold turkey from all work communications
‘A lot of people have described 2020 as ‘living at work’ so this is going to take some more significant steps than usual to disengage from work. Go cold turkey. Set your out of office to tell people – categorically – that you are taking a break over the festive period and that you will not be reading their email, even when you return to work. Clear the house of visual signs of work: tidy up or shred any papers or notes around the house, completely clear any desk or table space you use, put your lap-top or PC into a drawer and lock it up. Delete your work email app from your phone – go on; remove all temptation.’
Stuart Duff is head of development at Pearn Kandola.

7) In fact, cut down your phone time completely
‘Set clear goals – ask a friend, a family member or partner to hide your phone/laptop/iPad while you are together – whether it is during dinner, or watching a movie, and focus on enjoying their company.

‘Team up with friends and colleagues who wish to join the challenge of a digital detox. Put your phones together and make a point not to check them while you hang out. Leave your phone at home if you are going grocery shopping or to the gym.’
David Brudö is CEO and co-founder of mental wellbeing and personal development platform Remente.

8. When you can’t get to a spa, create one at home
‘Create an ambiance with lighting, music and aroma for a spa hotel feel at home. A few simple changes such as moving a table lamp can give a room a new relaxing lighting feel. Play relaxing music to switch your mind off from stress and worries. Try an aromatic candle or diffuser to fill the air with a calming scents.’
Ailsa Frank is an author and hypnotherapist.

9. If you must think about work, consider how to make it work better for you
‘The Christmas period is the ideal time to think long and hard about our relationship with work and what is and isn’t working for you. Check in with yourself and how you’re feeling. Be honest about whether your work is affecting your relationships. What are your energy levels like? Are you becoming depleted? Let’s go into 2021 with new, healthier habits.’
Dr Nerina Ramlakhan is a neurophysiologist and sleep expert.

10. Now, make like Elsa and ‘let it go’ for a while
‘There is so much pressure to strive for perfection, exacerbated by the photoshopped unreality of social media. It’s ok if you buy the Christmas cake and don’t make it. It’s ok if the beds aren’t made every day. It’s ok if you don’t see all of your friends and family – especially this year. If something feels like it’s too much, then let it go and enjoy a very Merry Christmas.’
Tara Best is a business coach, runs PR and marketing agency Tara Punter PR and hosts weekly podcast Tara Talks.

Ready for your eventual return to the office? Check out 11 ways to mentally prepare for returning to the workplace. 

Ethical Hour-influencer-insight

Influencer Insight: Sian Conway, Ethical Hour

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With ethics shaping up to be an even more important consideration for the PR and communication industry in 2021, check out our interview with Ethical Hour’s Sian Conway.

Winner in the Best Changemaker/Disruptor and Best UK Influencer categories at this year’s Online Influence Awards, Sian shares her passion for helping ethical businesses make a difference in the market space and inspiring big businesses to start thinking sustainably.

How does it feel to win your category this year?
It’s a real honour to be named best Changemaker/Disruptor. Working in sustainability, you see just how much needs to change. Everyone in this sector has a strong vision for a better world, and most people understand the urgency of taking climate action now, but sometimes the issues we’re dealing with can feel really overwhelming. #EthicalHour has always focused on empowering people to take whatever small steps they can, and to recognise their power as consumers and citizens. It was lovely to hear that the judges liked our focus on practical action!

There’s so many amazing changemakers out there, and I know this category had many brilliant entries, so to be named the winner was a real shock and a huge honour! It’s spurred me on to keep disrupting and pushing for the change that we all need.

What started your passion for your subject?
When I first started, I really didn’t know much about sustainability or ethical living. A trip to Cambodia inspired me to start making some changes in my life – starting with breaking my fast fashion addiction and shopping more mindfully, with products that are better for people and planet. The blog began as a way of holding myself accountable to that commitment, but as I began connecting with small businesses in the ethical space, I quickly realised I could help them. I was working in corporate marketing, and I knew that I could teach ethical businesses to harness the techniques that big corporates use, to sell more and make more impact.

Hearing the stories of the people that make these products, the small business owners who do everything with such passion, and seeing my skills help make a difference in the world really encouraged me. But as I started to learn about the real urgency of the climate crisis, I realised, we all need to take action now – there’s so many ways we can do that. I’m passionate about making that information as accessible as possible, connecting people who share these values and helping to create a better world for everyone.

How has the pandemic impacted your work?
Like everyone, it’s been a strange year for me! As soon as the pandemic hit, I realised it was going to have a huge impact on our small business community and the suppliers and charity partners they work with. I put a lot of our growth plans on pause and doubled down on the support we were giving them. Finding solutions to their problems, bringing in expert advisors to help and designing social media campaigns which would help spread the word about their work and encourage people to think about how they spend their money.

