How do you go from PR Newbie to headline winning machine? Melissa Packham is what I would happily call a true and legitimate thought leader. The founder of A Brand Is Not a Logo, Melissa is a brand and marketing strategist. With over 15 years under her belt, she’s managed household name fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands like Campbell’s, Arnott’s and Parmalat. Since establishing A Brand Is Not a Logo, Mel helps small businesses and entrepreneurs find clarity in strategy so they can make decisions quickly and effectively, and create competitive advantage with a stand-out brand. Her vision is a world where brands are a force for good, with thoughtful foundations and meaningful strategy to guide them. As a graduate from my 9 week Hack Your Own PR program, I thought it would be fun to bring Melissa back to walk us through the key steps she undertook to secure her own media headlines in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Mumbrella and Smart Company. Find Melissa Packham online https://www.instagram.com/abrandisnotalogo/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissapackham/ Find Odette Barry online https://www.odetteandco.com.au/hackyourownpr https://instagram.com/odetteandco https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

National fashion editor has to be up there as one of the dreamiest job titles. Throw in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald as your employer, and you’re in heaven, right? I got to ask Melly Singer just that when this super glamorous, super talented human joined me to talk about product PR in fashion, pitching timelines, online versus print and so much more. Melly has worked everywhere from glossy magazines to community news, but the majority of her career has been spent with the publisher of The Age and SMH (previously Fairfax, now Nine). She’s been a Sunday news editor, a consumer affairs reporter, a deputy news editor, and then she created her dream role for herself: fashion editor of The Age. It’s fair to say Melly knows a thing or two about pitching a good idea. In our conversation we talked about why she loves the storytelling element in fashion journalism, the reason a mass email is an immediate turn-off for Melly and why she thinks fewer product events in a post-Covid world might actually be a good thing. We also touched on the DNA of a good image library (tip: fewer is sometimes better!), Melly’s love of a good pop culture deep-dive with a side of fashion, and how you and your brand can get Melly’s attention with a newsy hook. Find Melly Singer online https://www.instagram.com/melly_singer/?hl=en https://twitter.com/melly_singer?lang=en https://www.theage.com.au/by/melissa-singer-hvetq Find Odette Barry online https://www.odetteandco.com.au/hackyourownpr https://instagram.com/odetteandco https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

As technology editor at The Australian, David Swan’s name will be familiar to anyone who lives and breathes the latest in startups, apps, gadgets, Silicon Valley and innovation. He got his first media gig at 15 years of age writing mobile phone reviews, but has spent the last six years of his career writing for The Australian, picking up numerous awards along the way at The Lizzies, Australia’s IT journalism awards. He also appears regularly on TV and radio as a technology commentator. We got to touch on all that and more in this super insightful interview that has everything from tips for shaking up a media interview that feels a little robotic (hint: keep it real folks) to all of the things that will help you get a brand mention in an article. We also talk about all the things that won’t get your story over the line, what David likes in a case study, and his tips on preparing for live TV appearances. Getting to pick the brain of such a talented media all-rounder was a total luxury - there’s plenty of gold in here for startups and small biz regardless of your industry. If you are interested in tech PR, this is the second episode focused on technology journalism in Hack Your Own PR: Season 2. For more, head to episode 2 with Natasha Gillezeau of The Australian Financial Review. Find David Swan online https://twitter.com/swan_legend https://au.linkedin.com/in/davidswanoz Find Odette Barry online https://www.odetteandco.com.au/hackyourownpr https://instagram.com/odetteandco https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

Sam Koslowski is the co-founder of the social-first news platform The Daily Aus, read by 88,000 Australians each day. Creating news recaps and explainers in a social media-friendly format that prioritises Instagram first, The Daily Aus is on a mission to arm millennials with the tools and information to begin their own deep dive into the news. So, what did Sam have to say about Facebook’s sudden ban on local news, given his business’s entire distribution platform is social media? I couldn’t wait to ask. This conversation was recorded prior to Facebook’s reversal of the ban, but both Sam and I were of the opinion that the ban would be a short-term thing, a tactic used to get the government to the table to negotiate. You can hear us unpacking what the ban meant for the media and audiences in Australia, and the big lessons to take away. Sam shares insights into the decentralised team structure of Sam and Zara’s mobile first freelancer model, which ethically supports up and coming journalists with fair pay, who create all of their social content, directly from their phones, from team WIPs on Whatsapp through the drafting posts and creating social assets on Canva. If you’re wondering what the future of media publishing looks and feels like, you’re staring it straight in the face. Find The Daily Aus online https://www.instagram.com/thedailyaus/ https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-daily-aus/id1552309889 https://www.thedailyaus.com.au/ Find Odette Barry online https://www.odetteandco.com.au/hackyourownpr https://instagram.com/odetteandco https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

