Hack Your Own PR

Georgie Abay is just about one of the most intelligent, hard working, kind and humble editors you’ll find at the helm of a glossy mag - and she’s back for interview number 2 on Hack Your Own PR - after her first interview several years ago, in her role as the editor and founder of Grace Tales.

In September last year, Georgie took on the prestigious role leading the vision and team as editor of Marie Claire. As you’ll hear in this episode, she’s keen to use her platform to campaign for better outcomes around gendered violence, neuro inclusivity and inspire the next generation of change makers.

Speaking of change makers, Georgie touches on the Marie Claire woman of the year awards, which are an incredible celebration of women doing incredible things in our community.

If you’re a woman championing social issues, driving change in your industry or who is looked towards as a pioneer or leader, this episode is for you.

Find Odette Barry online: 

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/authority-brand    

https://instagram.com/odetteandco    

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr  

Find Georgie Abay online: https://www.instagram.com/georgieabay/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgie-abay

Imagine a world where Business Class and Economy Class costs about the same. Naturally, everyone would choose Business Class. 

Today we're joined by Steve Hui, also known as "The Points Whisperer" and founder of iflyflat.com.au. Over 12 years ago, Steve cracked the code to unlock how to fly business and first class on the cheap. 

I invited Steve to the podcast because I have seen his name everywhere. From ARF, news.com.au, Sky News, The Project, you name it - he’s been featured there. With over 40k followers on Linkedin, and a hungry audience of travellers looking to stretch out their leggies, I’m not surprised that he’s so well loved by media.

Now, Steve is a bit of the dream when it comes to PR - this guy has never ever pitched a media story or paid for a publicist. Instead journalists and producers are often chasing him for comment.

Why? Because he’s always providing tips and hacks to help other folks fly flat at a fraction of the price - his website suggests for us business owners - you could be flying 2x per year business class…so why wouldn’t you check him out.

In our discussion, Steve shares unconventional marketing tactics that are perfect for startups, how he’s navigated the media and halo effect for the iflyflat brand.

Find Steve online: 

https://www.iflyflat.com.au/why-use-points

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhui/ 

https://www.instagram.com/iflyflat/ 

Find Odette Barry online: 

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/authority-brand  

https://instagram.com/odetteandco   

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

 I think you’re going to enjoy this episode if you’re a beauty or lifestyle brand.

Today we're joined by beauty industry veterans Sarah Tarca and Sherine Youssef, founders of the popular newsletter gloss etc.

With over 30 years of combined experience in journalism and media, Sarah and Sherrine have seen it all when it comes to PR pitches. 

Sarah Tarca is a former magazine editor (Marie Claire, Girlfriend, Cosmopolitan), beauty journalist and Sherine Youssef is a beauty editor, who has worked across Madison, Stellar, marie claire, Gritty Pretty and Badlands Journal over the past almost two decades. 

Both of these two a big fans of Sunscreen - and you should be too, but they’re also fans of a headline.

You’ll learn that achieving a 60% open rate on their newsletter has come with a fair amount of sister and friend advice, but a fair bit of brain sweat.

In today's episode, they share their insider knowledge on what makes for a standout beauty story, discuss the dos and don'ts of pitching experts and the importance of tailored outreach.

Whether you're a beauty brand, healthcare company, or influencer, you'll walk away with practical tips you can start using immediately to get your message in front of the right audiences. 

Find Odette Barry online: 

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/authority-brand    

https://instagram.com/odetteandco    

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr  

Find Sarah Tarca online: 

https://www.instagram.com/tarca/

https://msha.ke/sarahtarca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-tarca-8572019/

Find Sherine Youssef online: 

https://www.instagram.com/sherineyoussef/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherineyoussef/

Find gloss etc online: 

https://glossetc.co/

https://www.instagram.com/gloss.etc/

Today I'm joined by Euan Black, the Work and Careers Reporter at The Australian Financial Review. 

Euan began his career in journalism accidentally after finishing an internship in Cambodia. He landed his first journalism job at Southeast Asia Globe before moving to Australia where he now very happily writing for The Financial Review.

