Anna Gawan - Media PR

If you want proof that work experience can really help your career, look no further than Anna Gawan, whose first role at IPC Media was a fortnight’s internship in the press office. Convinced that a career in PR was for her, when an entry-level role came up she jumped at the chance to apply.

She has since worked her way up to a Press Officer role, looking after the PR for a wide range of titles published by the magazine title, from Country Life and Horse & Hound through to music titles NME and Uncut. She is also studying for a diploma with the CIPR, and recently undertook some research on what the role of Twitter on PR/journalist relationships.

We caught up with Anna to find out more about her career to date, her current role at IPC, and her findings in that Twitter survey.

By Unicorn Jobs

How did you first get into PR?

While I was still studying I secured two weeks work experience with magazine publisher IPC Media. I found myself helping out in the press office and knew that this was the direction I wished my career to take. When the opportunity came to apply for a press office assistant post I jumped at the chance. With a bit of hard work and a very supportive manager I have arrived at my present post.

You’ve had various PR roles at IPC – what does your current job involve?

Currently I’m press officer across IPC Inspire – the specialist interest portfolio (it includes Country Life, Horse & Hound, Shooting Times, Yachting Monthly, Trusted Reviews, Rugby World and Angler’s Mail amongst others) – and IPC Ignite’s music brands, which is NME and Uncut. It varies from promoting exclusive interviews with royalty in the pages of Country Life to working on NME‘s multi-platform strategy.

What’s it like PRing two such big music titles?

I’ve always enjoyed the work that’s involved on the music titles. NME, in particular, is such a massive brand across so many platforms – it’s great to able to play a role on a brand that reaches so many people in so many different ways. My aim really, though, has just been to do the best I can do and enjoy it. I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by some fantastic brands that all offer their own unique challenges, and I think it’s the variation in my role and the titles that I work for that I enjoy most. Not many people have meetings about Kasabian and HRH Prince Philip in the same day!

Tell us about some recent projects

Although my role is usually business media focused, I’ve recently been working on the regional consumer push of NME‘s Radar Tour, which showcases new music and this year is headlined by Golden Silvers (previous line ups have included La Roux, White Lies and Friendly Fires). We’re also gearing up for the second Uncut Music Award, another huge Shockwaves NME Awards in 2010, and visits to the multi-platform setup at our Blue Fin Building HQ by numerous bands. There’s always plenty going on!

Do you think it is harder to PR media products – does the fact some of your possible target media compete with your products make things harder?

It can be a tricky issue sometimes but it can also be an advantage. Being surrounded by journalists day to day gives a good insight into how they like to work and means I can appreciate what the people I’m speaking to are trying to achieve.

You recently did a survey on the role of Twitter in PR, tell us how that came about and what it involved?

As part of my studies for a PR Diploma with the CIPR [Chartered Institute of Public Relations] I conducted an investigation in to the role of Twitter in media relations. There is very little research in this area so it struck me as an intriguing challenge to try to find some patterns in the use of Twitter by both PRs and journalists. So I carried out a survey of 100 journalists and PR professionals to find out more.

What were your key findings?

They suggested that Twitter is being used by more PR practitioners (86%) than journalists (64%) at the moment, and is being used for business uses by a high percentage of those practitioners. However, unlike a press release, almost all Tweets are made live without going through any kind of approval process at all, which is interesting and indicates that Twitter is viewed in a different way to traditional channels.

This could be a problem if not properly addressed – irresponsible Tweets can damage the reputation of a brand very quickly. According to the findings, Twitter still has some way to go before it’s viewed as a trusted source of information – here, the traditional press release still comes out of top, as you can see from the following keyword association stats: authentic (press release 81%, Twitter 23.8%), targeted (press release 72.3%, Twitter 33.3%), factual (press release 95%, Twitter 15%).

Do you think social media is having a big impact on PR as a profession?

It’s clear that the landscape is constantly changing and practitioners have to adapt the way they do business. Social media has added to what was already an incredibly fast-moving environment and presents PR with some huge opportunities. It’s much easier to find groups of like-minded people in the same place, and word of mouth has never before travelled such distance with such speed (although that can be a double-edged sword!). But some things remain constant – like any other channel, it needs to be appropriate to the audience you want to reach and quality content is still a must (whether it’s online of offline).

What advice would you have for anyone considering a career in PR?

I’d say be persistent, patient and take every opportunity that arises. If a chance to work in a PR department comes along, take it – even if you haven’t got a PR degree. There are some fantastic courses out there, particularly those run by CIPR/PR Academy, which enable you to learn whilst on the job. For me, that was the perfect combination – and I liked the fact that you can put what you learn into practice straight away.

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

Wow – that’s tough. The launch of NME Radio was really exciting and definitely a highlight. I enjoy new challenges so hopefully the best is yet to come!

Anna on the web

IPC Media’s website