Georgie Quigley is a dream publicist. Working on brands like Avène, Pukka Tea, Klorane, Outland Denim, Le Tan, Vittoria Coffee, Georgie is seriously well-connected, a breeze to work with and consistently generating amazing results for her clients, all while making it look completely effortless. The reality, as always, is that there’s some serious hustle going on beneath that calm and polished exterior! I sat down with Georgie, who recently established her own agency working with some top names in fashion, beauty and interiors, to explore the mysterious world of product PR. Before going into this interview, this was a blindspot for me too. But I knew that it was very, VERY, different to securing coverage for people, services and ideas. Get those notebooks out, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to expand your lil PR toolkit with some rolled gold tips from Georgie, one of the best in the business when it comes to securing coverage on products. Among other things, Georgie shared when to start pitching to long-range media, how to do a stellar product send-out that looks great and won’t end up in the office rubbish pile, and what to think about when you’re getting your products photographed. We also talked about managing expectations when you’re first starting in PR, how to structure your pitch emails and how she uses her social channels to leverage the coverage she secures for her clients. Find Georgie https://www.instagram.com/georgiequigley_pr/ https://www.gqpr.com.au/

Find Odette Barry online odetteandco.com.au/hackyourownpr instagram.com/odetteandco instagram.com/hackyourownpr

It’s been a huge month for technology and journalism in Australia, with hardline stances by the government, multi-million dollar deals between NewsCorp and Google, and that Facebook dummy spat. But before all that went down, I got to speak to the people who write about tech news for a living. It was a massive nerd-out moment for me - and I’m sure you guys feel me. Kicking off our tech journalism special is Natasha Gillezeau, part of The Australian Financial Review’s highly regarded technology desk. Natasha has covered everything from the Google and Facebook news laws in Australia, a rolling topic over the last 12 months, to the rise of more authentic influencers and more. Along the way she’s picked up award nominations at the Lizzies, tech journalism’s night of nights. Natasha is lucky enough to cover both breaking news and also follow trends, spending 5 to 6 weeks researching features and speaking to a variety of sources. How do you get your name into Natasha’s little black book of tech contacts? Well, she was happy to share what she’s looking for in a great source, from establishing trust and being polite and punctual, to being clear on what you do and don’t know about. (Hello, niche businesses!) I also asked Natasha about how she stays on top of trends, what her “journalist lens” is when she’s assessing stories for the AFR, and how to best prepare for an interview and make sure you’re quoted the way you want to be. Download 'Pitching to the AFR guide' at odetteandco.com.au/pitchingtotheafr Find Natasha instagram.com/natashagillezeau linkedin.com/in/natasha-gillezeau-571272176/?originalSubdomain=au afr.com/by/natasha-gillezeau-h18hvf [email protected] Find Odette Barry online odetteandco.com.au/hackyourownpr instagram.com/odetteandco instagram.com/hackyourownpr

Lucy Blakiston is one-third of the team behind Sht You Should Care About, the game-changing social media account that’s delivering the most important news of the day to Gen Z in a format they know and understand. Using memes, witty banter, visual storytelling and snack-sized updates on important topics, Sht You Should Care About is a bit like the town crier of the 21st-century. And people are listening: the Instagram account has 2.4 million followers. In any given week, you might see posts on Covid-19, the US presidential race, persecution of ethnic minorities, climate change, taking care of your mental health and Harry Styles. Sh*t You Should Care About also publishes long-form articles on its website, releases a weekly podcast, and hosts a monthly book club for some respite from all that news. And while it might look like a far cry from the journalism we’re used to, its aims are just as noble. Blakiston and her co-founders Ruby Edwards and Olivia Mercer want to make the news “understandable, digestible and reliable” for people their age - which is not even 30, in case you were wondering. Running their operation from a dining room table in a small town in New Zealand, the trio are disrupting what we know as news and current affairs. I sat down with Lucy to find out how to run a 21st-century “news room” from home with a team of 3 people, what can be done about the rise of fake news, and what’s in store for media in Australia and New Zealand. We also chatted through the ingredients of a great meme, how to switch off when your whole job is about social media and current affairs, and the most exciting Instagram follow she’s ever had. If you’re curious about how Gen Z consume news, want to know where the industry is headed or you’re already a regular reader of Sh*t You Should Care About, you’re going to get loads out of this conversation. Find Shit You Should Care About https://www.instagram.com/shityoushouldcareabout/?hl=en https://shityoushouldcareabout.com/ [email protected] Find Odette Barry online https://www.odetteandco.com.au/hackyourownpr https://instagram.com/odetteandco https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

Throughout my teens, my sisters and I would fight to steal the Good Weekend magazine from the kitchen table on Saturday morning. We would savour the intellectual commentary on societies emerging issues, satiate our thirst for knowledge of the culture beyond the four walls of our young existence, and we were fascinated by the interesting dynamics and relationships featured in the Two of Us profiles.

To say this magazine is embedded in the DNA of my coming of age is an understatement. 

Good Weekend continues to play an everpresent and intertwined role in my thirst for expansion and growth. And while I may not have been the target GW audience in my teens, as each passes by I find myself closer to its core demographic and valuing the words in her pages evermore. 

In this conversation with Katrina Stickland, Good Weekend editor, we explore all of the things that make this iconic, stalwart of Australian culture, tick. On every page, we bear witness to the investment in high-quality journalism, stories built upon layers of research, edits, feedback rounds and then more edits, until they’re shaped into meandering chats between family, friends and water cooler conversations to mark a time in history.

If you have a product or story that will delight Australians with a taste for the finer things in life then you will want to tune into this podcast, but also, read at least ten weekends worth of the Good Weekend, before pitching your story.

Find Katrina online

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-strickland-40110725?originalSubdomain=au

[email protected]

Find Odette Barry online

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

https://instagram.com/odetteandco

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

Katelyn Swallow is the editor in chief of the Australian Strong Fitness Magazine - part of the global Strong franchise. Strong Fitness is a digital and print publication, that provides evidence-based training and nutrition advice to Australian women between the ages of 20-50 years of age.

As Katelyn shares in this episode, it’s all about evidence for Strong Fitness - they’re looking for the research and data to back up their stories. 

Katelyn walks us through everything she’s looking for in a pitch whether you’re pitching for a cover shoot, you’ve got a product or if you’re looking to becoming a contributor.

She talks us through the purpose, the key communication pillars and what it takes to win her over whether you’re a publicist, writer or small business pitching a story.

Find Katelyn online

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelyn-swallow-11b9a074/

https://instagram.com/strongfitnessmag_au

https://www.strongfitnessmag.com.au/

Find Odette Barry online

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

https://instagram.com/odetteandco

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

Handle your own PR, hack your own PR - whatever you want to call it, sharing the fundamental skills of public relations with small business owners is the thing I live for. But it turns out I'm not alone. That theory about no original ideas being left in the world was shown to me to be true recently, when I found out about Handle Your Own PR, a Melbourne business that's been offering PR mentoring to small businesses and entrepreneurs for 12 years.

Founder Jules Brooke got in touch with me and, rather than threatening or strong-arming me for being a copycat, she wanted to collaborate. After all, she pointed out, we both have the same mission, don't we?

We decided to chat through our different approaches to PR mentoring and make it an episode for my podcast. I couldn't have asked for a better experience than the one I had with Jules, and for that I'm so grateful.

Take a listen as we compare various PR tactics, spitball different approaches and ideas, and hear about Jules's journey from running a PR agency to being a PR mentor to all kinds of small business owners. Jules is also kind enough to share some of her key pieces of wisdom from a career that far outstrips my own.

Find Jules online

https://www.handleyourownpr.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/handleyourownpr/

Find Odette Barry online

https://instagram.com/odetteandco

https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr

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