In this episode, Euan shared how he generates story ideas through one-on-one conversations with industry sources, the challenges of balancing idea generation with writing and insights into how much weight he applies to performance data and how that informs his storytelling.

Euan gave us a glimpse into the market trends and topics he explores, from the influence of Gen Z workers to the future of hybrid work. 

He also offered plenty of advice to improve our pitches, either as an expert or case study…and the importance of building a relationship.

If you’re keen to learn exactly how to tap into the AFR’s 3.5 million audience, you’ll want to tune in. 

Find Euan Black online: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/euanblackuk/

Find Odette Barry online:

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/authority-brand    

https://instagram.com/odetteandco    

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr  

Polly Taylor is the Contributor and Page editor at Mamamia. Polly previously worked in the UK in the women’s lifestyle media space, when she visited Australia on a ‘quick working holiday’ and found the perfect job at Mamamia, she’s never left! 

Polly walks us through the contrasting stories you’ll find on the home page of Mamamia, from the latest celebrity drama to hard-hitting, gritty contributor pieces from survivors of domestic violence - there isn’t anything like Mamamia in the Australian media landscape.

We hear about what it means for content to “walk in her shoes” and how you can strategically hook your contributor pieces to a timely news event or trending conversation. 

She explains what she’s looking for in a contributor pitch, and most importantly…the question that’s on everybody’s lips: how to ace your pitch subject line to get the attention of her and her team, giving us tangible examples of what that looks like. Gold! 

If you have a vulnerable story to share, a trending hot take, or you’re an expert who has something important to say, stick around - this episode is for you. 

Find Polly Taylor online: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/polly-taylor-189439144/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp_l_-9BaWUseQSODgVvXmdfCFAnf8NPXk0asM0/ 

Find Odette Barry online: 

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/authority-brand    

https://instagram.com/odetteandco    

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr 

Wendy Tuohy is a senior writer focusing on social issues impacting women and girls at The Age. 

With over 40 years of experience writing about social affairs, Wendy is one of the true advocates, who in particular, has chosen to use her position of privilege to amplify and influence the mainstream media narrative about issues that truly matter.

In a time when mainstream media is copping heat left right and centre for its misrepresentation and downright misbehaviour, Wendy occupies a corner of the media where she has the time to thoroughly and thoughtfully interrogate heartbreaking and sensitive issues that matter, but also, very delicately work with stories and spokespeople that require careful thought, unwavering honesty, support through the process of shining light on very personal circumstances.

In this episode, Wendy shares her approach, from running 10+ stories concurrently in her mind, the power of brave, courageous and outspoken spokespeople, the importance of humanising tough stories with lived experience, and her ridiculously patient approach to receiving and supporting young PRs in the industry.

From the ‘why do you need to know this right now’, to the power of 3, and tips on how to lighten Wendy’s load with deep backgrounding of the industry, Wendy generously shares how change makers and social warriors fighting for a more just world can get on her highly coveted pages.

Get in touch with Wendy Tuohy

https://www.theage.com.au/by/wendy-tuohy-h15ltx

[email protected] 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-tuohy-a22689b0/

Find Odette Barry online: 

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/hackyourownpr

https://instagram.com/odetteandco

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr 

Sam Hussey is the head of news and lifestyle at Forbes Australia, having previously been the Channel Seven editor in chief for the 7news.com.au publishing a cheeky 120 news pieces daily.

The change of pace to business, entrepreneurism and luxury lifestyle is a welcome one, as Sam discusses, as he’s tackling a slower, deeper style of journalism, that allows him and the team to interrogate issues in the business ecosystem with more time - and perhaps a little more finesse.

With new content series coming out on video, a new membership for women, and a deeper focus on the female-led startup ecosystem, Sam walks us through what the Forbes readership get excited about, and how to win a pitch with him.

If you’re a startup innovating and changing the way things are done, or a thought leader with incredible industry insights to share, this episode will help you understand how to score a feature or contributor seat at the Forbes Australia table.

