PR Not BS: Recent Episodes
Fiona Scott
Fiona Scott is a straight talking PR professional, a former TV journalist who has run a successful PR company for 14 years. Fiona dispels the smoke and mirrors around the world of public relations and instead presents you with practical advice, hints, tips and inspiration.
My guest today is business friend Debbie Gilbert, who runs a marketing agency, the networking company called Businesswomen UnLtd and also runs events including The Best Businesswomen Awards and the Best SME Awards. She is also about to launch a brand new app called Leanier.
Debbie tells how she began her own business at a time before the internet was so big, and when websites were just emerging and social media didn’t even exist. She fell into her business due to a number of difficult family events that coincided when she moved home to Hertfordshire, having left her job. She soon found herself taking on work to support herself and her family making use of her previous skills in marketing.
We talk about the challenges that women face, but men do not. Debbie first began to think about this when she entered for her first business award, and she realised that out of the 25 winners, there were only 3 women on stage! She shares her reasons why she thinks this is – one being because women are working for themselves, for flexibility to work around families. It was following this revelation that she created the Best Businesswomen Awards in 2015 – which are running 11 years later.
Debbie also talks about how she doesn’t feel women are taken seriously in business and it becomes more noticeable when it comes to venture capital and funding. You may be surprised when you hear the small amount that goes to female businesses – still in 2025.
Debbie’s three top tips for all business owners for 2026:
- You need to get AI fit.
- Connect with human beings.
- If you haven’t yet, enter some awards.
To contact Debbie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debgilbert/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbiejanegilbert/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is a returning guest, Liz Perkins. Liz is the night news editor on the Sunday Telegraph and the Telegraph, plus she also writes freelance stories across the national papers too. She is incredibly busy and always on the go!
She talks about a recent appearance on Crime, on CBS network talking about a crime story she followed years ago. The story was about a murderer in Swansea, who was suddenly placed on release warrant, and allowed to wander around where he pleased. Unsurprisingly his family wanted to know how he was there.
Liz is from South Wales and is known there for her story exposing sexism and misogyny in the Welsh Rugby Union and she has also written a lot of stories about domestic abuse too. She writes about a wide variety of subjects because many different people get in contact with her with stories they want to share. She also gets invited to interviews all over the world, from General Petraeus, who was in charge of the US Army to UK TV presenter Jeff Brazier.
She shares some of the favourite people she’s interviewed, from those who are nationally known, to people she met at my No BS Media Summit earlier this year. Liz is always on the lookout for potential stories. Taking part in my summit was the first time she had done something like that, and found it amazing that the attendees had the opportunities to meet national news editors and journalists - something that is incredibly rare. Following the summit, Liz has written the stories of several people who attended, and still has stories where she is waiting for a chance to submit them to the right place.
The types of stories Liz says she is interested in are the ones about the person – not their product or service. People are interested in how people have got where they are and their backstory - that’s her passion.
Always a busy person, Liz talks about the exciting places she’ll be visiting in the future, including Australia and Saudi Arabia. She is a very sought after journalist, who is always on the move, and always looking for the next story.
Liz will be joining me soon on a webinar on 19th November. To book on visit https://scottmedia.uk/product/want-to-be-in-the-national-news-in-2026/
To contact Liz:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-perkins-7b667b75/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journoliz/
X: https://x.com/lizperkinsmedia
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
I’ve known today's guest for many years, and the first thing I asked Gareth Davis to talk about was his memory of first meeting the Scott family.
Gareth first met my son David when he was at Westlea Primary School in Swindon. David was about five or six when he joined Gareth’s martial arts class and Gareth talks about how martial arts can help people/children to learn and move at their own pace. Plus the skills they learn can be transferred into other aspects of their lives, giving them confidence.
He shares his story of how he became a black belt at the age of eight after finding a passion for the discipline. He talks about how hard he trained and how he knew it was what he wanted to do from an early age – even when talking to the schools’ careers teacher when he was older. He left school with all A and B grades at GCSE level, but didn’t want to go on to do more schooling. Although his parents did persuade him – for all of six weeks. After working as a teacher, he set up his own business when he was 20, when he took over his old instructor’s business when the latter moved to the US.
We talk about how Gareth managed to build up good relationships with local Swindon schools, which grew particularly when opportunities for private providers to run afterschool clubs and activities came along and how he used PR in his business.
Gareth shares three fantastic top tips for starting a business which in brief are:
- having a passion for what you do;
- understanding what you need to make the business grow
- do right by people.
Then after 15 years of doing the thing that was his passion, Gareth made a huge change to his life and moved to the US. He shares the fascinating and brave story of how he moved to the US to be with his girlfriend/ now wife just as Covid was taking over the world. He had to make a quick decision, otherwise they wouldn’t have seen each other for two years! Since living in Las Vegas, he has re-trained to work in residential real estate.
If you want to know more about how that move went and how things are going, you need to listen to the podcast – where you’ll hear the 5 things about Las Vegas that are better than the UK, and the things that Gareth misses about the UK!
To contact Gareth:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_garethdavis_/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today, Lauren is talking to Louise Muir Sage of ‘Something Kind of Woo’, a crystal shop in Royal Wootton Bassett.
Alongside crystals, she also sells incense, essential oils, tarot and oracle cards. Plus Lou is a Reiki practitioner and runs Reiki sessions and also Chakra realignment sessions. Explaining what Reiki is and how it works, she describes it as ‘cosmic glitter for the soul’. It’s a form of energy healing that helps to bring balance to people and clear blockages, and many people find it very relaxing.
Lou also explains what Chakras are, and talks about how our bodies are made up of 21, with each one being responsible for different energies.
Her interest in crystals began after she stopped drinking, and had problems sleeping. Rather than going from one addiction to another – sleeping tables, she decided to look at other things that would help, and that’s where crystals came in. Crystals are definitely her passion.
Lou’s decision to start her business came about after talking to her partner about at some point in the future, owning a shop that would be coffee and crystals. After that she connected with the owner of a local café where she now runs meditation events, and decided to run a coffee and crystal event – which has sold out every month since starting! That was the start of her creating her business which during this year has gone from strength to strength.
Having worked with Scott Media for a while now, Lou talks about how much she’s learned and gained from that experience. She has recently featured in several national magazines, talking about her story, and she’s passionate about wanting to share her story to help others.
Lou gives her advice about setting up your own business; the main tip being, if you have a dream – go for it – don’t park it!
To contact Lou:
Website: https://somethingkindofwoo.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-muir-sage-somethingkindofwoo/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SomethingKindofWoo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somethingkindofwoo/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@somethingkindofwoo
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today, Sandra Stahl is from New York, who like me has worked in PR for many years. She has spent her career working in both New York and in various other places around the globe, including London.
Sandra talks about how she started her career as an intern while still at university, and at the end of the internship was offered a job. That job, working on research, was at an agency called Research and Forecast - part of a global agency called Ruder Finn. After leaving there, she moved around, working in many different places, eventually starting her own agency, which in 2020 was sold to Ruder Finn! The agency is called JacobStahl, a Ruder Finn company.
She talks about the types of work she has done, and about how the entrepreneurial skill sets within communications work whatever the situation -in both corporate or agency settings. We also talk about the importance of investing in good communications as messaging and presentation has always been critical in business. For many it’s what makes them stand out from their rivals. Particularly in the world today with uncertainties coming from all sides – both finance and politics.
Sandra talks with passion about AI - about how people in PR, comms, marketing and journalism are early adopters and this is true when it comes to AI. She thinks the best way to look at AI is to see it as a friend and a great efficiency tool. Embrace what it can do to help you in your work, but then use that information to add your own human spin. Add your humanity – your intuition, empathy using your distinctive voice.
Alongside her work, she writes for several publications, teaches and has written several books; 'The Art and Craft of PR’; ‘The Smart PR Book’, and ‘Shifting Sands’.
To contact Sandra:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-stahl-7b058a/
Website: www.JacobStahl.com
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
For today’s podcast, Lauren is talking to John Lewis, a mindset and performance coach at JL Mindset Performance.
After working as a holiday rep, on building sites and owning a courier company, John went into coaching because it was something that he realised he’d always done; helping other people and being interested in others’. He trained and qualified as a performance coach, and has training in first aid for mental health and NLP.
He works with businesses, sports teams and individuals to help them in their personal life, or helping them to achieve what they want to achieve, and to overcome any obstacles that are hindering them in reaching their goals.
John has a love of sport himself and regularly works with Swindon Town Football Club, delivering different training to their staff, alongside working with other international sports men and women. Presently he’s working with a lady who is ranked number two in Clay Pigeon shooting her in the UK. As with many sports people, it isn’t the technical or tactical things they need support with, but emotional barriers that sometimes get in their own way of success.
During and after Covid, John had to embrace his fear of technology and embrace online platforms to talk to people which was something he really didn’t want to do, but has embraced, although as you’ll hear, he far prefers face to face meetings. Flexibility is something that is important to John and so he offers clients a space to work where they feel comfortable.
Many people are uncomfortable about talking to people with problems, which is impacting on businesses, and John talks about how many days are lost due to people having poor mental health.
John’s passion for helping others’ shines through in his conversation, as he encourages people to ask for help to stay on top of things rather than seeing problems as a weakness.
To contact John:
Website: https://www.jlmindsetperformance.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lewis-691917173/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLmindsetperformance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_m1nd5et/
Phone: 07947808675
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is Georgina Fuller who has been a journalist for over 20 years. She mostly writes for national newspapers, like The Times, The Telegraph and magazines. Her subjects are broadly lifestyle topics, including parenting, travel and neurodiversity.
Georgina talks about how she started out in journalism, and how originally she worked on business to business articles, writing about trends in the workplace, HR, and interviews, whereas now, being freelance she can write about all sorts of different and wonderful things.
She also shares how she started writing first person articles; writing about her personal experiences. Writing about life without her Mum, and then about her brothers’ schizophrenia and death, and subsequently about her own autistic son she has touched so many other people’s lives. Because of her job, she has had access to people who are skilled and experienced in the fields of health she has been talking about. Georgina loves the fact that the world is beginning to open up and talking about, challenging and changing the stigmas surrounding mental health. Sharing her own experiences starts conversations with others.
We also talk about the trend with the rise in social media, for editors looking for stories that draw ‘clicks’, ie click bait. Although Georgina doesn’t like it, sadly working in journalism today it’s something you can’t really ignore.
Not surprisingly, Georgina has many great stories, some of which she shares. She also shares how at times she also receives negative responses – and how she deals with them.
To contact Georgina:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georginafullerwriter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-fuller-6b785913/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009800910804
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my website: https://scottmedia.uk/ or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
In today’s podcast, Lauren talks to Gamal Turawa, who prefers to be known as G.
G has a fascinating background and story; one that resonates with many others. Born in the early 1960s, his early life was traumatic. He went on to be a policeman, and he was in fact, the first openly gay, black policeman. He had a film made about his life, which won him a BAFTA, and was also a consultant on the drama Mr Loverman, aired on BBC last year, and he has won two more BAFTA’s this year.
Overall, now G thinks of himself as a storyteller. He runs workshops, does keynote presentations and uses his own story to enable people to unlock their own. He feels that stories connect to us and unlock something deeper within us.
G also talks about coming out as a gay man, and how hard it was to even accept it himself. Then he had to face the reaction of other people around him. But the biggest thing was self-acceptance which gave him the courage to get on stage and talk to the huge audience at the Gay Pride rally in London.
He shares his emotional story of his identity, after being fostered from a young age by a white family. He felt ‘white’ and when he was suddenly moved away from the cocoon of where he’d grown up to a London suburb, and a mainly ‘black’ area, he had to come to terms with what his identity was.
Working as a policeman he faced a lot of bullying due to the colour of his skin, which nearly pushed him over the edge. He eventually found help from a counsellor, who asked him ‘who defines you?’ G had never realised he could define himself until that point.
His story is a rollercoaster of emotions and in the end, wonderful when you hear about all the things he has done and how he now helps others.
To contact G:
Website: https://purplefrog-connections.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purpleconnectionltd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gamal-turawa/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is Emma Jones, the new Small Business Commissioner, so if you are the owner of a small business, this podcast is not to be missed!
Before going into details about her new role, Emma talks about starting her own business in her mid 20s, during the .com boom. After reading a book by American, Dan Pink, called Free Agent Nation, and at a time when there was a rise in people becoming self-employed, she launched Enterprise Nation. That business was designed to help people starting out in business and their growth. Emma led the business for around 20 years and left earlier this year. Now Enterprise Nation attracts a huge number of small businesses to the platform each year.
When the role of Small Business Commissioner came up, Emma jumped at the chance.
She shares her three pronged approach to how she and her team plan to get money moving more quickly through the economy. And we focus on one of the most serious issues: late payment.
Much of the plan is around digital adoption, and how evidence has shown that small businesses who use cloud accounting software get paid quicker. She also talks about a digital idea called Open Finance, where there is transparency about how a small business is performing. Ultimately her vision is that businesses would have their own personal business agent who would be there to give support to find grants and help with applications.
We talk about the fact that often late payment is between two small businesses, rather than between a small and larger company. However, the remit of the Commissioner role is formed in legislation and it is about small businesses not being paid by larger companies.
But another initiative is Fair Payment Code which rewards businesses for paying their suppliers on time. They can share this with customers and clients to see how prompt they are making payments. Any sized business can be involved in this.
Emma also answers some questions put forward by my contacts and she shares some very useful tips how to combat the different issues.
It’s obvious hearing Emma talk just how passionate she is about UK small businesses – like me but in a much more high profile role!
To contact Emma:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-jones-8063536/
Website: smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my site: www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is someone who I only met a few weeks ago at a networking group. Harvey Boddy is the founder of HGP Property Deals. Working with his business partner, Jackie Collier, a multi-award winning property investor, they help people to buy and rent properties.
They work with properties in Bradford and Leeds, where they do them up and supply them to the social housing market.
Only 24, he has been interested in property for the last four years, and after talking to many people in the industry, he realised that there is a gap in the market – social housing. After studying for two years, Harvey decided to set up his own business with the aim of helping vulnerable people to get onto the housing ladder.
Harvey shares his own personal story, after his father had a stroke, the family lost their house, and they ended up in a social housing hostel. It meant they had a roof over their head, but it wasn’t necessarily a safe place, due to the environment, which could include people doing drugs. Not surprisingly, he was too embarrassed to take friends home from school. His ideal social housing is somewhere you can call home, which is secure and the right environment where a family can rebuild and grow.
He explains the process of how he finds investors, buys rundown properties, does them up ensuring they are right for the tenant that is going in to them. He has a small team in Bradford; a legal team and people who help with the refurbishment of the properties.
We also discuss the plans of the government to build more social and council housing, and why Harvey thinks it’s totally unrealistic especially when there is currently a waiting list of 1.2 million people!
His thinking is that landlords need to realise that it’s not just about how much money you charge, or the return you get, but that you’re doing good for people and making some money from it. He believes many people in the property industry are just too greedy.
Harvey’s personal aim in the next five years if to help around 250 families get a place to call home.
To contact Harvey:
Email: Harveyboddy1@icloud.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harvey-boddy-b87011343
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my site: www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
In today's episode, Lauren talks to Paula Harsley about being a wordsmith. Paula specialises in helping businesses to bring their internal and external business communications to life.
Paula worked in banking for many years and then for the Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub as one of their business navigators. Following the Covid pandemic and having met many business owners before and then during at online meetings, she decided to set up her business helping new businesses, small and medium enterprises with their marketing.
When working with clients, she enjoys getting to know them, so that she can write from their point of view, putting herself in their shoes. She writes for the customer, translating technical or industry language into something that they will understand. Acronyms have their place, but only when the people you are talking to understand them. She particularly loves doing a website rewrite and longer form writing, but does also help clients with their social media – particularly tone of voice.
Paula also shares how important networking has been to her over the years, not only for making new contacts, but also having the chance to talk to like-minded people. She has tried both formal and informal groups, and thinks they all have their place.
She also talks about the perceptions we have of sales, and how when she worked in a bank it was easy, because they had lots of products that people might want. She prefers sales to be about relationships, not hard selling.
Paula also talks about the common mistakes people make in their writing and how she helps.
To contact Paula:
Website: www.paulaharsley.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaharsley/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004564489319
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest joining me today is Liz Perkins, a journalist who was involved in my No BS Media Summit at the end of last year.
Liz is the night news editor on the Sunday Telegraph, but also she often appears on Time Radio, talking about Welsh politics. Previously, she was the night news editor at The Daily Express. She has already had an amazing career, having worked across the world, doing many different things; moderating at the UN and in Davos, plus working in Afghanistan and reporting on the frontline troops during the conflict.
She shares how she knew she wanted to be a journalist at the age of 13, being inspired by Wimbledon. Initially she wanted to be a tennis writer and interview all of the famous players. And now, this is part of what she does! She is about to go to Wimbledon, this year writing for The Telegraph. Liz explains some of the differences in the reporting style of Wimbledon between The Telegraph and The Daily Express.
Liz also talks about being a female journalist in what is still seen as predominantly a man’s world, and shares how she took on the Welsh Rugby union, which was a brave thing to do; bringing to account a sporting institution - as a Welsh woman!
Having recently worked with one of my clients, Louise Muir-Sage to write her story, Liz explains how important it is to her that she gains people’s trust, when they are sharing such terrible times in their lives. She has written many stories about domestic abuse and other harrowing situations and strongly believes it’s important to give everyone a platform.
If you want to hear about the fascinating and hectic life of a working journalist, then you need to listen to this podcast!
To contact Liz:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-perkins-7b667b75/
X: https://www.x.com/LizPerkinsMedia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journoliz/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s episode of PR not BS with Lauren, she talks to national journalist Matt Barbour. He has been writing for national newspapers and magazines since he was in his early twenties.
He got into journalism on a whim. Whilst at the University of Bristol he set up a magazine, which won The Guardian NUS Magazine of the Year Award. Following the success of the magazine, he was approached by The Times to apply for their graduate training programme. It was an interesting experience, being thrown in at the deep end. For him, more so, as the day he joined, Princess Diana had died the previous day, so no-one had time to talk to him! But it was a useful time for him, understanding how a national newspaper worked.
He then spent a year in Australia working for Men’s Health Magazine – his best job ever! He returned to the UK with a renewed love of journalism, and began working with the UK version of the magazine.
Then he began writing for the health sections of various newspapers and magazines including the Sun, the Mail the Mirror, The Guardian and the Independent, but as the larger newspapers started to lose readership, he found it was easier to write for the tabloids even though he hadn’t aspired to write for them. ‘ A good story is a good story’ – it doesn’t matter where it is.
Matt’s main interest is inspirational human stories. Over the years Matt has built up his reputation as a journalist who will work with people to get their inspirational, personal stories out there, and he’s built up a trust with them; they know he’ll treat their case studies well. He shares some of the amazing stories he’s written about.
He also talks about the huge importance of good photographs to accompany a story – with an emphasis on ‘good’.
To contact Matt:
Email: matbarbour@googlemail.com
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Lauren’s second podcast guest is Lewis Steeper, who along with his wife is the founder of the Oliver Steeper Foundation, following the tragic death of their son in 2021.
Lewis shares Oliver’s story, and how he went to nursery as a fit, healthy nine month old baby who later choked while eating his dinner. After being told that all was well and it wasn’t an emergency, Lewis and Zoe arrived at the nursery to find paramedics doing CPR while they were running to the ambulance. Other difficulties ensued. They were unable to travel with him in the ambulance due to COVID restrictions; he may not survive the hour journey to London, because they didn’t have the necessary equipment; a helicopter couldn’t be used due to lack of equipment.
Oliver survived the journey, but the brain damage was already done, so he had zero chance of survival. Lewis shares the harrowing story of what they went through, including how Oliver’s kidney was donated to help someone else.
During this terrible time, Lewis had a message from Lifevac Europe asking if he’d seen their product. You can imagine his answer! However, due to his curiosity, he eventually looked at the product and then he met the guy who’d messaged him and after that in February 2023, he and Zoe set up their charity, where they provide LifeVacs to nurseries.
LifeVacs are anti-choking devices which are non-invasive, and they clear airways by suction. He explains how and when it should be used. This device has saved over 3,800 lives globally and it’s 98.9% effective.
He also talks about campaigning in parliament about ratios of children to staff and how allowing more children to be in a nursery with less staff members is detrimental to a child’s education, well-being and safety. Sadly, this is still ongoing.
If you are a parent of a young child in nursery, which is most young working parents these days, then this podcast is a must to listen to.
To contact Lewis:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TOSFoundationUK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tosfoundationuk/
Website: https://www.tosf.org.uk/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is Michael McEwan, a journalist who I’ve recently met on LinkedIn.
Michael, a Scot, is a disability campaigner and freelance journalist. He has worked for the BBC, STV and written for many different publications about disability and non-disability care issues.
He talks about how as a youngster he wanted to get into media, but didn’t know how and also having cerebral palsy himself it made his journey that much harder. Talking about his school life, time at university and then employment, he explains how his biggest bugbear is that generally people and employers see the disability rather than the person. People regularly underestimate his capabilities.
We have a conversation about whether self-employment is an option that people with disabilities often feel they have to take to be able to follow the career they want in life. Michael shares some of the many problems that occur when you are out and about and if for example you want to use the disabled toilet, in many places it can either be inaccessible, or if it is, often used as a store room. So working from home can be an easier option.
Michael talks about the work he’s been involved in, in the past some of which was funded by the Scottish Government – when he went around speaking about the challenges facing people with disabilities day to day.
Like me, in his early days of working in the media, Michael worked on a hospital radio, where he volunteered. He now presents a podcast and has also had two documentaries commissioned. When people tell him he can’t do something, his answer is always, I’m going to prove you wrong!
Website: https://www.michaelmcewanmedia.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-mcewan-ba4a8784/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RAD1OMAN
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s episode of PR Not BS is going to be a little bit different because I’ve handed over to Lauren to interview her guest, Richard Tidmarsh!
Richard is based in the Chippenham area and runs two businesses – Casali Recruitment and The Chippenham Dog Walker and Pet Care Services.
Casali is a generalist recruitment business who works with a number of businesses both locally and UK wide helping them to recruit for jobs including forklift drivers, call centre staff, welders, stewards for sporting events and more!
Richard has a sales background of 30 years which he uses to sell jobs to candidates and candidates to jobs and he enjoys it so much that it doesn’t feel like a job to him.
Lauren and Richard talk about what it’s like to work with family as Richard works with his wife in his dog walking business. They set the company up 12 years ago after temporarily fostering a job and missing the interaction on a daily basis.
Networking has been vital for both Lauren and Richard so they talk about the meetings that Richard went to before he joined Business Buzz a year ago where he met Lauren for the first time. One thing that Richard shares is that he’s noticed how many other groups he has been to where he feels like he is constantly being sold to and he likes that you don’t get that at Business Buzz.
If you’d like to know more about Richard you can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-tidmarsh-firp-6b305a1 and www.casalirecruitment.co.uk
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is a member of one of my networking groups, and I’m pleased to be talking to Romesh Jeyaseelanayagam of The FD Consultant.
The FD Consultant is a collective of part time finance director consultants. After qualifying as an accountant, Romesh spent several years working at FTSE 100 businesses. Since 2008 he has either been full time chief financial officer or finance director of several successful businesses. He is passionate about helping businesses grow, which is why he set up the group five years ago; to be able to share his skills and expertise.
Romesh shares how many businesses don’t need or don’t have the budget for a full time finance director but do perhaps need support. This is where The FD Consultant comes in. He talks about how when running a business most of us don’t have the skills to do everything, and instead of worrying about finance and administration, by using part time finance directors, they can focus on their skills and passions.
He also explains how understanding and preparing for what is ahead in your business is so important, and how not managing cash flow is the main reason many businesses fail.
Just having a passion for what you do isn’t enough – the business has to be viable, profitable and have positive cash flows.
Romesh uses a wonderful bathroom scales analogy – you keep thinking I’m fine, I’m in good shape, but then when you get on them, the numbers aren’t okay! And the numbers don’t lie. So it’s all about being prepared, and looking at and learning to understand data, which is what he helps people to do – in a way that works for them, rather than using fancy accounting terms!
We also talk about PR, and Romesh shares what he has done since starting the business. Among the things he does, which he refers to as a learning curve – he has a podcast.
To contact Romesh:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romesh-jeyaseelanayagam/
Website: https://www.thefdconsultant.com/
You Tube podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjkFJ4VONDk
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is my bestie, who I've known for around 15 years, Lis McDermott.
Lis is a novelist, poet and writing mentor. As you’ll hear we have quite a lot in common!
Lis has recently mentored me to write my second book and she talks about why she finds that weird, as I’m a writer, but also how it works.
She talks about what she has learnt about PR and marketing from me and how that has impacted on her as an author as well as how important it is as a small business to be able to build relationships with the companies and suppliers that you regularly work with.
Lis also shares how her business has evolved in both what she does but also in how we work together. As a photographer, she regularly worked with me and now as an author she does some writing for me.
She talks about some of the bad LinkedIn images that people used to use – things have gotten better, but it’s important to have updated professional images to show the authentic you.
Lis talks about how she moved from photography into writing, and talks about the snobbery around being self-published, compared to being with an established publishing company. She also shares why she writes and how despite not being a millionaire, it is something she continues to do and still loves.
To contact Lis:
Website: https://www.lismcdermottauthor.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lismcdermott/
Substack: https://lismcdermottauthor.substack.com/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is Dane Whitehurst, Creative Director of Burgopak, who designs and produces packaging for different brands and products worldwide. The business is all about translating brand values into the ‘wow’ factor.
Over the years the company has produced around 400 million of their patented systems!
Dane talks about why packaging is important and should be one of the priorities to get in place when you have a new product. Afterall, you spend time developing a product, so why would you not present it in the very best way to your consumers? The packaging is the first thing that a consumer will see, so their experience needs to leave a good impression.
He talks about the things that have to be considered when creating packaging apart from it needing to be aesthetically interesting; it has to be commercially viable, responsible and sustainable. The company has spent a lot of time on research and development to create their systems. They can then adapt these to match the specific client’s needs.
He shares some of the companies that they’ve worked with over the years, which includes many banks and healthcare companies including; Ancestry, Revolut, Thriver, Motorola, O2, Vodafone.
Dane also talks about how packaging has become part of PR – especially with the social media trend for unboxing.
Looking at Burgopak packaging and hearing Dane talk about it, you can see that packaging is more than just boxes!
To contact Dane:
Website: https://burgopak.com/
Email: info@burgopak.com
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today we have a very special episode as I sit down and talk to Lauren Roberts who is my stepdaughter and has been working with me in the business for just over a year. We’re sharing the behind the scenes of what it’s like to have a new aspect into our relationship.
Lauren joined me as a media consultant and has learnt everything from scratch as what she did previously was quite different before she went on maternity leave. She always wanted to work in the world of media but after deciding to take a gap year she fell into the world of work starting off at a payday loan company before moving into credit control at an oil company which was much closer to home.
When Lauren fell pregnant with her first child, she knew that it was time to have a conversation about joining me within Scott Media. I get Lauren to share with me what she’s learned about me in the last year which is mainly about the different hats I wear as business owner, wife, mum, friend and more and how easy it’s become to be able to switch between those hats when needed.
Lauren shares with us all about her entrepreneurial side growing up and how she had a small business where she was able to print our Scott Media body warmers and cold cups!
We discuss the differences in working with the media and Lauren’s previous role of chasing down invoices and late payments for a large company and how she’s really enjoying meeting and writing about the amazing businesspeople that we get to work with and how networking and building relationships plays a huge part in running a small business.
If you want to find out more about Lauren you can connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-roberts-b29a34172/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is a fellow PR and marketing guru – Gemma Finch, the founder of Burford Creative.
Although we work in the same field, we are not competitors, because of the different areas we live in, the variety of clients we work with, and the fields we tend to interact with. Therefore, we talk about collaboration, and even recognise while talking that there are some areas where we can already collaborate.
After sharing how she got into PR and marketing, Gemma talks about how she founded Burford Creative, and how it is now progressing.
We both agree that building relationships with client’s long term, taking time to understand their audience, is more important than telling them that we can deliver unrealistic expectations in a short time. It’s about being honest with clients and delivering them the best valuable PR/marketing possible.
Gemma’s world, working with clients in the Cotswolds is very different to mine – it’s a far more rural area, which brings with it different challenges.
We have an interesting conversation about the perceptions of our ‘reach’ on social media as being for free; the whole ‘unboxing’ trend, and how that may be changing. Gemma believes that if you want big traffic you need to pay influencers for their time and the work they do, because for many it’s their job. She talks about how this might work in the future, and also shares how she works with clients to look at the market and fill gaps, and then how they found an influencer to be a platform for the products. Gemma shares how they then support that client to enhance the buying experience for their customers.
