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There are always plenty of eye-catching PR vacancies on s1jobs and one professional who makes her own headline-grabbing stories is account manager Alison Lowson.
Alison swapped print for PR after 28 years in the newspaper business. Now working for Scottish marketing agency Volpa, she manages the accounts of clients across a wide range of sectors, including tourism, food production, entertainment, law and social enterprise.
She is also an in-demand media and crisis management trainer.
How easy did you find the move from journalism into PR?
The skills I developed as a newspaper editor transferred well into the fast-paced agency environment. Not only am I used to writing, proof reading and managing multiple deadlines, but I’m comfortable working across different departments (digital, creative, print, advertising) and connecting with all types of people in all walks of life.
Weirdly it’s the less obvious skills I developed during my three decades in the newspaper industry that have proved to be the most useful in my new role. These include:
Juggler
From newspapers to glossy magazines, golf magazines to football supplements, I can produce a quality product on deadline within a tight budget. This has come in handy when costing and producing a wide range of marketing collateral for my current clients.
Legal eagle
Legalling news stories and dealing with lawyers’ letters is part and parcel of the newspaper editor’s job, so I have an encyclopaedic knowledge of Scots Law. A big advantage in my new role delivering crisis management training and advice.
Events planner
I’ve co-ordinated everything from an online silent auction which raised £500,000 for charity to a 200-plate dinner for Scotland’s top business leaders. Organising press photocalls for demanding TV crews is a doddle in comparison.
Miracle worker
One of my more challenging bosses once asked me to sort out political asylum for a waiter who worked in his local takeaway. If I can do that (and I did!) I reckon I can deal with any client request … no matter how random.
Any advice to someone thinking about a career in PR?
Go for it! I wish I’d made the move to PR years ago. That said, working for an agency is very different from working in a comms team for a large organisation. I’d strongly advise talking to someone already in the industry to get a feel for what’s involved.
Make your own next move with the top Marketing & PR roles from s1jobs.