Find Samuel Hussey online: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-hussey-b59b1b8a/

https://www.instagram.com/samuel__hussey/

Find Odette Barry online 

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/authority-brand  

https://instagram.com/odetteandco   

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr 

This week on the Hack Your Own Podcast, join me in conversation with Tarla Lambert, co-founder of Agenda Media and editor-in-chief of Women’s Agenda.

Alongside her business partner, Angela Priestley, Tarla has cultivated a wholly independent, women-owned, and operated media empire that engages over a million Australian women each month. 

Tarla shares insights into Women’s Agenda’s demographic and focus, catering to professional women aged 25 to 45, including 30% small business owners, with a recent emphasis on entrepreneurship and leadership stories. 

Tarla speaks on the importance of understanding what Women’s Agenda covers (you can skip your lifestyle and beauty pitches) as she delves into the publication’s content pillars, spanning foreign politics, business, tech, science, health, and sport, with a notable commitment to highlighting issues like domestic violence.

We discuss the evolving landscape of media, the impacts of Meta restrictions on news consumption, and the importance of supporting independent news sources. 

You’ll get actionable steps to pitch successfully to Women’s Agenda and how offering yourself as a contributor and a feature differs. Hint: it’s all about relevance, human-led stories, steering clear of spray-and-pray tactics, and aligning with their audience’s interests.

So, if you’re ready to take your media game to the next level and uncover how to tap into the highly engaged audience of Women’s Agenda, you’ll want to tune in. 

Find Odette Barry online 

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/authority-brand  

https://instagram.com/odetteandco   

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr  

Find Tarla Lambert online

https://www.instagram.com/tarlalambert/

https://www.instagram.com/womensagenda/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarlalambert

Meet Nicole Maycroft, the PR & Communications Manager at Kic.  

Nicole walks us through what media efforts have successfully converted for Kic, how she gets Steph and Laura involved with timely trends and expert commentary, and how to create leverageable collaborations and events.  

We get to hear the behind-the-scenes strategy for Kic’s latest ‘feel good’ January campaign which saw a 100% increase in year-on-year sales, and how the Kic team was able to rise above the ‘new year, new me’ toxic messaging that the health and wellness industry communicates. 

Nicole tells about the importance of working with brands and publications that share a like-minded audience who align with your mission and why you should always follow up your initial pitch with a new story angle - it might just be the one that lands you top-tier coverage! 

Stick around to learn how this iconic brand has successfully landed thousands of media mentions and prestigious partnerships and how you can adopt elements of Kic’s PR strategy in your own business.

This week on the Big Ideas Miniseries I chatted with Sophie Walker, founder and host of popular podcast Australian Birth Stories.

Sophie is the mum of 3 who used to record her podcast from the back of her Nissan X Trail during covid. She has amassed 16 million podcast listeners informing and empowering women and their birth support teams and has grown to become a million-dollar birth and pregnancy educational ecosystem.

In late 2022, I had the pleasure of working closely with Sophie to build her presence leveraging the ecosystem of influence to build visibility, a potent network of industry allies and partners, and launch her book, The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy.

We break down the key steps involved in Sophie’s journey, and some of the challenges she had to overcome to keep showing up as a voice of change in her industry.

This episode gives you an insight into the steps to build authority and how Sophie has relentlessly committed to offering her expertise, applied storytelling to advocate for a reduction in birth trauma and reaped the benefits of rattling the cage.

After 7 years hosting the podcast and 6 months PR campaign run by the Odette & Co team, Sophie was selected as one of 52 newsmakers in the Good Weekend, as chosen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age staff.

If you’re keen to understand what it takes to build credibility and want to be a driving force of change in your industry, you’ll want to tune in.

If you want to grab a copy of my comprehensive State of Thought Leadership Playbook. If you’re dreaming of TED stages, media headlines, or industry recognition, this eBook is your roadmap. Get your copy at www.odetteandco.com.au/playbook 

Find Sophie Walker Online

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-walker

https://www.instagram.com/australianbirthstories/ 

https://open.spotify.com/shows 

Find Odette Barry Online 

https://www.odetteandco.com.au/authority-brand  

https://instagram.com/odetteandco  

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr