Kachi Akumabor

🔍 Spotted on the commute this week: Sainsbury's PR-ing in a spot traditionally reserved for B2C advertising.   As consumers become increasingly aware of where their money is going and therefore more likely to buy from companies they perceive to have a strong 'Purpose' - it seems we'll probably be seeing more of these types of 'ads' and the merging of what is traditionally seen as the separate disciplines of Marketing, PR and Advertising.   As PR professionals, this shift is interesting: how far will the lines blur between how we advise companies on communicating to their stakeholders versus their customers? Sainsbury's clearly think it's worth the ad spend of a prime spot on the London Underground to communicate the good they are doing rather than their latest promotions.   If anything, it's a reminder that - as our Freuds Group founder Matthew Freud said in a recent episode of 'When It Hits The Fan' podcast - the reward for companies trying to be better should be a better reputation. Episode here: https://lnkd.in/d3dTAVam

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Why is PRWeek UK amplifying this patronising letter like it's some groundbreaking piece of wisdom that has never before crossed the mind of a PR practitioner? I'm sure I've sent poorly targeted pitches in my time, but this is practically impossible to avoid when a large number of publications and journalists provide zero guidance for PRs regarding how to pitch them or what pitches they do or don't want to receive (shout-out to the helpful minority who do 👋 ). I wholeheartedly agree that there are fundamental problems with the prevailing model of earned PR outreach, but these problems are complex - the product of shrinking editorial teams, disappearing ad revenue, the inappropriate use of AI (I could go on....). The vast majority of PRs know exactly how to research and target their pitches appropriately - and put in a huge amount of legwork to do this. It's reductive to imply that if we only resist sending that follow up then the model would start working properly again. I understand that the Synapse - The Stories Marketplace team (who publicised this article in the first instance) want an excuse to talk about their platform as an 'alternative' to the traditional email outreach model, but I think they are at risk of alienating their target audience with this. https://lnkd.in/epqSGJwY

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Some pro tips from our resident media guru Andrei Philip Iacob 🤓 💸 I assume you have just allocated that (sizeable) portion of your budget to key 2025 events in your industry, so make it count! Don’t get lost in the noise. 💡Read our latest Red Lorry Yellow Lorry blog to find out some top tips on how you can make your event calendar go further with the help of your PR team…

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I shared some thoughts with PRWeek about talent retention, maintaining good client/agency relationships, the use of AI in PR, and a need for more diversity and access to the profession. See the full story here: https://lnkd.in/etS_pvGW

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Do you offer flexible working or do you just have a hybrid work policy? 👀 Let's be real, hybrid working for PR agencies is the status quo. It's worth including in your job ads alongside office location, but it's an expectation for most candidates. So how can PR agencies go beyond the basic hybrid model and offer more flexibility to engage top talent and create an attractive offer? Here's some flexible policies to consider ft. our UK Recruitment Manager Chantelle Azzopardi-Brown 👇 1. Hybrid working (choose your own office days) 2. Fully Remote 3. Remote-first 4. WFA policies 5. Flexible & core hours 6. 4-day week/9-day fortnight P.S. Tired of the commute and looking for a PR role with a bit more flex? Drop us a line for job opportunities 📥 [email protected] #flexibleworking #remoteworking #4dayweek #9dayfortnight #remotefirst #hybridworking #pragency #prjobs

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PR Role Opportunities!! We are currently hiring for PR's at all levels thanks to some amazing client wins! Currently live on our careers page: ⭐️ Digital PR Executive - Rise Live (Reactive) ⭐️ Digital PR Strategist (manager-level role) We also have some more roles coming soon so I'm interested in chatting to PR's at all levels about upcoming opportunities. Link to apply in the comments! #PRjobs #reactivePR #digitalPR #digitalPRjobs #PRroles #digitalPRroles

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Pay gaps have long been an issue in the PR industry, which is why we've taken part in the PR Week Pay Gap reports for the last two years. We firmly believe that if you can't see a problem then you can't manage a problem and that gaps in pay are a challenge that we all need to face into, be aware of and address. The exercise has been revealing - on the positive showing we have parity across the agency, but also showing where the gaps are that we need to close and giving us some sense of where we need to do. We understand that it's tough to unearth underlying issues in our businesses but if we're going to deal with the challenges then exposing them is a step towards understanding and solutions. We also use this as an opportunity to talk to our team as a whole - presenting our numbers to everyone in detail ahead of publication - so that we can have an open discussion about what we're doing and how everyone can be involved. We would encourage this exercise to anyone out there in agency land who cares about the economics of diversity and inclusivity (and that should mean all of us) ... https://lnkd.in/ecZPJ7hj

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I was recently asked to do a blog for CIPR Influence, telling the story of my first year working in the industry. I had a lot of fun working on this and I am thrilled to see it come to light, check out the full blog below! #PR #CIPR 

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When I’m introducing LLPR to a new client or prospect, I often talk about the benefits of being sector-agnostic. One of those is the discipline we implement to ensure every client has a PR strategy that is highly tailored to that business and its needs. What would be the point in unique selling points if we didn’t sell what was unique, and take a unique approach in doing so?! Samuel Bird talks about this in more detail in our latest blog post below 👇 #PRagency #bespoke #PRsupport

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Great opportunities

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Why media intros should never be skipped💡 Whenever I start working with a new client, I’ll always spend time in the first month introducing the brand to key journalists within the sector Whilst this process might not always lead to direct results, I’d argue that it’s an invaluable part of the onboarding process. Here’s why: 💭 You’re not only introducing your brand and the products / services / offering to your target media, you’re also introducing yourself as the go-to person for anything the journalist needs in relation to the industry 🤓 💭 It’s a great opportunity to build relationships, without trying to ‘sell’ a story or product launch. You’re providing journalists with genuinely useful information and many often enjoy hearing about new brands 🤗 💭 You’ll build a core list of relevant media contacts that you can refer back to in the future. As long as you’re putting the time in to research each person’s niche and topics of interest to create a really strong list! 🧐 💭 Bonus: You might actually get some great coverage too! I recently had some fantastic feedback from a journalist at a high end interiors publication on the back of a media intro for my new client and we’re now set to be featured in a product roundup piece that is perfect for our target audience 🤞 When it comes to introducing your brand, I’d always recommend keeping it concise and sharing the most interesting and useful information; such as internal experts, any key products / services and what topics you’re able to comment on #digitalpr #prtips #freelancepr

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An interesting post in the PR subreddit touches on something I've been thinking about relating to how to structure an agency. Be curious to hear what others think... Should junior staff consist of ambitious people who want to move up quickly, or are there certain junior roles that you would prefer to have someone stay in for a long time (instead of constantly hiring/retraining for foundational/rote tasks)? I think there are arguments to be made for both strategies, but I ultimately feel that agencies would run better having dedicated team members who enjoy the same structured work every day and are not necessarily interested in taking on the work that more senior employees handle. With high turnover and dissatisfaction at the junior level, too much monitoring and reporting work trickles up and wastes time at the senior staff level. Not coincidentally, I'm now helping agencies build out that foundational staff layer with global talent who can cost-effectively deliver the day-to-day monitoring/reporting/list-building work that needs to get done inside an agency. Hit me up if you want to see how this might work for your agency...