We certainly agree we’re in a changing landscape when it comes to journalism, PR and marketing.
If you’d like to contact Gemma:
Website: https://www.burfordcreative.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-finch/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Todays’ guest is Janet Shreeve of Shreeve Care Services. Janet and I have been working together for nearly two years, and it’s been an amazing time.
Janet is passionate about her job, and as you’ll hear and although at retirement age, she has no intention of retiring! She strongly believes age has nothing to do with anything, and it’s all about your perspective on life and how you approach it.
Janet shares her journey of working in care and how it led her to create her own business at the age of 66. Her biggest passion is about being able to advise people about care and what’s available because people just don’t know what they’re entitled to or what their rights are. Along with an ex colleague Janet has also set up a living care service – again, something that people misunderstand or are unaware of and she explains very clearly what it means, and what it doesn’t mean. It’s not actually 24 hour care but it is care tailored to each specific client and it’s about enabling them to stay in their own home.
She also talks about how social care is the Cinderella of our services – it’s not the NHS and it’s not something everyone talks about.
Janet explains the huge dilemma facing many care homes, after the National Insurance increase, and the poor state that it’s in at the moment. And she explains how if social care received the support it should, it would help the NHS to clear beds.
We talk about how PR has impacted on her business, and the importance Janet places on it and how it has already helped her business in many ways.
Janet also talks about some very exciting retreats taking place later this year about health and wellness– and both are taking place in Italy.
To contact Janet:
Website: Https://Shreevecareservices.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetshreeve/
To find out more about the retreats, you can email her on: janet.shreeve@shreevecareservices.co.uk
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is Hayley Knight, who like me works in PR and journalism.
She has been in PR for more than 10 years in a range of different jobs, from working at an in-house agency, then as a freelancer, and now running her own agency.
Her journey to become a journalist is definitely interesting, as you’ll hear!
She specializes in working with social impact/change and purpose led businesses, helping them by developing big change driven campaigns for their businesses.
Much of her work involves doing research, running surveys, and helping develop campaigns. Her own big passion is wildlife conservation.
We have a conversation about managing conversations about purpose impact and getting paid for the work she does. Haley is finding that now, there appears to be a trend for investors who are looking for sustainable, socially driven businesses to invest in, but also, they work with clients who have very flexible budgets.
When recording Haley was working from Turkey, having spent some time travelling, and she shares her plans for the future, which will still involve more travel. She and her partner are enjoying the perks of being able to travel and still work – usually somewhere warm!
We talk about my favourite subject of PR not BS, and Haley shares a perfect anecdote that is an example of complete BS.
Haley admits to being the worst PR in the world, when it comes to her own. She hates having to promote herself. However, Be Yellow was on the Small Business 100 list for 2024, which she was very excited about, and would recommend any small business to apply for it.
To contact Haley:
Website: https://www.beyellow.life/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
The title of today’s podcast may sound like a joke, but you will soon find that there are very important things that affect all of us connected to the business that my guest works in. Even so, you may notice the odd loo pun…
Becky Wall, along with her husband Charles is the co-owner and founder of a luxury mobile toilet company, A Plush Flush and also the co-owner and managing director of the Loo of the Year Awards.
She talks about growing up in a farming background, then working as an events organiser who became very unhappy with the condition of many of the toilets that she hired. She decided there was a niche and need for luxury mobile toilets and set up the company.
They have built up a fantastic number of loyal clients, and the company was nominated for Loo of the Year awards in 2009. After winning this, they mentioned the award on their website and immediately saw the benefits of PR, as they gained some big clients. In 2021 they had the chance to purchase the Loo of the Year Awards which Becky did and they haven’t looked back –now in its 37th year.
You’ll be fascinated to hear about the grading system for the awards and learn what it is that sets a Bronze award loo apart from a Diamond award loo. Like food awards, the people entered for the awards don’t know when they’ll get an unannounced visit.
We talk about why it’s so important to have loos that people want to visit for health reasons – which is often overlooked, or not considered as seriously as it should be.
On the company website, there is even a very useful map showing where the best toilets are in the UK. And you can even plan a route.
To contact Becky:
Awards website: https://www.loo.co.uk/
A Plush Flush website: https://www.aplushflush.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063480856655
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplushflush/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-plush-flush/
Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-wall-bem-a69b7a7b/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
As a PR specialist and expert, the main aim of my professional life is to help people and their business or organisation to become more visible.
In this episode I’m looking ahead to predict the things that the media will be interested in and help you to understand how you can get your voice heard by talking about those themes.
As always, my over-riding message is that strong human interest stories are incredibly important and are still going to be important. Especially when it comes to authenticity.
I talk about the anniversaries that are appearing in 2025, other big events, such as the Women’s Rugby World Cup, and looking at how if it is a passion of yours, or linked to where you live, or linked to your business you can talk about these events and celebrate them too.
Looking ahead to 2025, there are some main trends emerging:
- With the continuing development of AI, I have words of caution around its use, which also underlines the importance of using your own voice.
- Paywalls and subscription options will become more prevalent which also has implications for PR.
- C-suite and CEO thought leadership and activism is on the rise, and if that’s you, it’s about speaking up and sharing opinions.
- Linked to the continued use of social media, employee advocacy is something that will come to the fore.
Listen for more tips and trends!
You can still book your place on my No BS Media Summit. To find more information and costs, follow the link to buy your tickets: https://scottmedia.uk/product/the-no-bs-media-summit/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today I’m welcoming back my amazing client and friend, Chris Hunt Skelley MBE and owner of 2 Olympic medals. Chris, for anyone who doesn’t know him, is a Judo champion who won a gold medal in Tokyo, and a bronze medal in Paris.
This year has been a particularly traumatic one for Chris, who has had a lot of struggles with his mental health, leading up to taking part in his third Paralympics. I know you’ll be equally as shocked as I was when you hear why.
On more than one occasion this year, he was questioned about his condition. Even though the competition organisers had already received information about Chris’ ocular albinism, they asked for more, which brought back memories of his teenage years when he was admitted to a psychiatric ward because the doctors thought he was making things up in his own head! This sent Chris in a downward spiral with his mental health.
Chris also talks about how much support he gets from his lovely wife Louise Hunt Skelley, his coaches, family and friends too. He also talks about the highly emotional interview that Louise did with him in Paris after he’d just won his bronze medal.
We talk about the important job his sponsors do, and how they help athletes to access the training they need.
Having recently been diagnosed with Coeliac disease, Chris explains how this can mean that when travelling outside of the UK, he has to pack food to take with him, to keep him healthy. And, when they have a weight restriction, this doesn’t help!
If Chris’ attitude to life doesn’t impress you, nothing will!
To contact Chris:
Website: https://chrishuntskelley.co.uk/media/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopher.skelley/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.skelley.3
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-hunt-skelley-mbe-ply-73014212b/
X: https://x.com/ChristopherSke2
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is a good friend of mine, plus I’m also a client of hers; she helped me to get my book published, and she is, Asha Clearwater from Turquoise Tiger Press.
Asha is a content coach, book mentor and publisher who helps people to write books, create books and also create content. We have a great deal in common, in our love of books and writing, our love of telling stories and we even trained at the same journalism college!
We talk about why, as two professional writers telling stories for a living, I felt the need to work with Asha to get my book published. We look at it from both our points of view – Asha when imposter syndrome kicked in, as she felt she would be 'judged' by a fellow writer (she wasn't)!
She shares with me how she approaches the telling of stories when working with writers. How she helps them to find the exciting introduction within a whole load of information to create a narrative that turns into an interesting and entertaining book to read.
Asha speaks about how she was motivated to set up her own publishing company, having come across issues with her wife’s publisher. Self-publishing can be a minefield for many potential authors wanting to get their stories out in the world. It is so easy to fall down a rabbit hole and end up with a publisher who is there for their end and is not supporting the author. She wanted to and has created a publishing business where people keep control of their own publishing rights. She explains her process, and also her fees.
We also have a conversation about a very special friend of ours, Paralympian athlete Louise Hunt Skelley. Asha discusses how she ghost wrote Louise’s book; how they worked together to build up her story, highlighting the contrast between Louise’s public success and the everyday challenges she faces due to her disability.
To contact Asha:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashaclearwater/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today has already been on my podcast. His episode has been my most popular one so far and I couldn’t wait to have him back for an update.
The last time Mike Rees spoke to me, he was standing (for the third time) as an independent candidate in the election for the Police and Crime Commissioner of Wiltshire. Sadly, Mike didn’t win, but came third, behind the labour and conservative party.
We talk a lot about the world of politics and how the outcome is stacked against you in so many ways when you are an independent, and particularly how underhand things are. Sadly, Mike’s passion, qualities and qualifications were completely wasted on the people of Wiltshire who didn’t seem to understand what the PPC is; plus the timing of the election wasn’t good because it was the council elections at the same time.
Mike joined the police service at 18 and shares the very varied career path he then followed. We talk about some of the cases that have stayed with him long after leaving the force.
The issues that still need addressing in the police is something else we discuss, and Mike has strong views as to why some of these things still haven’t been dealt with.
Mike shares what his other passions are in life; running a children’s cancer charity and boxing, which he participated in for years, winning many competitions. He explains how boxing helps people to gain some discipline.
And he talks about the business he runs now – a forensics cleaning business - and you probably need to ensure you’re not eating when he talks about it!
To contact Mike:
Website: http://www.forensiclean.co.uk/
Charity Website: fatboyscharity.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-rees-6823441b/overlay/contact-info/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is friend and client, Kate Usher who has recently published a new book.
Kate works with organisations, companies and businesses to have modern conversations about the menopause. Why? Because too many women end up leaving jobs when they hit the menopause, because they are misunderstood or can’t cope with the symptoms, which can be different for everyone.
She shares how after being made redundant in 2008 from a 20 -year career in corporate, then on maternity leave following which she started up a career as a coach. However, she started to experience a whole range of symptoms and had no idea what they were – until her first hot flush. This led her to start working with individuals about the menopause.
Kate explains how she began to talk to people, to encourage them to have conversations, because we all either directly or indirectly know someone who is going through this phase of life.
We talk about how it is closely linked to social perceptions of age, and what it means to women.
And importantly, for large organisations and companies it is a financial issue, because they can lose 10% of their most talented people – so Kate helps them understand how they can support women.
Lastly, Kate talks about the book that she has published with her husband Neil – “A Couple’s Guide to Menopause”. They write about the experience of going through this as a couple and how they can support each other.
Everyone needs to listen to this podcast, because there is no getting away from the fact that all of us will know someone who is going through the menopause! You might learn something new…
To contact Kate:
Website: https://menopauseinbusiness.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kateushermenopause/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateusher/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is someone I used to work with and haven’t seen for several years, and as you’ll hear we had a wonderful time catching up.
Nat Low and I met when we worked at ITV and were making documentaries, then lost touch.
He has now recently launched a new business, although remaining working in factual video and TV, he is also moving towards the world of PR, and his brother Toby is joining him.
We discuss the huge changes that have come about in the world of TV, documentaries and the many different streaming services that are available.
In his business, he works with a small number of high value clients, and he now is looking to grow that number of clients but is also looking to provide something of value.
Although already working with some FTSE 100 companies, the business wants to grow the number of those clients. They create films for companies to tell the stories of their results – which may sound like a difficult subject to make interesting. However, Nat explains how his company can create engaging films that can be used in-house, or even as documentaries. BAE Systems and HSBC bank are among his corporate clients.
He shares an example of how something seemingly very mundane became incredible and was even taken up and developed into an episode of Panorama – this was only possible because the client was happy to take a risk and trusted Nat.
The subject of AI comes up, and you might be both surprised and fascinated to hear how Nat and his team make use of it.
To contact Nat visit his website: https://www.Capital-stories.com
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is full of fascinating stories, and I know you’re going to enjoy this podcast!
Jane is a correspondent for Business Insider, who lives just outside New York City and works from home. Originally from the UK, she has worked in the US for 19 years.
Business Insider is an online media outlet that as its name suggests focuses on tech and finance. However, there is a division called Insider Life, which is where Jane works. She focuses on real life; human interest stories, but, because much of the audience of Business Insider are people who are high achievers and go-getters, they are looking for stories that are going to help them through their life and work - stories where they can learn, be inspired or take away a message.
Jane has always wanted to work in journalism, most likely because her dad was a journalist – an editor, in Darlington in the northeast of England. There was never really anything else on her radar. When she finished university, after a short stint working in PR, she got a job in a local newspaper. From there she moved up, and because of having lived with her journalist dad, she knew how the business worked, she moved through several jobs and crossed off the stuff she needed to pass the modules to become a qualified Westminster Press journalist (exactly the same training as me!)
As you’ll hear, Jane has had a fascinating career working in different areas of the country and with different news outlets, including Bella magazine at one point. But as you’ll hear, what she loved most was being there for breaking news; covering stories and events as they happened.
We talk about the time she worked with Piers Morgan – which is extremely interesting – hearing from someone who has worked with him.
Jane talks about the travelling she has done too before she was asked to go and work on a relaunch of the National Inquirer, based in the US. And of course, she jumped at the opportunity.
Jane shares some funny, crazy and sad stories that she’s written about during her career.
I know you’ll be looking forward to her coming on as a guest in the future.
To contact Jane:
Twitter: https://x.com/JaneRidleyNY
Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/ - search Jane Ridley to see everything she’s written!
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is someone I know well, and who I work with – the wonderful, Dave Southby.
Dave is a financial adviser. Many of people aren’t too sure what they do, but Dave’s short definition is, ‘helping people plan for their financial future’. However, he’s what I’d call a ‘dream maker’ – and you’ll hear why during our conversation.
He has been in business for three years and loves what he does. Particularly, he enjoys having conversations with people and encouraging them to do the things they want to do while planning a financially secure future.
We have a conversation about Dave’s journey from working in the motor trade, before retraining as a financial advisor, and why that role actually helped him recognise what he enjoyed, what his strengths are, and what he wanted to do in life.
We also talk about networking, and Dave quite rightly points out how important and how helpful it is for small business owners, especially when starting out. When you are in an employed role, you generally don’t get the opportunity to meet other business owners or the breadth of businesses that you do when you network.
The growth of his business is important to him, for many different reasons; wanting to develop what his business offers in the community; wanting to take on new staff to help out with the parts of business he doesn’t enjoy; wanting to meet the demand.
Community and charity are two things that you’ll hear us speak about in some depth, as both are very important to Dave in his life and business.
Dave’s passion for his business shines through in our conversation – he isn’t your normal financial guy!
To contact Dave:
Website: https://www.davesouthbyfp.co.uk/
Email: dave.southby@sjpp.co.uk
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my website at www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
I have a lot of synergy with today’s guest, Carol Driver as she is also a journalist. She has been in the industry for 25 years, is now freelance, but has had a number of very interesting jobs.
She became an editor at quite a young age working with local newspapers - with huge responsibility - she then progressed in the industry to work with national papers, such as the Daily Mail; MailOnline as travel editor; working on UK News; as editorial direct of a group of magazines then full circle, back to MailOnline as editor of Femail.
She talks about the importance of connecting with readers through stories, and how it is vital to understand the multi-dimensional elements of someone; readers need to be able to engage and resonate with their personal backgrounds too.
The birth of her child was the driver to become freelance and we talk about how that was a hard decision but now it is something she embraces and loves. And how after working with many women wanting to share their stories but no idea where to go, she set up a company called Make the Headlines to help those women do exactly that..
We talk about the changes in journalism and how collaboration is important in that world and in the world of PR. How we can support each other in helping our clients to get their stories out into the world.
She shares tips about what makes a good national story and what doesn’t, and how to ensure you are doing the best you can to promote the coverage you are getting and how useful it is to look for awareness days that are linked to you or your business.
To contact Carol:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.driver.796
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carol_driver_/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroldriver/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is someone who belongs to the same coaching group as me. Rachel Haith is the owner of Inspired Life Group and she’s a coach, speaker and health and, in her own words, a well-being nut.
As part of her resettlement training when leaving the RAF, Rachel chose to do a professional coaching diploma, initially as a personal development tool, but quickly realised it was something that she loved and what she wanted to do – and she still loves it!
Rachel explains how she loves helping people to realise their own potential – to see that they can be more and do more than they think. She also talks about the different needs people have for coaching and how people use coaches for a variety of reasons, and even in different ways. And as she shares in one example, the problem often isn’t why they initially visit her.
She talks about the transferable skills that she took from her time in the RAF and how they were incredibly useful. But she also found that there were things about being self-employed that came as a culture shock – particularly, leaving a very structured environment to one where you have to do everything and anything.
Another big change after leaving the RAF was needing to be visible in her new role- something she had never had to consider previously. However, she has embraced this and is now very visible on social media as well as running a podcast with a friend, called the Renny Show – a fortnightly dose of honesty and positivity.
To contact Rachel:
Website: https://www.inspiredlifegroup.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiredlifegroup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelhaithcoach/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-haith/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
I’m particularly pleased to introduce my guest today – PR Maven, Helen Neal of HN Communications, a communications agency specialising in climate and sustainability.
Helen is passionate about this subject; an area she has been working in for around 7 years. She shares very useful tips and ideas for small businesses about how you can become more sustainable and care for the planet. And she explains how you can commit to becoming a B Corp – a benefit corporation - even as a small business or solopreneur.
She talks about monitoring your carbon impact and explains how you can track this, linking it to your Xero or QuickBooks so that you know exactly where and what you are spending, making conscious decisions about where your money goes.
Helen explains very clearly how and why the way PR and communications have been done in the past doesn’t necessarily work when talking and communicating about sustainability in business; it shouldn’t be the same approach. It’s far more about the actions you are taking – not what you’re going to do or what it looks like. It’s also about traceability and being specific so you can track what you are doing back to the source and showing accountability.
Like me, Helen didn’t choose to run her own business, and she talks about how she built a career and was also able to be the mum that she wanted to be.
If you want to know more about how you can make your business more sustainable, listening to this podcast is a must!
To contact Helen:
Website: https://www.hncomms.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-neal-02261129/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today my visitor isn’t even in the same country as me! I’m talking to Jaz Goven who is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Jaz is a therapist who has created a programme to support people to make change- ‘Fast Track Technique, and she tells me all about how it works, and how it came about. Pre-Covid she regularly used to travel the world to give workshops, but now does most of her work online, or locally. But she now also has seven other trainers around the world who train people.
Jaz also tells me about how she left England on a holiday and knew from that moment, she wanted to live somewhere different. And she also talks about what she did before becoming a therapist – and how having gone through change herself, she wanted to help others do the same. She particularly loves empowering others to become the person they want to be.
We talk about the world of networking and how important it is, with Jaz sharing some of the ones she particularly loves. And, how it can be much harder networking in Thailand, due to language barriers.
At 72, the ‘r’ word – retirement doesn’t come into her vocabulary, and we talk about why.
To contact Jaz:
Websites: https://www.fasttracktechnique.com/
https://www.magical-u.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasttracktechnique
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is a someone I know really well, and loved interviewing and I found out lots of things I didn’t know – a 17-year-old teenager.
We talk about what it’s like living with a parent who runs their own business and how it impacted on them.
They share how at primary school, they did their own junior Dragon’s Den – along with other schools to compete to create a product and with a business plan – something quite hard to do at that young age. Their group won, because rather than just draw some ideas, they did surveys and had a strong business plan, and this teenager was chosen as the MD.
The teenager talks about how their love of drama grew, and how over time they’ve embraced the fact that they want to be a performer – particularly after encouragement from teachers, telling them they could sing! Now they’re studying Performing Arts and thoroughly enjoying it.
They tell me about how they’ve learned that not always getting the biggest role in the show doesn’t mean you’re wasting your time, and that has influenced their thinking with other decisions around auditions.
We talk about how working in the performing arts – YOU are the product and how important PR is, and how you go about it in this business. They share their favourite musicals and particular songs, and then about how being a performer is what they want to be doing for their future career.
At present they have two jobs – one working in a café in Swindon and the other, a performing job, where they go to live events and parties as heroic characters, and they share some of the characters they’ve had to portray.
We end with a fun Q & A, with me asking them if they know what some of the old gadgets from the past are and we even talk emojis.
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
I’ve known today’s guest for about eight years – and she’s a very special person in my business as you’ll soon hear! Today I’m talking to Hannah Edwards of Empowered VA Services, my right-hand woman and someone without whom I couldn’t imagine running my business!
Hannah shares how we met for a morning breakfast at McDonald’s, and how we got on straight away – she remembers far more details than I do.
She talks about what she does for me – and it’s obvious on hearing about the list of things she does, why I would now struggle to run my business without her. Working with me, a journalist, she has to deal with my incredibly busy diary; the massive amount of emails I receive each day and then help with messaging clients. Plus, she also organises the logistics for when we travel to events and when we attend business expos.
After starting her business in 2017 and working on lots of one-off projects, often for ‘I’ll give you a testimonial’ offer, she wanted to work somewhere where she’d be able to develop her VA work – and she talks about how this has developed.
Recently she was named one of the TBE’s 20 Inspiring Women of the South West, and is also one of Theo Paphitis’ SBS winners.
Hannah also shares how much she has learnt about PR while working with me, and shares the three things that she thinks businesses should be doing to be visible.
To contact: Hannah
Website: www.empoweredvaservices.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahedwards_va/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EmpoweredVA
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is a rugby union professional, known for playing Lock at Bath Premiership Rugby. He recently retired from the game at the age of 37 and shares with me his journey.
Dave has played rugby since the age of 8, and has played professional rugby for Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, and France, for 20 years, and for well over 10 years with the international team. Unlike many professional rugby players who are forced to leave, he chose to leave the profession and talks to me about how difficult that transition was– from being an elite sportsman, moving to a new stage in your life. He shares how difficult it is to go from being in the spotlight, where everyone recognises you for what you do, to leaving and not being that rugby player anymore. However, you’re still the same man – the same person and he talks about how he has come to terms with that, and made use of his ‘fame’ in a positive way.
We also talk about the tragic death of Rob Burrows, and how the incidence of MND and other forms of degenerative brain conditions are significantly higher amongst rugby players. And also, following the moving images of the photo of Rob with his friend Kevin carrying him, how important the camaraderie and the strength of relationships are between people playing rugby.
Dave then talks about his new ventures – the portfolio career he is developing. His first foray into having his own business was running a bar, in the back of a renovated horse-box which he takes to events. The second is his training and leadership business, where he has the opportunity to use all of the skills he gained over the years as an elite sportsman. His passion for working with companies to help them is obvious.
Whether you are a rugby fan or not, you’ll find Dave’s story interesting.
To contact Dave:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-attwood-98698045/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.aperobar
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
I met my guest today while in Las Vegas, last year, for a tech conference and from the off, we just got on.
John who is also a journalist, is based in San Francisco, California where he is best known for writing for Entrepreneur.com, a huge site. Mainly his column is made up of stories about trends and tips and tricks to help people get their company growing faster and doing better.
Advice for young entrepreneurs and professionals about how to do their job better, and how to run their business – how to get the word out about their company. Also, though like me, John also has to write about awareness days.
He tells us about how he started out in journalism in the 90s, initially writing for TV stations, but with his eye on the upcoming entrepreneurs of that time, including Elon Musk fascinated him. He began writing more stories about entrepreneurs and eventually left TV, moving to where the opportunities took him.
We share stories about the difficulties of living as a freelance journalist both in the UK and the US. About how we are bombarded with stories that just aren’t that newsworthy – but the sender thinks it’s the best thing ever! John explains how he deals with this.
We also talk about writing controversial stories, where John explains how he deals with this and how the impact of writing about a famous person affects his earnings. This idea of earning more when an online story gets more clicks (per page), has been around for some time in the US, but only just starting to have an impact here in the UK.
With the changing landscape of the journalism, we talk about it and how anyone coming into the business can prepare themselves for those changes.
John and I have a lot of fun talking about the differences between the US and UK – and I know you’ll love listening to our conversations.
To contact: John
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jboitnott
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jboitnott
Substack: https://substack.com/@boitnott
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is the lovely Dani Seatter, who I met whilst networking in the Cotswolds. Dani runs a sustainable lifestyle brand called Eco-able, and, at the time of recording, she’s also a published children’s author of two books. Both were sustainably printed and have a sustainable message.
As well as an online shop, Dani also has a physical retail shop in Cirencester.
After working as an early years professional for many years, Dani wanted her next career to be something that gave her purpose; something that would do some good in the world. After a conversation with her sister about Plastic Free July, and how difficult it was to find good products all in one place – that was her lightbulb moment.
She talks about how many of us don’t always make the sustainable choices we should, because of the busy lives we lead and the pressures on our everyday lives. This is why she set up her business.
Like me, Dani loves being involved in a community, and Cirencester, where she is based, is a community of independent shops and businesses where she is able to ask customers what they want, which helps her business to evolve. We also talk about all the other things she can get involved in within the community.
Eco-able has applied for awards and found the process of applying very useful in terms of having to look closely at the business and recognise what you have done well. This year she has signed up as a judge for local awards.
We discuss the media coverage that Eco-able has had and the variety of magazines and articles where the business has appeared. And of course, we talked about sustainability and how businesses, and particularly small businesses can start to make changes in a manageable way.
Dani finishes by telling me about the amazing plans she has for the next year or so.
To contact Dani:
Website: www.Eco-able.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eco_able
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today has recently spent time with me for work experience, and he’s lived to tell the tale!
Ben Redondo Beck is in his 3rd year at university, studying journalism.
At school, he enjoyed English and media studies and like many of us, maths not so much. However, he kept going back to English. Initially he considered doing a law degree, but then started his journalism course, and loves it.
The course has a lot of practical units, which he particularly loves, and the university has a TV studio set up very much like a professional studio and he’s loved the opportunities he has had working on those parts of the course. They also recently worked on a module about crisis management, which he found very fast paced, and we talk about why learning about that is important.
They are taught to understand how working journalists get their news stories which is wonderful training.
Ben has a combination of skills including content writing, an ability to tell stories and handle the tech. He doesn’t see himself in the newsroom, but he does look forward to being able to create and editing content etc.
Whilst working with me, I introduced Ben to networking, which after the initial nervousness, he thoroughly enjoyed. Also, he found being a guest on this podcast very different, because he is usually the person that asks the questions – and found it strange not knowing which questions were coming!
To contact: Ben
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-redondo-beck-09b33a305/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is someone who has recently joined my circle of amazing women in business. Vanessa White is an accredited breakup and divorce coach based in Cirencester.
She shares what being a breakup and divorce coach actually means, and how she supports people emotionally and practically on their journey through that difficult time.
Vanessa started her business only a year ago after juggling two different jobs and since then her business has taken off.
After gaining a degree in nutrition, she worked in the NHS as a Registered Dietitian. Following that she worked in the food industry, and after a long career break, worked with special education needs students in a school. On reflection, she realises that all of her previous careers have built up the skills that she now uses in her own business: empathy, good communication and a good listening- being some.
Vanessa talks about how because of her own difficult relationship and ultimately her divorce she has been able to use her own lived experience, and the other skills she has to develop her successful business, supporting others going through the same thing.
We talk about what it means to be in an abusive relationship and how it takes away your self-confidence and how Vanessa managed to change her situation and learn to value her self-worth. As you’ll hear, she is now a strong, confident woman who knows what she wants from life – and is helping others to discover their self-belief.
Vanessa talks about how she makes use of social media and networking for her PR, and how she understands the need to share her story.
She has recently developed a relationship with a national journalist with regards to sharing her area of expertise.
To contact Vanessa:
Website: https://www.vanessawhite.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessawhitecoaching/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-white-332a03287/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094770073631
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is a man of many careers, but in all, and most importantly – he is a communicator.
All of the professions Alastair Greener has worked in have focused on being able to talk to people: - hospitality, sales, acting, presenting and performing, and teaching other people how to present well.
I’ve known Alastair for some years, and as you’ll hear in our conversation, we have collaborated on a few occasions, and we plan to work together even more later in 2024.
He talks to about the importance of being your authentic self and how particularly important that is as a speaker – hence the title of today’s podcast – a quote by Oscar Wilde.
He shares some excellent tips on what makes a good speaker; the importance of planning, and how to deal with the unexpected when speaking, including hecklers in the audience.
Lastly, he talks about a fascinating and valuable project he has begun, complete with valuable data about generational communications, particularly in the workplace. This comes from his passion for communicating effectively with different audiences – we have to understand each other.
To contact Alastair:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastairgreener/
Website: https://www.presentyourself.co.uk/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alastairgreener
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is a fellow journalist, Sue Kinnear who is the voice of afternoon bulletins for BBC Wiltshire and Gloucestershire and also an experienced radio producer and presenter.
In her current role, she has to produce three minutes of news for her bulletins. This means she has to find, write and present bulletins every hour, between 2pm and 6pm – and it has to fit three minutes precisely.
Sue has years of experience in both radio and TV, and like me, she loves telling stories.