Every year we spend November focusing on our #ShopEthicalInstead campaign – a positive alternative to all the commercial noise around Black Friday. This year, so many more people are keen to shop small, and in November alone our message reached 1.3 million people! It’s been a hard year, but it’s been a good reminder of the power of community and collaboration. Long term, I think our community will be stronger for it.

What do you love most about being a blogger/influencer?
I’m trying to create change, but there’s so many different ways to live a sustainable lifestyle, engage in activism or get involved in the causes you care about – so I never want to promote my way as the “right” way. I think of myself more as a community connector – bringing people together around their shared values and helping them access the resources they need to make change happen. That’s what I love most! I get to spend my days helping people achieve their goals and do work they’re passionate about, which also makes a difference, and that’s so rewarding.

I’ve always loved to write – at one point I thought I would be a journalist, so it’s great that I’ve been able to incorporate that into my work, both by running the blog and the other writing opportunities that’s opened up for me, in various industry publications, and my upcoming book, which will be released in 2022!

What plans do you have for 2021?
We’re finishing the year on a high with this award win and the success of our #ShopEthicalInstead campaign! 2021 is going to be a growth year for us – we’ve got an amazing line-up of guest experts coming into our community to deliver monthly training sessions for our members, we’re launching a brand new community space to make it even easier for small ethical businesses to get the support they need and there’s some other exciting developments and collaborations in the pipeline, too!

As always, we’ll be using our platform to push for change. At the moment, our focus is on asking the Government to put together a diverse and representative leadership team for COP26 – the important climate change conference at the end of 2021. Currently the UK has an all-male leadership team. Over 2,500 people have added their voice to our petition so far, and we’ll be pushing that harder in the new year.

How do you collaborate with brands and which kind of brands do you really like working with?
I’m always looking to connect with small businesses who have high quality products, strong ethical and sustainable credentials and inspiring ways of giving back. One of our core aims is to help good businesses grow, and connect them to our wide-reaching community of conscious consumers – whether that’s through our weekly Twitter chat (#EthicalHour, Mondays at 8-9pm UK time), on our @ShopEthicalInstead Instagram platform, or through the support available in our members community. We also do live and virtual events throughout the year, so there’s lots of opportunities for brands in our network to showcase what they do and get support!

For PRs looking to work with you, how would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
It’s great to build relationships with PRs that really understand our core values and how we work. We don’t do sponsored content so we’re keen to hear from PRs that think outside the box about how their brands can be represented. Anyone who’s interested in building long-term collaborations, rather than short-term content campaigns. The best thing to do is reach out to our team with some initial information about the brands they’re representing and their ethical/sustainable credentials, so we can start a conversation from there.

Which other influencers/podcasters do you follow/enjoy?
There’s so many amazing influencers in the ethical space. I’m a big fan of podcasts too and always learn so much from them! Outrage and Optimism is a great listen for anyone interested in climate solutions, and for business owners looking to streamline their lives and live with purpose, I’m a big fan of The Simplifiers.

Which other media do you always make time for?
I love a good documentary! Recently, Kiss The Ground really inspired me – I was feeling a bit defeated by the scale of the climate problem and the inaction of our Government, but Kiss The Ground shows what can be achieved and what is already being done, in such a positive and uplifting way. You also can’t beat a good book! I love non-fiction for inspiring new ideas and to inform my work, but when I’m relaxing, it’s got to be a fictional story I can really lose myself in.

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comms2point0 Darren Caveney PR Interview

PR Interview: Darren Caveney, comms2point0, on helping the communications industry

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‘I wanted to fly a flag for communicators and recognise the amazing work they and we do each week, each month, and each year’ – Darren Caveney shares the catalyst for launching comms2point0 (highly recommended in the PR and Comms category at this year’s Online Influence Awards) over nine years ago and his big plans for celebrating and supporting the PR and comms industry in 2021.

How does it feel to be highly commended in your category at the Online Influence Awards this year?
comms2point0 has been my baby and passion for more than nine years now. But I felt like the recognition was more for the 500+ comms pros who have written posts and case studies and shared insights in that time, and everyone else who has supported the comms2point0 community and its events and initiatives. It really is the best community.

What started your passion for your subject?
Well the real start point was joining the PR degree course at Leeds Business School back in 1993 with the great Anne Gregory.

Back in 2011, I felt there was a gap for where comms and PR professionals could share lessons, experiences and work examples, especially across the public sector, and as a way to support one another. We’re often all doing very similar work, and I felt there was an opportunity for us to be smarter, so I created a free online resource for the community to make use of, be a part of and add to.

I also wanted to just generally fly a flag for communicators and recognise the amazing work they and we do each week, each month, and each year.