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Considering a career in PR? One of the things we’re passionate about here at Unhooked is supporting and nurturing the next generation of talent. Since the agency was founded almost seven years ago, we’ve worked with a number of local universities and colleges to mentor, train and support thousands of students who are considering a career in PR and marketing. With exam and results season upon us, many graduates are exploring their next step, so our MD Claire, has compiled the following tips to help you decide whether a career in PR is the right fit for you. 🤔 Be business curious: From launching products to attracting investment, you'll learn loads about the world of business. As PR professionals, one of our jobs is to support business owners and marketing teams as they're growing and developing their organisation 🤹‍♀️ Expect the unexpected: PR is one of the most varied careers you can find. If you like variation, can juggle multiple tasks, and enjoy working at a fast pace, then this could be a great industry for you 🎓 Love to learn: PR crosses over with so many other marketing disciplines these days, and while you don't need to be an expert in everything it definitely helps to have at least a basic understanding of other specialisms such as SEO, paid search, social media and more 🗣 A passion for people: Whether you're pitching to a new client, managing an internal team, running focus groups, interviewing case studies, or responding to a client's customers on social media, you need to be able to build relationships, show empathy and communicate in an effective way 💪 Be resilient: PR professionals spend a lot of time proposing stories to journalists, creating partnerships with other brands, suggesting new campaigns to existing or prospective clients, and turning ideas into realities. But you don't get a straight 'yes' to everything you want to do. You need to be able to take on the feedback, learn from the nos, and have a tough skin to keep going to get results.

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The Comms Dart Podcast is out, and I'm interviewed by its host Stephen Davies. We cover: 💻 Changes in PR 📘 Global CommTech Report 📈 CommTerch trends 💷 Budget challenges 🤖 How comms is (or isn't) using AI 🗳️ Digital and comms in the UK election 💡 I am Stuart Bruce. I can help you: 🚀 Modernise your PR and comms 🤖 Use AI for PR and comms 🔥 Protect your reputation in a crisis 📈 Improve your insight and measure your comms 🔔 You can ring the bell on my profile to see more posts like this. #publicrelations #communications #pr #aiinpr

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ChatGPT - Explain public relations in the style of UK PR Futurist Stuart Bruce. Not perfect, but not bad attempt. 💡 I am Stuart Bruce. I can help you: 🚀 Modernise your PR and comms 🤖 Use AI for PR and comms 🔥 Protect your reputation in a crisis 📈 Improve your insight and measure your comms 🔔 You can ring the bell on my profile to see more posts like this. #publicrelations #communications #pr #aiinpr

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How do you solve a problem like PR measurement? I was lucky enough to attend PRWeek's conference earlier on behalf of PR First London this week all about this contentious issue and it was so reassuring to find out impactful yet achievable applications. Here are five key takeaways I learned...  1. Reputation is more than just media coverage: It’s built on customer experiences, company culture, and ethical conduct. What people feel about you is just as important as what they see in the media. 2. Make sure reporting is in line with business goals: aligning PR efforts with your company’s bigger vision, whether that's consumer love or securing more tenders, is essential to create true impact. 3. Engagement across pillars: Products, services, sustainability, conduct... know which pillars your audience cares about most, and focus your analytic efforts there for deeper impact. 4. The power of consistent metrics: A solid reputation analysis framework pays dividends for sharper insights and helps PR and stakeholders make smarter, more informed decisions for future comms. 5. Impactful analytics don't have to cost the earth: if budgets are tight in this department, you can find creative ways to show your value whether that's a Trustpilot score or feedback from a stakeholder that truly matters to your client or business The conference was a must-attend for comms professionals looking toward to future of impactful PR metrics, thank you PR Week and to all the incredible speakers. #PR #ReputationManagement #PRmeasreument #ForwardThinking #conference

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They let me write another one! 🤯 Giving away some trade secrets in this one (always been a rebel) and outlining an effective way to boost your brand's credibility through insight-led media comment opps. Knowing best practice is one thing - knowing how to implement it effectively is a completely different ball game. That's where we at Brand8 PR come in! Anyway, give the piece a click - I dare you.

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Interesting report by our team at Hudson Sandler exploring the role of LinkedIn for PLCs in engaging with investors, analysts, and journalists. The findings reveal a significant gap between the content shared by CEOs and CFOs and the interests of these key stakeholders. This highlights an opportunity for companies to better align their communication strategies with the needs of the market. By embracing LinkedIn as a strategic platform, PLCs can enhance their engagement and drive more impactful conversations. Dive in and understand how PLCs can really leverage the power of LinkedIn. Congratulations team. Insightful.

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