Most of us have no idea how incredibly hectic it can be gathering the information together for each day from the morning journalist, ready for the afternoon radio shows, plus being aware of breaking news. And remember this isn’t for just one station, but two! You’ll be fascinated to hear how down to the last minute this can be.
Also like me, Sue loves being engaged with local news. She has sole responsibility to make decisions about which stories go out in her bulletins. It is her job to keep everyone in touch with what’s happening nationally, but also for the local area – because listeners’ communities are important to them. She in turn loves the relationship that she can build with local listeners.
We talk about the importance of including where you are based when you send a story to a journalist. If someone sends a story to Sue and it doesn’t say Gloucestershire or Wiltshire at the top, it will get deleted because she has so many emails and having to work to such a tight schedule, she can’t waste time with stories which are irrelevant to the areas she covers.
Also, Sue underlines the importance of building a relationship with journalists – she recognises the names of people who have helped her with good stories previously, and so is more likely to use them again.
To contact Sue:
Email: Sue.kinnear@bbc.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SueKinnear
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
In today’s episode Fiona speaks to Mike Rees, who is standing as an independent candidate in the upcoming election of a new Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
Mike stood as a candidate back in 2021 and came second to the person who secured that post representing the Conservative Party. With no political party support or apparatus, backed by volunteers and a small budget from supporters, Mike spent his own money and time to stand up for what he believed in.
In this podcast Mike shares why he’s going for the role again – a role he actually believes should not exist. Given that it does, he feels that the person who oversees the county’s police force should not be influenced by party politics.
He was inspired by the recent success of another independent candidate David Tully who stood as an MP for Rochdale. With no experience in campaigning and no political agenda, David came second. His campaign was all around caring for his community and the issues of importance in Rochdale. He lost to George Galloway.
Mike talks about his first campaign and also how much he learned and this time he’s ready for the fight at hand. With the support of his family, he’s ready to hand over his business to a manager and devote his time totally to the role.
For Mike, there are many issues to tackle within Wiltshire Police:
- a demoralized and frightened grass roots police force.
- too much spin among the police leadership and poor leadership.
- a lack of transparency over monies and how they are being spent.
- a lack of detail over performance when it comes to solving crimes.
- a lack of public access to the police.
As PCC, Mike says he would be honest about any challenges. He believes there has been a lack of investment in the police nationally, including Wiltshire and that needs to be addressed. Anyone who wants to keep in touch with Mike and his campaign can do so via his Facebook page here - https://www.facebook.com/MikeReesPCC
If you want to find out more about Fiona & Scott Media why not join her group on Facebook – Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe – here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is Rob Curtis who is a client and someone I’ve known for several years in Wiltshire’s small business community.
He’s a digital marketing whizz now running his own company The Pursuit Agency however I knew him before that and supported him when he was about to ‘go it alone’.
He’s also a bit like Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh, darting around with boundless energy or so it seems, moving from one idea to another. This young entrepreneur is incredibly passionate about the world of digital marketing and that becomes obvious when you hear him talking, or when you meet him.
Having previously worked for another agency, Rob started his own business, The Pursuit Agency less than two years ago, and has already won the national title of Start-up of the Year with the Great British Business and Community Awards. He’s also taken on his first team members and now ensures that his clients understand that they were on a digital marketing journey – not a destination.
Rob talks to me about how he uses his love of strategy and processes to help his clients focus on what’s important for them, so they don’t feel like they’re wading through treacle with all the ‘digital marketing’ ‘stuff. By talking to both them and their customers, he finds the right solution for them. He also explains how this is something which flexes and changes over time – there’s no one-size fits all and things change over time. He makes it clear that this type of PR requires budget and there’s no getting away from that. Companies have to be prepared to commit to the power of digital marketing.
Rob also shares how important his family are to him and his success. Telling me the story of how he and his now wife, becoming parents at the age of 19, built a loving family unit from a very young age and how they’ve both supported each other to pursue their professional ambitions.
During lockdown, Rob made the decision to find out if he has ADHD, after several people mentioned to him in passing that he may have that neuro divergence. He was finally diagnosed in early 2023 and he shares what’s happened since. Getting this diagnosis has helped his family to understand him and he, himself.
To contact Rob:
Website: https://thepursuitagency.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-curtis-the-pursuit-agency/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today, Zoe Hewitt, swapped her role as a set designer in film and tv to be an interior designer – because the skills are pretty much the same. There are obviously other reasons, which you’ll hear about.
Zoe has known what she wanted to do since being a young child, and got useful careers advice from school – unlike many of us and especially me who was told that I could choose between being a secretary or a nurse – which did I fancy?
Zoe has always been proactive, and has made her own opportunities. In fact, she’s never really been employed, but has always been a freelancer.
During her time as a set designer, she worked in theatre and worked in tv including on the iconic series Torchwood, filmed in her home town of Cardiff.
Now, living in Bristol, she has built a career around making a difference to someone’s life by the use of interior design – to bring, joy, calm, or peace- whatever the client is looking for.
Her main style is all about colour – people don’t go to her for beige!
To contact Zoe:
Website: https://www.stylemongersofbristol.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylemongersofbristol/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
I was imagining my guest today talking to me from sunnier climes, only to be told that he was actually in a very cold LA!
Nathan is the CEO of Miller Ink, a strategic communications agency with headquarters in LA, and offices in New York and San Francisco. He has spent the last 20 years in communications, working with a variety of large corporate clients, high profile individuals, entertainment leaders and some non-profit advocacy groups.
He previously worked at the UN as the chief speechwriter and communications director at the Israeli Mission to the United Nations; in Brussels with a ‘think tank’ working on EU issues; and in politics in LA and in Washington.
When Facebook started in 2004, Nathan was a freshman at college, had a Facebook account before many other people, and used this to his advantage in his first PR job.
Nathan talks about how he works on crisis management with some very large US companies, including representing a custodial bank in a lawsuit with the Federal Reserve!
It may seem odd for someone who works at this level to chat to a fellow PR from another country who specialises in working with small and micro businesses. Yet, as you will hear, we have a lot in common.
One is the mantra of No BS when it comes to PR!
To contact Nathan:
Website: https://miller-ink.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/millerinkla/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillerInkLA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MillerInkLAI
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest has been described as a serial entrepreneur – a title she hates!
However, Rachel has been running different businesses over the last 20 odd years.
Prior to Lockdown, she and her husband ran a software business, but thanks to the huge changes that took place, 50% of their clients left. Like many small businesses, they were left wondering where they were going to make the money to pay for everything.
Her husband, Elliot is an amazing pizza cook, so he suggested they started selling pizzas.
I’m sure when many of you hear this, you’ll be thinking, how on earth would that work.
Rachel and Elliot were incredibly well organised, and most of this is down to the fact that Rachel likes to know the figures and plan ahead. Plus, she also understands and knows how to use marketing well.
When it comes to competition, she has a great attitude – which is almost ‘bring it on’. This isn’t just about Pizza – it’s about understanding how to run a business successfully.
Apart from feeling hungry as you listen to us chat, after listening, you are all going to wish you lived within CasaGees’ delivery radius!
To contact Rachel:
Website: casagees.co.uk
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
I want to introduce you to Trish Lynch, a very experienced broadcaster, interviewer, presenter and moderator, who shares the amazing story of how she almost fell into this business.
She went to a casting with a friend who was actually going for the job, and because no one turned up, they invited Trish to interview. She ended up with a video of her on a news desk with Eamon Holmes and David Frost. That one video got her foot in the door, and there has been no stopping her since. Not that it was an easy ride - she had to learn and build the skills that have served her over the years.
It's likely that not many of us know what a moderator is. It’s a facilitator, a host, or an MC – basically the person in charge of everything that is happening on a stage.
Her biggest tip is for interviewers is, always research, because you are often in a situation where you need to fill in, and if you don’t know anything about your speakers – then you will be left floundering.
We’ve all heard of ‘resting bitch face’ – well Trish tells me about the ‘listening face’…
To contact Trish:
Website: https://www.trishlynch.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishsinclair/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe
Today’s guest, is Dave Nelson of Truffle and Thyme, a catering business based in North Wiltshire.
For many years Dave had worked in the catering and events industry in London, and latterly in the West Country, in a variety of operations and management roles. Then COVID hit, and had a drastic effect on the entire hospitality industry and Dave’s job evaporated.
His new business grew out of necessity, when recognising he needed to do something to make a living, was able to make use of all of the things he had learned in the many kitchens, he’d worked in during his career. And of course, use his life-long passion for food.
He explains how he recognised the trend for grazing, which was something he could curate and manage from home and had the perfect skills to do.
Dave shares how he managed to produce his grazing boxes from home, while his family were also home in Lockdown. As you’ll hear, he went to great lengths to insure he kept managed health and safety rules. Now he has a unit in Wiltshire as his business grows.
Today, at the same time of year that his business began three years ago, he is busy putting together, Christmas hampers.
If you come on any of my workshops, you will be lucky enough to savour the delights of Dave’s amazing grazing platters. Also, if you look at any of his links to his website or social media – warning – you may start to feel peckish.
We also talk about PR too!
To contact: Dave visut
Website: https://www.truffleandthyme.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truffleandthyme
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truffle_and_thyme/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My main aim in my professional life as a PR specialist and expert, is to help people and their business or organisation to become more visible.
Looking ahead to 2024, in this episode, I predict the things that the media will be engaged with, and share how you can get your voice heard, talking about those themes. I look at more general ‘trends’ to be considered in how PR will continue to be shaped over the next year.
This includes the continuing importance of social media, of video content and the growing domination of generations who communicate via online tools.
My over-riding point is, as always, strong human-interest stories are incredibly important. And, as sadly, there is further contraction of the traditional media, there will be a great demand for those stories – so it’s vital start thinking and planning ahead. This alone will put you ahead of your peers.
Among the trends I talk about, three things I see as important in 2024:
- The rise of AI will continue, and understanding how to use it well and mindfully is important.
- Having an authentic voice – personality is going to become more important, not less.
- The need to understand Generation Z if you are an employer, or if they are your clients/customers.
Also, thought leadership will become more important on LinkedIn. Listen in for more tips and trends!
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
**Today’s guest is Natalie Brown, the author of ‘Confessions of a Crummy Mummy – The Baby Years’. She is also a freelance journalist and parenting blogger.
Natalie talks about how starting out her career working on local newspapers has set her up for the journey her career has taken her on.
She shares with me how she ended up writing her book, after having a baby in lockdown, and how being a journalist and working in PR, doesn’t necessarily mean you get everything right when marketing your own book. Natalie also will possibly surprise you with her great insights about publishing – she thought writing the book was the hard part!
One of her main tips, as you’ve heard on many of my podcasts, is the importance of your local community vs national.
The value of contacts is something else that Natalie talks about, and how helpful having those within any profession is vital. Her contacts helped start her off in her freelance career.
She also shares how her blog developed into a space where people pay for her to publish their guest blogs on her platform, bringing in an income stream. And she has tips for generating traffic to your blog from other social media.**
To contact Natalie:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsOfACrummyMummy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confessionsofacrummymummy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsnataliebrown
Blog: www.crummymummy.co.uk
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/162841034317598
My guest today is client and friend, Laura Dent who talks with passion about her business, So Fresh & So Clean, based in Swindon.
Along with her husband, Laura has run the cleaning company for the last twelve years. They offer commercial cleaning, and also specialist cleaning, biohazard, hoarding services, mental health cleans and after death cleans.
For Laura, the most important part of her business and the one she gets the most reward from, is doing mental health cleans. Recently the business has set up a Community Interest Company (CIC), to be able to fund these type of cleans by donating a percentage of their profits.
Another extremely important thing for her, is that her staff are treated well, and that their physical and mental health and cared for too. They have recently set up free counselling, 24/7 for their staff, should it be needed.
Laura also talks passionately about the people for whom the company work. In cases of mental health and after death cleans, generally, people have little understanding of the issues surrounding hoarding, and the reason why people get into the situation they’re in.
You may also be shocked to hear about the after death cleans, but also moved by the care that Laura and her team take in dealing with these cases.
To contact: Laura
Website: www.sofreshandsoclean.org.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S0FreshS0Clean
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/so-fresh-&-so-clean-uk-ltd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofreshandsocleanukltd/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Faith Roswell, my guest for this podcast, wears many hats. She is a writer, former model, self-defence educator and journalist.
We talk about how after studying English literature, sociology, art and critical thinking at university, she went on to become a full-time model, which she gave up to become a cage fighter, but COVID put a stop to that.
Faith talks about how she overcame the stereotypical idea we have about modelling and how a case involving outing predators in the modelling industry set her up to become a spokesperson for model safety.
She is now writing a book about psychological self-defence.
You need to listen in to hear how Faith has juggled all of the different areas of her life and how it is all about remaining genuine in whatever you do.
Faith is certainly not your typical ‘anything’ and she delights in disrupting ‘norms’ and false narratives.
To contact Faith:
https://www.facebook.com/thefaithroswell
https://www.instagram.com/faithroswellofficial/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
David Gillespie is an actor who has appeared on TV, radio and on stage, and he is also a corporate coach – he is all about communication.
You may well know David as the curate, Duncan Boyd in EastEnders, a role he came back to after a gap of nearly 34 years. He also played Selby, one of the original crew members in Red Dwarf.
A co-author of 5 books on communication, David knows his subject, as you’ll hear in our conversation. Like me, he is a nosey person, which works well for both of his careers.
We talk about engaging with people, and how even when you give a presentation, you are there to entertain, and you are in the world of show business.
David’s passion for communication comes through during the whole podcast, and you can’t help but be drawn in to hear his story.
A brilliant tip from him: - interested = interesting. The more interest we take in other people, the more interesting they find us.
To contact David:
Website: https://www.Dave-Gillespie.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegillespieconsulting/
If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Todays guest is Stefan Thomas, the author of ‘Business Networking for Dummies’.
Not surprisingly, we talked a lot about networking, something we both do and find incredibly good for our businesses.
Stefan sees networking as part of PR for your brand, and the most efficient way to increase and maintain your visibility. He has used networking so well that now people talk about him and what he does to others, in a positive way.
He was an early adopter of many things, including social media, when people thought he was mad wasting time on it. But now, his so-called madness has paid off.
Also, like me he doesn’t see the point in keeping his personal and business life separate on social media. People like to see that the things that you’re doing, because they often find they share interests with you, which in turn draw them to you.