How has the pandemic impacted your work?
First off, I’m lucky that neither me, my loved ones or friends have been impacted health-wise by COVID-19. And if 2020 has taught us anything it’s to be grateful for what we do have.

My consultancy – Creative Communicators Ltd – had a full five to six months of work, training and events lined up when Lockdown 1 hit in March. Watching much of it get cancelled in a matter of days was a really weird experience. And I won’t lie, I had been so busy for the previous five years that initially the rest was quite nice. But after two weeks of sitting drinking coffee I grew bored and fortunately the work began to return, albeit a little different to what had gone before. Now it was about very tailored consultancy and training requests to support very specific needs of organisations. For example, helping lockdown councils reframe their communications strategies so that it recognised the demands and impacts of COVID-19 and gave them at least a chance of protecting their mental health and wellbeing in what, was becoming clear, was a long-term crisis.

Much of my work previously has been face-to-face training, consultancy and events so of course it’s bound to be reduced by COVID. But I’ve been busy and felt like I have really been able to support teams and individuals during a really difficult year for them.

What do you love most about being a blogger/influencer?
Well, I’ve never thought of myself as an influencer – my kids would mock me mercilessly if I ever claimed to be. But I think the comms2point0 website has had influence within the public sector communications community over time. The stats, growth, reach and traffic back this up. But also, the work requests which come in to me.

The site has over 1.5k blog posts on it now and it’s an absolute treasure trove of comms and PR learning. And other free resources – such as my essential comms planning guide, which has had over 5k downloads – make it a good place for comms pros to look to support their own work and development.

What I love most are the very personal posts that shine a light on important topics such as mental health, bullying and equality in our profession. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have contacted me to thank me for hosting these posts and for the positive impact they’ve had on them in realising that they are not alone in sometimes struggling with these issues.

How do you like to work with brands and PRs?
I have a trusted set of brands and companies I have worked with on projects such as The UnAwards over a number of years. I think of them more as partnerships and collaborations and we can learn so much from good industry suppliers, and the skills, knowledge and resources they bring to the table.

After 25-years in the industry I’m very clear on the values and ethos which are important to me – this includes always trying to do the right thing for the right reason, rather than trying to just make a quick buck.

I’m open to new collaborations if the products and services are of genuine value to the comms community. And I love a new project and initiative – I love to create new things which can support the industry and the people in it so if you think we have some aligned ambitions and values, then shout me.

What plans do you have for 2021?
Big ones. I’m incredibly excited about my plans for the 7th annual UnAwards to take place in the summer of 2021. And that is a chance for new partners to come on board. Following that will be the winner’s masterclass too, where attendees can, for free, hear from the winners, their lessons and their insights.

I’m rolling out a new series of training workshops for 2021 – everything from supercharged social media and strategy surgeries, through to podcast training and how to engage with Generations Z and Alpha with a couple of leading fellow consultants.

I look forward to helping deliver the brilliant Comms Unplugged event which will take place in Dorset in September. It’s another thing I’m really proud of and has aimed to push mental health and wellbeing much higher up the agenda and equip us all with the skills and knowledge and deal with the growing problem in an effective way. It’s more of an experience than an event and we think it’s pretty unique in our industry. Come along, I promise you’ll love it.

I’ll continue to mentor a number of comms pros, which is something I’ve done for a decade now and really enjoy.

I set up a consultants group during Lockdown 1 as a place for small business owners in the industry to have a place to check-in with like-minded people. We have a lunchtime coffee chat via Zoom each Monday and it’s become a special group and we’ll look to develop that in 2021, and even get to that much anticipated face-to-face meet-up.

And of course I’ll continue to deliver strategic comms consultancy for organisations across the UK.

Which other influencers/podcasters do you follow/enjoy?
All of the people who write guest blog posts for comms2point0. That’s a weekly treat to see those come in.

My friend Sally Northeast produces the lovely CU on the Air podcast, and pal Adrian Stirrup the fun Talking Comms Pod, which I help with.

I really like the weekly email from The Joy of Work author, Bruce Daisley (who, incidentally, is our keynote speaker for next year’s Comms Unplugged), and the research he shares around the changing dynamics of the workplace especially as we battle through COVID-19.

Which other media do you always make time for?
There are so many. For my factual news fix and update I tune in to the brilliant James O’Brien show on LBC whenever I’m free. It’s stripped of opinion and uses those old-fashioned skills of research and evidence, and boy do we need more of that. I love Marina Hyde in The Guardian for her humorous take on the week’s big events. In a similar vein, I love the work of Birmingham artist Cold War Steve.

I’m a proper film and TV nerd so there are too many to name here. But rest assured I have worked my way through Netflix and Amazon Prime’s finest during 2020.

I have really missed the cinema in 2020 and can’t wait to remedy that next year.

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