My Rollercoaster 12 Months In The Ever-Changing World Of PR

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Ross Stebbing celebrates his first year at our Scottish public relations agency

06-JUN-Ross-Stebbing-180x306Ross is an Account Executive at award winning PR agency, Holyrood PR in Edinburgh.

After joining as Junior Account Executive in June 2014 he is now celebrating his first year with the company.

Over the past year he has worked on a wide variety of clients including Blackwood Housing and Care, CALA Homes East, Maison Bleue, Louise Linton, Bupa Care Services and Innovation Challenge.

Find out more about his clients work here

 

 

 


I’M DELIGHTED that I’ve just marked my first full year at Holyrood PR – and it’s certainly been eventful.

Since I’m still (relatively) fresh and unscathed, I wanted to round up the last 12 months with 12 standout points which best sum up my year.

1 – PUTTING PEN TO PAPER
Writing is at the heart of what Holyrood PR believes: that stories are at the heart of every successful business. While story spotting is essential, the real secret tour success is our focus on effective writing.
It’s always good to look back and see how far you’ve come – and this is something I’ve noticed a measurable difference in…especially when comparing my first press release to the most recent.

2 – GET USED TO CHANGE
Probably a prerequisite for all agency life, as no two weeks will be the same. Between June 2014 and June 2015 there have definitely been a lot of changes in my PR experience – from the clients I’ve worked with to the stories I’ve worked on. Things are always moving, and at a fast pace.

04 SEP Scottish Woman Magazine FRONT COVER3 – FROM CARE HOMES TO CALA HOMES
Client diversity is one thing I can say I’ve enjoyed – from tackling celebrity, property, care, consumer and a bit of business.
Where else can you go from interviewing a Hollywood actress to visiting a condemned care home being used for fire fighter training? Or from finding a bionic arm for a photocall to organising a party for scores of influencers in a top notch restaurant?
It’s nice to experience all aspects of PR – to learn your strengths, and constantly be challenged.

4 – STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE
Responsibility is something that can be daunting for some and there’s always going to be fear of the unknown.
For me, there was a point where I had to take on more responsibility with client management.
Looking back, this may have been daunting, but proved to be a great learning curve – and when you hear great feedback from clients it makes it even more worthwhile.

5 – COVERAGE AND SUCCESS
No matter how long you’ve worked in PR you still get a buzz from securing fantastic coverage – and it’s definitely a great measure of success for the hard work that you put in.
In particular, I was proud to have secured more than 800 cuttings in my first year which meant I created an impressive  950 million opportunities to see for my clients and their important message.

6 – GETTING CAMERA READY
HPR TV. GeHPR TV 162t used to dressing up as mad scientist or swinging a tennis racket around – and depending on the camera lighting, look really ginger.
Joking aside a genuine understanding of what it takes to put yourself in front of the camera for anyone to see on YouTube is a great way to help put clients at ease when they are being filmed or photographed.

7 – IT’S A MELTING POT
It’s slightly cliché but everyone’s different – and within a team of nine that works well in the sense that you all bring different skills to the table, and also pick up on new skills too.

8 – CREATIVITY
I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to come up with and express my creative ideas, so It’s a good feeling when they pay off too.
Organising CALA Homes’ first venture into the blogging and digital world was something I was particularly proud of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieJdbaHxWBI

9 – COMMITMENT TO DEVELOPMENT
Holyrood encourages development, and within PR there’s something new to learn, every day. From the numerous CIPR events and11001794_10152837282433439_5835285229804921685_n training courses I’ve had the opportunity to participate in, I’m definitely grateful to Holyrood’s commitment to development.

10 – ALL THINGS DIGITAL
I like to think I was already digitally and social media savvy before starting at Holyrood – but there’s been a great deal of expertise I’ve picked up on while being here.
Everything from how to handle SEO to crafting the right type of blog content, all of which has  been a great eye opener.

 11 – BYOB (BRING YOUR OWN BRILLIANCE)
Do what you do best. Obviously there has to be a level of similarity in your work ethic at whichever company you work for, but doing something in a different way is a great way to provide new ways of thinking and a bit of diversity. All in all, it’s good to be vocal about your ideas – and to get the opportunity to actually make them happen.

12 – ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET
It’s great to celebrate your successes and to reflect on the work you’ve put in.
And I’ve definitely enjoyed some of the events I’ve been fortunate enough to attend – most recently being invited to The Scottish Home Awards on behalf of client, CALA Homes and also the PR Moment Awards 2015.
However for me personally, I’m looking forward to July 17  when the CIPR Pride Awards will be announced, and to finally see if all of the above did actually pay off!


 

Now meet more of the great people at  Holyrood PR who deliver amazing successes for our clients

 We’re a friendly bunch here at Holyrood PR – so why not meet other members of our team?

We’d love to discuss how our PR services could deliver success for your business. So contact Ross and the rest of us on 0131 561 2244, or fill in the simple form below and we’ll get straight back to you.

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