And you need to listen to find out about Micro Moments…
To contact Stefan:
Website: https://www.stefanthomas.biz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanthomasbiz/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott's PR Tribe
Today my visitor is Jane, better known as Lady Janey, who I met on one of my courses a few years ago. She shares what she learnt on that course and what she’s achieved since using that knowledge.
A very busy lady, Jane is a consumer champion, who presents on radio, appears on TV, writes for publications, her own blog and national papers.
She talks to me about her blog and how that has developed, to the point of earning an income from it.
Her business grew out of the fact she was worried about the falling standards of customer services in the UK. The advice that was out there about getting in touch with companies, or customer service, was often very confusing. Initially, she started as a mystery shopper, and writing and talking about it, helped to build her business.
Jane gives some excellent tips about booking summer holidays – one of the main ones being, to pay by credit card, and the other, to have a contingency fund to get you back from somewhere, should you get stuck, and you have to cover the costs at the time. She also gives some tips on avoiding scams.
One of the things that Jane says annoys most people about customer service, is not being able to get hold of people. And she has a great answer to that. A fascinating and hugely important tip she has is - be a better customer – you will get a better experience.
Listen to the podcast to find out why!
To contact Jane:
Website: https://ladyjaney.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladyjaney75/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladyjaney75/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladyjaney75/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladyjaney75
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group it’s Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe and it’s here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is former detective superintendent, Julie Mackay, who with my friend, broadcast journalist Robert Murphy, co-authored the best-selling true crime book, ‘To Hunt a Killer’.
During our talk we manage to cover everything from stories of crime, the importance of intuition, changes in policing, cold cases, media and the police, to period poverty!
A retired detective superintendent, Julia shares her experiences working in the police, as a female, and how she overcame it all, because of her passion for solving crime, and loving being a police officer.
She talks about the case at the centre of her award-winning book which she led a team who finally found the killer of Melanie Road who was murdered in Bath in 1984. Her murder led to Britain’s biggest man hunt at the time. At that time, I was iin Bath, a teenager myself, about to start my degree at Bath Spa University. We were all scared and, as the Bath Rapist, was also active at that time we worried about every dark corner, every late night walk.
Julie talks about how incredibly hard it is to work a serious crime case, even after 20 years, due to the amount of paperwork, forensic and digital evidence, including DNA, and the fact that there are still witnesses who have information they want to share. Often buried within that mountain of work, there can be key facts or nuggets of information which get missed. Yet it was ground-breaking DNA work which led to Melanie’s killer being finally brought to justice.
You will be totally riveted listening to this episode.
Julie can be found here https://juliemackay.co.uk/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group it’s https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
Today’s guest is a first in terms of what she does, which is quite niche. Melissa Hobson writes about the ocean; marine science, marine conservation and interesting studies about the sea and the creatures within.
Journalist and writer Melissa has been published in The Guardian, National Geographic Online, New Scientist and many other scientific publications.
She is not a scientist herself, but a freelance writer who is passionate about anything to do with the ocean and conservation, and the people who are working on fascinating initiatives.
One of the recent stories Melissa worked on was about the tagging of a rare and huge species of stingray. As you can imagine, pictures and footage is vital when writing about these subjects, and most of themagazines expect beautiful images.
Once again her career speaks to how she can work far more easily with those who have the right ‘assets’ – the correct knowledge, experience, great videos and great imagery which showcases what they do.
To hear more about her her own story, how she finds the marine conservation organizations, individual scientists or biologists and people she wants to work with, and the stories she has share – tune into the podcast.
To contact Melissa:
Website: www.MelissaHobson.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melpud/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group it’s Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe ask to join and mention this podcast by name.
Today my guest and I have a fascinating talk about old school journalism and the differences between the past and present in the industry.
And Marcus Grodentz has lots of knowledge to share, having started as a copy boy in a news agency in London, and now, having worked in the industry for several years, he has moved into a PR career, before later becoming a life coach.
A great talking point is our use of mobile phones, and how they weren't even in the picture when we started our jobs in journalism. People seem to have forgotten what the main purpose of phones is!
Marcus shares interesting stories from his time when he joined a newspaper at the age of 16.
You know I love having conversations with people, and Marcus agrees – after all PR is a communication industry.
Now working as a coach, the conversations continue on a wide variety of subjects and with interesting people. Marcus uses the various skills he has developed as a journalist and working in PR for his work as a coach. He has to know which skill to draw on, and also use another of his most important skills - being a good listener.
Also, how do you know when a coach is a good coach, rather than just someone who has decided to call themselves that? Marcus’ answer is – it’s all about building trust in him. He doesn’t see coaching as solving problems, but as a conversation around challenging belief systems and gaining clarity.
To contact Marcus:
Phone number: 07915 888168
Email: novusilc@aol.com
Website: https://wwww.novuslifecaoching.com
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe
Today’s guest is Olivia Foster who is a TV producer working for shows like This Morning, Who Dares Wins and many more.
Before working in TV, Olivia was a journalist working for magazines such as Heat, Grazia and Marie Claire, which she loved. She talks about how she finds TV a far more dynamic medium to work in.
She also explains what a producer actually does, because few of us know (I do because I was a producer myself full-time with ITV) and it involves far more than you could imagine.
So, what if you want to be on TV? Olivia’s great tip for this is to get yourself in front of a camera, so that you can build up your confidence, and talk without falling over words. Film yourself on your phone, get other people to film you, do social media live talks, give talks in front of audiences - try everything to get yourself out there. Be visible and present.
She shares with me her love of funny stories, and some of the bonkers stories that can appear on TV, plus on the flip side, she also likes the warm and fuzzy moments too. Olivia also talks about the types of ideas that she will be looking for over in the coming months.
Like many of my journalist guests who have been on before, Olivia talks about the importance of knowing about the person you are pitching your ideas to. Don’t just send something over without checking out the sort of stories that the relevant journalist works on.
We end with a discussion about social media, AI and how things are changing.
To contact Olivia:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LivsFoster
Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/livsfoster/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my free Facebook group it’s Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe.
Today I’m joined by my friend and client, Louise Hunt Skelley PLY.
Louise has been working with me for a year, after retiring from a career as an elite athlete, as a former top 10 wheelchair tennis player.
Since retiring and ready to take the next step in her career, she has fully embraced PR. She shares why she thinks the investment in PR is well worth it, and how it has helped her to build her confidence.
Having competed at two Paralympic Games, she is now self-employed with several different hats; mentoring, consultancy, speaking engagements, and commentating – again at Wimbledon this year.
One challenging thing Louise talks about is how people perceive her, as a disabled person. She hates being labelled, and the way some people assume because she is a wheelchair user and her legs don’t work – neither does her brain! Louise shares some stories about this, and goes on to say how she wants to break those stigmas and assumptions.
Louise also talks about working with businesses to recognise how they can support a disabled employee, and not just by having wheelchair accessibility, which is a must anyway. It’s about inclusion for everyone.
She talks about her top tips for recognising red flags when approached by PR people, and why you should be wary of them.
To contact Louise:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouiseHunt1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-hunt-skelley-ply-992b90177/
Website: https://www.Louisehunt.co.uk/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe
My guest today is Claire Brewerton, the owner of Virtual Business Centre, a telephone answering company based outside Malmesbury. However, the business works with clients from Scotland to Exeter and everywhere in between.
Claire talks about how at the beginning of the business she did absolutely everything, answering phone calls 7 days a week, but now she has a team of 24. She is still the chief, and they are open 7 days a week, but she is not personally working all hours.
She talks about the type of work they do for clients, and shares why people want their phone answered.
4 of the reasons why clients might want their phones answered;
- They have to do the school run
- They don’t want to work 7 days a week, but their website is open all that time.
- They need someone to answer calls in the evening when they’re dealing with family.
- They want to go on holiday.
We have a conversation about niches in business – which is something often talked about - particularly when it comes to marketing and PR, and not always easy to identify.
Claire also talks to me about working with Theo Paphitis, and Small Business Sunday and the great opportunities that has brought her.
To contact Claire:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thevirtualbusinesscentre/
Website: https://www.virtualbusinesscentre.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/virtualbuscent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virtualbuscent
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott's PR Tribe
Today I’m talking to someone who I have been working with since 2021. Cartoonist Morgan Gleave is familiar to you though you might not know it – he created the cartoon that I use for my podcast!
Many of us love cartoons, comics and animation, but how many of us use them for our business?
Morgan has been drawing all of his life, and finally took the plunge to go full time a few years ago, creating comics and cartoons. He captures people’s personality and character, rather than an idealised image. He injects fun into someone’s authentic persona.
He shares how he works – always starting with pencil and paper, before moving on to create the image digitally, which allows it to be used in many different ways.
Morgan also talks about how people don’t always recognise the value in art work, and how over the years he has had to justify what he charges. But now, he knows his worth - the amount of time he has spent honing his art, and building up his experience, and is comfortable with his charging structure.
I want to use more cartoons in the future, and we talk about how people use cartoons. One being, using cartoons to explain complex processes, because many people can handle visual representation better than they do written information.
Morgan also talks about the comic book he is working on, which stems from his childhood passion for Marvel Comics and his plans for his first graphic novel.
If you would like to contact Morgan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-gleave-488b3b230/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group it’s Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe, it’s free to join.
Today I’m pleased to be introducing a PR journo-hybrid who works in a very similar way to me. Niamh is a freelance national journalist, covering celebrity entertainment, showbiz and television. She also works for quite a few national titles, such as The Mirror, Daily Star, Okay magazine, and lots more.
Niamh talks about some of the celebrities she has worked with and the programmes she’s covered, and how, like me, she loves TV. She shares how she accesses these people, and how even after the shows have finished, she has often stayed in touch with them, because when they stand up for important issues, she knows she can go back to them for stories or comment. Building that relationship is important to her.
We are definitely singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to talking about the use of photos and video.
Niamh also talks about the need for light and shade in news’ pieces. Her reaction to what some people refer to as ‘fluffy’, is that we need some fun in our lives too, as there is plenty of heavy news every day. There is a huge variety of stories to be told, and if you enjoy your subject matter, because you live and breathe it, then that’s fine - write about it.
We also chatted about what the important issues will be during 2023.
Niamh’s tips:
- Make sure you know which journalists write about your passion.
- Talk about your passions on social media – journalists use it for their research.
- Use hashtags, so that your posts get noticed.
- Plan well ahead – if you know there are dates coming up that are awareness months, or days for your passion subject.
To contact Niamh:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/missnspence
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niamh.spence/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niamhspence/?originalSubdomain=uk
Website: https://www.niamhspence.co.uk/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe.
Today’s episode is with digital marketing entrepreneur Carl Hewitt, who reached out to me on LinkedIn.
Carl is an enthusiastic young businessman, who is the CEO and co-founder of a paid media and web agency Hewitt Matthews, based in Portsmouth.
Carl is one of several people I’ve interviewed who started out in business at an early age, and doesn’t come from a family of business owners. He started his first enterprise when he was 15, and then set up his current business with a friend at the age of 17.
And his main reason for starting his business was for love. The love of his mum, who he wanted to send on holiday.
When it comes to business, this young man understands the difference between sales, marketing and PR – so we are talking from the same hymn sheet!
We also talk about jumping into something and letting your ego take over, hearing with your happy ears and then being caught out because you didn’t really listen.
His main tips about marketing and PR, are:
- Try things out – don’t just give ideas lip service, spend time and money and go for it.
- Consistency – going for your goal, over at least three channels, and commit for at least six months.
- Create a roadmap of testing – measuring the difference between what works and what doesn’t yet over a long period of time. Results are not instant, it’s a long game.
To contact Carl:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-hewitt/
Email: carl@hewittMatthews.co.uk
Website: https://hewittmatthews.co.uk/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe.
This podcast is vital listening for anyone who is in a relationship where they are not treated with the respect they should be, and feel they are in danger.
My two guests are, Jodie Fraser, and Nick Gazzard, who are going to talk about a trust, set up in the memory of Nick’s daughter, Hollie.
Jodie Fraser works in the block management sector, and manages blocks of flats on behalf of residents and landlords. Her main aim being, that she ensures those flats are safe and secure places for people to live. She shares with us, how as a child, she was seriously bullied while at school, and her safe place was always her home.
Also, she talks about the dangers of working in her sector. Often being out alone at night, and feeling very vulnerable and increasingly, both she and her colleagues are faced with aggressive, upset people.
After the murder of Hollie Gazzard, a promising hair stylist by an abusive and coercive partner, her dad Nick and his family set up the Hollie Gazzard Trust. The initial aim was to help a few people, but it has grown, and one of its achievements has been the creation of an app to help those in domestic violence situation however it also helps anyone else who finds they are vulnerable or at risk.
Jodie was aware of Hollie’s death, and after discovering the Holly Guard App, she is sharing it with the wider property managers sector and is an ambassador for the app.
Nick shares how the Holly Guard App works, and how it can support anyone, male or female, and whatever age, to feel safe. 500,000 people now use the app. Nine police forces recommend the Holly Guard App and the Holly Guard Extra app too.
Jodie shares how she uses the app in her business, and how it could work for your business too.
To contact Jodie:
www.FraserAllenEM.co.uk
Phone the office on: 81242399150
To contact Nick:
Www.HollieGazzzrd.org
For the basic app: www.HollieGuard.com
For a business app: www.HollieGuard.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holliegazzardtrust
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hollie-gazzard-trust/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group, it’s Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe.
Today’s guest is possibly the best known female, psychic medium in the UK, and I’m happy to say, also a client of mine – T J Higgs.
TJ shares how, as a youngster, she thought everyone else was odd, rather than her, because since a very young age she has seen spirits, auras and could tell when people were lying, but was unable to explain to them, why.
Have you ever seen anyone’s eyes change colour? Well, you may do if you meet or work with TJ. Her eyes change colour, and I’ve witnessed this and it’s amazing!
We talk about some of the problems around PR for psychic mediums, due to the Ofcom code, which says that when a medium is demonstrating to an audience, they have to present it as, ‘entertainment only’.
This seems very unfair, says TJ, because when sharing her spirituality with an audience, she doesn’t feel she is entertaining, she feels she is ‘serving’. Religious bodies are allowed to share their spirituality on TV or in public place without this notice so why is spirituality any different?
TJ also shares with me the wonderful relationship she had with other famous mediums Colin Fry and Derek Acorah, who she worked with on several television shows, and how she is grateful for their support, which has enabled her to use her skills to do what she loves.
Also, using her abilities to read colours and auras, TJ gives some great insights into the relationship between King Charles and Queen Camilla just before the Coronation? She talks about their choice of colours and also that very intricate ‘invitation’.
