A look back at my first week at Eskenzi PR
Starting any new job can be a daunting experience, particularly when starting in a junior position in a niche industry such as cybersecurity. When I arrived last Monday for my first day at Eskenzi, I had a multitude of questions about tech PR and the industry respectively, but very few answers! Thankfully, my new team proved more than helpful in getting me up to speed as quickly as possible. First, I was introduced to the office properly, learning everyone’s job titles and the associated responsibilities. This allowed me to gain direct examples of how a PR agency is structured, and the work associated with each role, from Account Executive right through to Director.
Secondly, I was introduced to our clients. Account Director Lara took me through each of the accounts I will be working on, offering me a brief and useful overview of the specific role of each within the Cybersecurity sphere. I found out as much information about these companies as possible, and immediately found myself excited at the prospect of working with major players such as Alert Logic, who lead the industry in Cloud security systems, and NuData Security who specialise in using passive biometrics to identify users, I’ve relished the opportunity to research these companies, improving my understanding of each of their unique places in the wider industry.
Next up was getting to grips with Eskenzi’s methods of monitoring and pitching to the media. Securing and recording coverage gained for our clients is a top priority for Eskenzi as in any agency, and an understanding of how to do this is fundamental. I was given step by step instructions of how to track and record media coverage of our clients, and compare it with the coverage gained by their competitors. This is useful as it provides me with real-world examples of PR in action; being able to show our clients their share of the media voice, coupled with analysis of the type of coverage is crucial when feeding back our progress, and thinking strategically about the future.
Wednesday evening gave me an opportunity to experience a more casual aspect of the role. Eskenzi had organised an informal evening of drinks and food for some of the journalists we work closest with. This was an opportunity to put faces to the names I was going to spend a significant amount of time emailing! The event was a great success, and provided an opportunity for me to get to know some of my colleagues at Eskenzi, and in the wider technology industry that bit better.
By Thursday, I felt ready to try my hand at some writing! I was asked to draft a pitch for an article regarding cloud security for Alert Logic, and how businesses can adapt their security solutions in line with moving to a cloud computing system. This was a particularly enjoyable experience, as it was a chance to use my natural passion and academic experience of writing, in a professional capacity. As an English graduate, chances to use your writing skills outside of personal hobbies or essays are far and few between, so to have found an industry where writing is necessary, not just encouraged, is fantastic.
I was also given the opportunity to write a piece of content from scratch for one of our clients NuData Security. This again was a fantastic opportunity to try my hand at writing to a house style, and about an area I was not an expert in. This content was designed to support Fraud Prevention Month which runs throughout March, and detailed how individuals and businesses can take simple measures to counteract the ever-increasingly ingenious ways fraudsters will attempt to target and access your assets.
Friday was an excellent opportunity to take stock of all that I had managed to learn and achieve in my first week. Rohit and I (another new Account Exec at Eskenzi) managed to achieve some fantastic results from our first venture into the PR world. After writing several pitches, we were rewarded with some fantastic placements. I had responses from household names such as The Economist, and BBC News. I was also lucky enough to have placements with trade press leaders such as SC Magazine for NuData Security, and Rohit managed a spectacular first-week result by gaining FireMon coverage on the Mail Online website! For a newcomer to the PR industry to gain coverage on the world’s largest news website speaks volumes about the quality of coverage we at Eskenzi strive for, and the feeling of satisfaction in securing exceptional coverage for a client is not to be underestimated!
Whilst obviously still finding my feet in the industry, I think the outstandingly warm welcome, coupled with wealth of support and advice I was given, means I am in a perfect position to become a key member of the team, and to help Eskenzi’s clients secure the best coverage possible. All in all I would consider my first week at Eskenzi to be a great success, and hopefully by the time my next blog post comes around there is nothing about cybersecurity, or indeed PR that I won’t know!
By Conor Heslin, Account Executive