TJ is on tour this year with her ‘Grief is Love Tour’ and all of the dates and ticket details can be found on her website.
To contact TJ:
www.tjhiggs.com
www.Instagram.com/tjhiggs.medium
www.facebook.com/tracyhiggs
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group – it’s Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe.
My visitor today is from the part of the country where I was born - Somerset. Ben McGrail is an ITV journalist, with a role as Somerset correspondent for ITV News, West Country.
A lot of our discussion is about working within a region, rather than being national. Its easy to think that the pinnacle of a career is to work on a national ‘title’ or for a national ‘programme’ yet it’s not always the case.
We both agree about the benefits of working in a community that you know well, value and live within. Ben talks about how people often see it as a lack of ambition, not to be aiming for a career move into a national company.
However, he thinks, rather than being a lack of ambition, wherever he is working, he wants to be the best journalist he can be, do the best job he can. He loves his job, where he lives and his passion is his home – Somerset.
We talk about the variety of stories that you get working within a community, and in reality, with the web, everything is global anyway.
Ben says the most important thing when working with someone like him is that it’s all about relationships and trust. Locals come to recognise you and how you tell a story.
Over time, they know what you do, and what you won’t do, and won’t say. He found this when revisiting people who had been badly flooded in 2014, and were in danger of being flooded again this year. They were happy to talk to him, because they knew and trusted him.
He shares what a day in his life looks like, working in Somerset, to get a story in to the news on time.
We also talk about Ben’s world and the relationship he has with PR companies, and his instinct for recognising people who have only emailed him directly , compared with the ones who send out a ‘catch-all email to several hundred journalists across the UK.
To contact Ben:
https://www.facebook.com/McGrailBen
ben.mcgrail@itv.com
If you would like to contact me email fiona@fionascott.co.k or visit my website at scottmedia.uk. You can also join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe.
Today’s guest is Chris Maslin, an accountant and tax advisor who has sold his business to an Employee Ownership Trust – have you ever heard of such a trust?
Chris tells me why Employee Ownership (EO) can be a good exit plan for business owners who deeply care about the future of their company and its employees when they step away.
He also explains the pros and cons between EO and a management buy-out.
After around 13 years, building his accountancy practice, Chris took this route himself as felt he had become less excited about the business, and wanted to step back. However, he didn’t want to sell out to a larger company who would take over and quite likely sack half of the staff.
While he enjoys making money, it isn’t his main focus in life, and wanting more and more money doesn’t necessarily bring you happiness. For him, it’s also about feeling good about what you do. So, rather than sell, take the money and run, EO sat better with his ethical standpoint – allowing him to make some money yet not at the expense of the health of the business and its future.
I also chat to Chris about PR, because it seems to be something people in the financial legal sector really struggle with – and I think that is borne out in our discussion.
With his new business Go EO, Chris is now helping other small businesses owners who are wanting to exit their business, or take on a smaller role within their business to explore the benefits of Employee Ownership.
To contact Chris:
Website: https://goeo.uk
Linkedin: https:// www.linkedin.com/in/chris--maslin/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group look for Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe.
Today I’m talking to my friend and fellow journalist Samantha Brick. Sam is a Feature writer, who loves writing about people, and has lived in France since 2008 with her husband and their family of dogs.
Sam tells me what it means to work as a feature writer.
She loves to write about relationships, family issues and events, careers, whether we’re mothers or not, our friendships – in fact, anything that touches us as humans.
Sam also shares how she deals with stories sent to her, that are not the type of things she is looking for. She talks about the pros and cons of sharing your experiences, because these days once you tell your story, it’s out there on the internet forever.
Some of the things that Sam talks about is things that you shouldn’t do – like ask her to write about your business. She is not interested in that, it’s the backstory where the interest lies.
Don’t expect journalists to interact with you, if you haven’t done your research to understand what they are looking for.
Sam’s biggest tip which may surprise some of you – read the press! The hardcopy versions, or electronic copies of the paper.
Listen to today’s podcast, and you’ll hear more fascinating insights.
To contact Sam:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamanthaBrick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sam.brick.161
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammy_brick/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott's PR Tribe
Some of you will have routinely heard me talk about the importance of good photography to go with your PR, and today I’m talking to a photographer who I regularly work with - the wonderful Barbara Leatham.
Barbara talks about how she has had her own photography business which is now in its 15th year, and how her previous training in marketing and graphic design informs her photography in terms of knowing what is needed for magazine layouts. Originally she was a photographer for the Royal Air Force so she knows her photographic onions.
She shares some fantastic tips about the best and worst things to do with photography, including:
- What you shouldn’t have as your LinkedIn profile picture.
- Why using images of yourself that are not current is misleading.
- Why professional photos are needed at awards and business events.
- Why you shouldn’t use your mobile phones to photograph products.
I also talk to her about what can be the very confusing subject of copyright and image permissions.
One of Barbara’s top tips is, when you book a business photoshoot you should always be planning ahead for the photos you and your business require for the coming year.
You can connect with Barbara on:
www.BarabaraLeatham.co.uk
www.Facebook.com/BarbaraLeathamPhotography
www.Linkein.com/in/barbaraleatham/
www.Instagram.com/barbaraleathamphotography/
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: fionascottsprtribe
Today I’m talking to a Paralympian Gold Medal winner, who was awarded an MBE last year – Chris Hunt Skelley MBE PLY.
Chris, a Judo champion, is visually impaired and has a condition called Ocular Albinism, and although he was affected by the problem from a young age, he wasn’t diagnosed until he was 17.
He talks about the harrowing experience of living through the time when he realised that his sight was degenerating and he would never be able to work in the profession that he had worked towards, he would never drive, or be able to do many of the things teenagers normally look forward to experiencing in life.
Chris shares, that the shining light that kept him going was judo, plus the huge support and love of his family- his mum in particular. He now has even more help; his wife, Louise Hunt Skelley is also a Paralympian, and together they support each other.
Chatting to him, it is obvious that his own resilience and positive attitude to life helped him survive that period, but also continues to drive him forward in his amazing Paralympic career. In his own words, ‘he’s not the most talented person in the world, but what he does have an abundance in is, he puts his head down and works like a Trojan, and never gives up’.
Chris’ biggest tips to other people struggling with disability, are; never give up, be adaptable, because you can do anything. Don’t be afraid of opening up to people who care about you; tell them when you are struggling and lastly, believe in yourself.
To contact Chris:
Www.chrisskelley.co.uk
Instagram: http://instragram.com/Christopher.skelley
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopherskelleyparalympicjudoka
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopherSke2
If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe
I met Katie Neeves early in 2022, and my interview with her came as a result of that meeting. There’s a lot of misinformation on being trans & I asked if she would share her story and her insights with me and my listeners – and to my delight, she said ‘yes’!
Our conversation in this podcast ranges from Gender Dysmorphia to a discussion about loos and urinals, how transphobic some of the mainstream media are, to the old stereotype around female trans sportswomen having an advantage. Katie puts things straight in her own words.
Katie has two main missions in life; to reach out to other trans people, to let them know they are not alone, and that it is ok to be trans.
The second, to educate society to recognise that trans people, like everyone else, just want to be happy in life.
She talks about her first memories of trying on her sister’s clothes, her mother’s negative reaction, and how that one incident stayed with her for her whole life. It was many years later that she realised she had gender dysmorphia.
Katie has been a photographer and filmmaker for 35 years, and four years ago, she bravely came out publicly about being transgender.
She shares how scary that decision was, and how she had to balance the impact the changes in her personal life made on her professional one; a brand that had been established for 22 years.
In her case, the response was overwhelmingly positive and supportive though since then Katie has experienced some terrible trolling and transphobic behaviour – especially online.
Katie also explains the difference, very clearly, between sex and gender, which most of us don’t understand.
Katies describes herself as a ‘gobby trans woman’ yet I’d call her a strong, resilient trans woman who is happy to open up to people about herself, and wants to educate society to change their mindset around trans people. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I did!
Here are all of the places you can find Katie:
Https://www.cool2btrans.co.uk
Instagram: @cool2btrans
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/katie-neeves
Facebook: facebook.com/katieneeves
Facebook.com/cool2btrans
My guest today, Nicola Snell, does just that, with her business Press Loft.
Nicola’s ethos is to make PR simple and to help get her clients products in front of journalists. She shares with me, just how Press Loft works for businesses that are product based.
Nicola Snell has cleverly combined the idea of product PR and businesses being reactive to journalists, by providing a huge range of images of products readily available for when those journalists need them which saves journalists time a lot of time.
As I am always telling people, having an image library is important, and key to how Nicola’s business works. Companies need a variety of images of their product, in a range of styles; cut out shots on plain backgrounds, lifestyle, or in situ. The more variety, the more appeal for journalists looking for images to write about and use in articles.
Once your images are on Press Loft, and they have been used for an article, don’t put your feet up, expecting sales to come to you. You need to talk about how your product has been featured, but importantly, it must be in a way that is legal. Nicola and I talk about the issues and murkiness around this area of copyright, presently in the UK.
Press Loft has a 60-day trial, after which you can choose a package that suits your budget.
If you are a product-based business or work with one, check out Press Loft – another tool to add to your PR kit helping to make you or your client more visible, or even hit the national level where they have not been before.
PressLoft.com
Linkedin/Pressloft
Instagram: @Pressloft
Blog: Pressloft.com
Fiona, as a PR specialist and expert has one aim in her professional life - to help people and their businesses become more visible.
She looks into the future, and offers her ten tips about the things that she predicts the media will be positive about and engaged with - and she shares how you can get your voice heard around those themes.
Her three most important tips are;
To always try to find a positive take on whatever you are talking about – even if you have had a terrible disaster – talk about how you overcame that problem, and who helped.
Make sure you fully understand the concept of greenwashing, so that you are fully embracing it, and not falling short, by just paying lip service to the idea of being more ‘green’. Hint one of the tips is around sustainability.
Always be authentic, have integrity, be grateful and honest in everything you do – particularly in your business, even when sharing difficult messages.
And Fiona’s over-riding timeless tip is:
Remember that stories about people and lived experience will always be more popular than other stuff. The best stories come from people not product or services.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
PR isn’t expecting floods of clients at your door after sending out one press release, entrepreneur and investor Kyle Raffo tells Fiona in her latest podcast.
Kyle Raffo, who runs one of the UK’s leading printing and merchandising company Embello and has invested in several other businesses, is not even 30 years old. In this episode he shares with Fiona his early entrepreneurial drive and where it comes from.
He talks about the importance of being truly authentic to yourself and your brand, and not selling your reputation for money.
He shares some deeply thoughtful moments about how ‘outward success’ and the trappings of wealth are not always a route to true happiness.
Kyle also spells out that good PR isn’t about lead generation and direct sales. He believes PR is key to brand awareness and raising a personal profile and should be seen and embraced in that light. Sales is a discipline to be honed alongside good PR.
One of his tips to other young entrepreneurs, is to use social media wisely as you are writing your personal profile as you go – whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee. He says it’s wise to remember to represent a brand professionally when on social media – because it’s out there, forever.
https://www.embello.co.uk/
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
Danielle Homes co-founded Black Nova Designs in Wiltshire and believes her company's rapid growth is down to tireless and persistent PR and marketing efforts.
Black Nova designs specialises in I.T. solutions for home and business and also provides web design and web hosting services. Danielle and her husband Kyle launch the business in 2015 and seven years later, they employ 10 staff and are going from strength to strength.
Danielle is a strong believer in making your company visible using a variety of PR tactics to get through to people. She has mainly exploited networking and social media opportunities. As she says, "you can never post too often about what you do" because there is always someone watching. Even if they don't make themselves immediately known to you now, they might do in the future.
Danielle tells Fiona that to grow your business you need to step out of your comfort zone to master your own mind because then you can master your own business but you cannot do that without help from top coaches.
Listen to more from Danielle on this episode and find out more about her company here https://www.blacknovadesigns.co.uk/ or from any social media platform. Just look for Black Nova Design.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
ITV journalist Rob Murphy is the latest guest on Fiona's brilliant podcast line-up. What he has to say will open your eyes to what journalists crave in seeking a good story to cover.
Rob is a seasoned television journalist covering mainly crime and investigations but he's also a successful podcaster and author. His book 'To Hunt A Killer' was co-authored with detective Julie Mackay and was published earlier this year. It's available in the usual places.
He deals daily with PR and comms professionals and tells Fiona how surprising it is that so many irrelevant releases are sent to him. But, as he says on the podcast, the communications he receives from Fiona are always bang on the money!
Listen in for Rob's fascinating accounts of the stories and personalities he has dealt with and for some really useful tips on how to prep your clients for TV interviews.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
On this episode, Fiona meets the founder of the Women's Business Club, Angela de Souza. Angela's latest project is called Coffee and Coworking which creates spaces for businesswomen to gain support and empowerment so no woman has to build a business alone.
Angela successfully set up the Women's Business Club after her first business failed because she loves to build communities. She sees herself as an introvert who hates networking but who loves to come to together with other women to help everyone grow in confidence.
As she tells Fiona, outsourcing her PR has been effective for her business growth and has taught her about the ongoing need to deploy traditional as well as new PR methods to ensure a business receives coverage far and wide.
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Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
This week's guest on Fiona Scott's podcast is sometimes referred to as "The Pink Powerhouse" (think spiky pink hair) or "The Super Soul Coach" - Taz Thornton.
Taz is a former journalist and high-flying marketing professional whose difficult back story was first the breaking of her but then the making of her. As she explains to Fiona, she overcame her own significant struggles to become someone who now empowers others to do something of value with their lives. She works with anyone who wants to build their own powerful personal brand.
Good PR for Taz is never going to be about a quick win. Listen as she and Fiona discuss on the podcast how effective PR is about putting in the work and preparing for the long haul until your efforts pay off.
You'll find Taz just about everywhere on social media or through her websiteand you can email her at Taz@tazthornton.com
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Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
On this episode, Fiona gets some honest answers from business journalist Hannah Baker on how to pique her interest in your story and get the best PR coverage possible.
Hannah works for major regional newspaper publisher Reach PLC as the Southwest Editor of Business Live and as Business Editor for the Bristol Post, Gloucester Echo and for Somerset Live. Her patch covers a huge region from Gloucestershire down to Cornwall.
Hannah tells Fiona how her inbox receives literally hundreds of emails a day which are almost impossible to process. So, gently following up - especially if you've got a great story with a strong human angle and a connection to her region - is the best way to get through to her.
Fiona's guest emphasises that timely stories which senior business executives will find engaging are what she needs. She loves meeting potential story providers - after all, every journalist needs their list of contacts!
Contact Hannah here hannahbaker@reachplc.com or via twitter @hannahjbaker
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
Julianne Ponan made an impression when she appeared on Dragon's Den in 2019 seeking funding for her allergen free products. Julianne suffers from anaphylaxis - potentially life-threatening reactions brought on by exposure to allergy-inducing products.
As Fiona's guest on this episode of PR not BS, Julianne explains her story, why she became the owner of Creative Nature, and why it is so important to prepare your PR for AFTER you've appeared on important TV and radio shows.
Julianne explains she was reluctant to accept at the very start that winding her own personal story into her PR would make a difference. As Fiona's client, she was soon helped to see things very differently.
FInd out more on this engaging episode about Fiona and Julianne's collaboration and how Julianne has used PR in multiple different ways to successfully promote her products.
Read about Julianne and her company here: https://www.creativenaturesuperfoods.co.uk
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
On PR not BS this week Fiona's guest is author Lis McDermott.
Lis' career has taken several twists and turns and through them all, she has learnt to value the importance of PR.
Lis began her working life as a teacher and music education administrator, later became a photographer and during the pandemic she rediscovered her love and talent for writing and reinvented herself as a writer.
Fiona and Lis discuss the PR steps Lis took to launch her career as an author and how she lifted her profile with her ideal audience.
Lis just happens to be one of Fiona's closest friends and was the first person Fiona called on for help with writing her new book.
Find out more here - https://lismcdermottauthor.co.uk/#
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
This week's guest on Fiona's show is Sarupa Shah who's also known as The Soul Agent. She has taken her love and passion for spirituality and personal development and brought it into business.
Sarupa has made this unusual combination of interests into a thriving business called the Soul Agency. For over 20 years, she has worked on creating tools and resources to take people on an adventure to more. But, as she tells Fiona, embracing the journey has taken time and while she has discovered the magic of PR in helping to get her voice out there, she's also learnt some hard lessons about making that magic.
This episode will really inspire you to fulfil your dreams and achieve your life's ambitions.
Find out more about Sarupa right here. https://www.thesoulagency.com/
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
Understanding how to build relationships with journalists and how to play the long game is the key to best PR practice.
Today's guest on Fiona Scott's podcast is Suzanne Baum - a journalist of 25 years experience and a much sought-after freelancer.
Suzanne is mainly a celebrity interviewer and writes for Conde Nast titles, and for magazines such as Grazia and Glamour.
She is constantly on the receiving end of PR press releases and while some will definitely be useful to her, others go straight in the bin.
Find out what Suzanne loves about some PR practitioners and hates about others.
Instagram - suzanne_baum
Email - suebybaum@yahoo.co.uk
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
Sales is not a dirty word and we all need to make them for our businesses to survive.
But as guest Andy Entwistle of Salient Sales explains to Fiona Scott on this episode, being ethical in your approach is much more likely to result in success.
Fiona describes Andy as her Sales Guru and she is a great admirer of his ethical sales strategy.
Andy gives her his top three sales tips:
1. Get your message out there (using great PR!)
2. Know what questions to ask potential clients and really listen to their responses
3. Have the courage to move the conversation forward so as to seal the deal
Find out more about Andy (and his book "The Persuasive Power of Ethical Selling") at SalientSales.co.uk or contact Andy on andy@salientsales.co.uk tel 07941 041364
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
Mass mailouts from PR companies to journalists is big no no - according to Fiona's guest Jenna Farmer on this podcast episode.
Jenna is a blogger, free-lance journalist, writer and speaker who frequently finds herself on the receiving end of badly targeted press releases that she knows she will never read.
As she and Fiona agree - the best way to reach out to journalists is through establishing a personal relationship and although it takes times and extra effort, it is always worth it.
Jenna is a former English teacher who turned to free lance blog writing when she discovered she was suffering from Crohn's disease. She has become a respected expert on the issue with her blog on gluten free eating called a balancedbelly . Find out in this episode how she makes freelancing writing pay and how she uses PR to promote her expertise.
Jenna also writes about being a mum on her other blog mumernityand you can find her on tiktok and instagram under jennafarmeruk.
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
Caroline Peyton is a Swindon-based nutritionist and naturopath whose persistence with PR has really paid off.
Fiona's guest on the podcast this week, Caroline is also a client Fiona loves working with.
Why? Because she is super-responsive when journalists get in touch and she moves heaven and earth to ensure deadlines are met. This has resulted in journalists repeatedly asking for her input on stories which, in turn, has won her more valuable press coverage.
Caroline is a highly qualified professional who needs to raise her visibility in a market full of far less well-qualified competitors.
Find out how with Fiona's help, she has stuck to a consistent PR and marketing campaign over the long-term that has rewarded her with a distinct uptick in revenue and clients.
Visit https://www.peytonprinciples.com/ to find out about Caroline's impressive business.
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
Fiona's guest on this episode is Chris Roberts MBE - a local journalist and community activist who only now - years after the fact - is ready to think of herself as a writer and storyteller.
For why that is the case - you'll have to listen to the episode!
But as Chris and Fiona make clear, some people are just born storytellers. The rest of us love to read and listen to the "tales" they recount, because we are all nosy to know what's going on behind the scenes.
And this is the lesson for those in the PR world. That is knowing how to find and exploit the quirky, interesting nuggets of information that inform and amuse us. It's about discovering the unknown and undreamt of that people really want.
Chris now writes for clients in England and Wales and even managed to sneak a client in front of the Prince of Wales for the PR opportunity of a lifetime! How did she do that? Listen in!
https://chrisrobertsmbe.co.uk/
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
Don't expect any purple prose from Fiona's guest this week, Denise O'Leary MBE, the founder of Purpol marketing.
She may have named her business after her favourite colour of purple, but as befits the name of this podcast - "PR not BS" - Denise delivers great marketing advice in the most direct and succinct way.
Denise was awarded her Queen's Honour in the 2022 New Year's honours list for services to the construction industry.
Until early 2020 she worked exclusively on helping mainly construction companies write bids, apply for grants and win awards. When the upheaval of the global pandemic struck she showed impressive versatility and pivoted to meet different market needs.
You can hear all about her story on this episode plus why she believes winning awards can work wonders for your business.
You'll find Denise's website here: https://purpolmarketing.co.uk/ and her company, Purpol Marketing, is present on all social media sites.
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
This week Fiona is joined by entrepreneur Jamie McAnsh - who you might know as the man who climbed a mountain on his hands.
As Jamie discusses with Fiona, PR is about visibility and he has a unique perspective on life that has helped him become a master of the art.
Jamie woke up one day several years ago to find he was permanently paralysed from the waist down after suffering an attack of shingles.
He does not pretend life has been an easy ride since - how could it! - but he has overcome his physical limitations to become an entrepreneur, a sportsman, a role model, a motivational speaker and a disabled adventurer.
Listen to his extraordinary story - it's guaranteed to inspire you to achieve your own goals.
You'll find Jamie's website here: See No Bounds - Join our Online Community And you can contact him on: jamie@seenobounds.co.uk
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: PR Power Hour with Fiona Scott
On this episode, Fiona's guest spills the beans on how to ensure journalists give you the PR exposure your business deserves.
Freelance journalist Dan Martin focuses on startups and small businesses and deals with a daily onslaught of press releases and PR requests.
So he really knows what piques a journalist's interest.
As he tells Fiona, the more you can tell about your own business story, the more success you will have with gaining coverage.
Dan has lots more to share and some really interesting strategies anyone can follow.
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Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
If you think your PR could do with a spring clean as we enter the second quarter - Fiona will inspire you with some cracking good ideas.
As she explains on this episode, you might be planning to:
- recruit
- celebrate an achievement or an award
- the growth of your business
- release an analysis of interesting data you've collected
- be looking at significant changes in laws regarding your sector
... and all of these will make great content for a PR push. But there's more!
Fiona details numerous interesting "days" coming up in the weeks ahead which you can turn into reasons to make a splash in your local press.
This podcast episode make the best use of your podcast listening time - but have a pen and paper handy, so that you can jot down all these fantastic suggestions.
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
In this episode, Fiona and Emma Carter discuss how to solve the age-old conundrum of how to slot together a complete marketing plan using all forms of outreach.
Emma is MD of the Swindon-based digital marketing agency, Smarter Media. She is expert at connecting a target audience to her clients using a range of means including the traditional as well as the digital.
As she and Fiona agree on the podcast - you need to understand which levers and tools will have the best impact on the audience you want to target.
But above all, you need to commit to consistency in the way you plan your marketing so as to best position your products and services.
Smarter Media
Listen up because Fiona is launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Fiona chats to former journalist, PR & comms specialist and straight talker Jessica Shepherd...
It's an episode where the focus is on tackling how best to position your story and engage with journalists, and so much more...
- How to deal with the request to work for free… when they're pulling on your heart strings.
- What really makes good communication?
- What moves the story on?
- How to maximise your story by leveraging trends
Also how to get the balance right when you're trying to position and place your story - pushy or persistent?
Fiona is also launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Fiona challenges the sceptics with spiritual coach Samantha Jayne where they chat about how shifting and shaking off old beliefs around money, success, happiness and love in business has its place.
It's an episode where the focus is on:
- Taking control of your old beliefs and moving forward.
- Ignoring the sceptics, the naysayers and being BRAVE!
- Challenging the norm, your fear and creating a bigger impact on the world.
- How to raise your profile as a service provider to a bigger audience.
- How to work all the platforms, in different ways with different goals.
- How to play the long game and build organic growth.
As business owners be brave and grow your audience, build your relationships and leverage your cheerleaders!
Fiona is also launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Fiona cuts through the spin of PR with Janey Lee Grace where they talk about taking back the responsibility for your own PR.
It's an episode where the focus is on:
- how to stop selling and start sharing your story
- how to talk about the story behind the business
- how to talk about the story, the angle and the connection to help your business thrive!
As business owners don’t be afraid about sharing your vulnerability and being relatable. People do love honesty and transparency, and they respect someone who is willing to share their vulnerability.
Fiona is also launching a fun giveaway!
Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Fiona talks today about practical planning for PR success in 2022, based on what the media is likely to be talking about - and not what business owners/PRs want them to talk about.
She wants you to ditch any 'puffery', avoid trying to pass off sales blurb as stories and plan plan plan.
Successful PR often hangs on understanding how the media works and fitting into that dynamic. So how can you begin planning that positive relationship this year?
She's also launching a fun giveaway! Anyone who subscribes, writes a review & then screenshots and shares on their social media tagging in Fiona Scott or Scott Media will be entered into a prize draw for some vouchers! A winner will be chosen every other month!
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
If you want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour with Fiona here here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Fiona offers some PR tips and trends for 2022 - Fiona does some crystal ball gazing and predictions for interesting story hooks for the coming year. What does she think the media will be favouring or asking for in the next 12 months – and where can you, your business or organisation fit into that ever-moving media agenda?
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Fiona talks today to her friend and fellow journalist Jill Foster who now works as a freelancer across the national and international media – a specialist in human interest stories and features. Jill shares examples of the best and worst of PR and how it can really help – or hinder – her in writing stories day in, day out.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Today Fiona talks to Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Ed Hollands of DrivenMedia. Three years ago this young man received funding when he appeared on the BBC TV series. Ed talks about the experience and what has happened in his business since that time.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Fiona’s podcast today talks about the value of integrating ‘charity’ or ‘community’ into a PR strategy as a business or organisation. She talks about how this can demonstrate ethics and purpose, show caring, make a company attractive to work for and can even be the one thing which secures that contract (through a procurement or bid tendering process).
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
In today’s podcast Fiona reflects on some PR highlights and lowlights over the last 18 months and reflects on why they went wrong, what happened and also what went right. She talks about how hitting the right note in PR often means considering how people are feeling. Journalists often refer to this as the ability (or not) to ‘read the room’.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
In this podcast Fiona talks to her friend and colleague Anita Jaynes, who is the publisher of two business magazines – The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire & The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset. Anita shares some insight into what good and bad PR looks like for her and how she engages with PR companies or individuals responsible for PR within companies.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
In this podcast Fiona talks about what to do when something goes wrong in a business or organisation and how to handle PR around it. This is a very general look about the risks posed by a ‘bad story’ and how to manage that risk and then deal with it if the worst happens.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
In this podcast Fiona talks to entrepreneur & business investor James Phipps talks about how important PR was in his former role as CEO and then chairman of IT communications company Excalibur and why he believes in PR today and recommends it to the businesses he invests in. He shares some of his thoughts around this and also talks about the value of both local media coverage and national media coverage.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
In this podcast Fiona talks about drafting a media list, or media lists for your business. It’s great to plan stories and to identify which ones might be suitable for the media but what then? Where do you send them? This is where media lists come in – do you want local, regional, trade/sector coverage? Are you after national exposure (that’s a whole different journey) or are you missing a trick by not sharing your stories via your newsletter or the newsletters of organisations you work with already?
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Plan Your PR for 2022 – in this podcast, Fiona talks about planning PR for a year based around both proactive stories (stories in your business or organisation which you don’t make the most of) and also reactive stories – what is happening in a year which you can react to, have a view on, comment on. She will offer hints about how to gather stories by looking at the natural ebb & flow of the year, the ebb and flow of your year in your business or organisation.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
In this podcast, Fiona talks to Lisa Berry of Cheeky Little Prints around how PR can support a product based business, what PR means to her and how important Christmas is in her business. Lisa will talk about planning, the challenges around her supply chain in the run-up to a busy season and when Christmas starts for her own business.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
In this podcast, Fiona will talk about how to use the season of Christmas and all associated festivities as a ‘PR hook’ to attract the media, to proactively engage with them and to reference it across social media and blogs. It talks about how for some businesses Christmas begins in June & July to make the most of the ‘buying’ vibe which takes place in December. This podcast could help you think differently about Christmas in your business or organisation next year.
Would you love my expert PR eyes on your business? Do you need expert PR help?
It is time to get you noticed and skyrocket your reputation and extend your reach and impact?
If you want to get noticed, skyrocket your reputation, attract new clients, and want rocket fuel for your business by mastering your stories and being consistently visible; then book your PR Power Hour here: http://bit.ly/PRPowerHour
Fiona Scott is a no-nonsense PR professional, a former TV journalist who tells it as it is!
She chose this podcast title for good reason – to counter the smoke and mirrors around the world of PR. Fiona bats aside the nonsense and dispels the smoke and mirrors around the world of public relations and instead presents you with practical advice, hints, tips and inspiration.
She will help you use PR intelligently and strategically and above all, have fun with your business.