Elle Kress On How Remote Work Reshaped The Pitch

By Elle Kress

When Elle Kress started out as a graduate at a big PR agency in London, the path to coverage ran through the phone and the coffee shop. Speaking to Content Sherpa for its piece on PR's changing…

When Elle Kress started out as a graduate at a big PR agency in London, the path to coverage ran through the phone and the coffee shop. Speaking to Content Sherpa for its piece on PR's changing relationship with the media, Elle recalls being encouraged to pick up the phone and call journalists or arrange coffee meetups, which she describes as the best way to secure coverage for clients at the time.

That model, in Elle's view, has shifted. She believes phone calls are now something journalists may not like, and that follow-ups should generally happen via email or text. It is a practical read on how the working day has changed for the reporters PR professionals rely on.

Elle attributes much of the shift to remote work. With journalists often working from home, she explains, the after-work catch-ups that once cemented relationships have become harder to arrange. The result is a more considered approach to when and how a communicator reaches out.

Elle's perspective is grounded in a PR career spanning London and Sydney, across life sciences, retail, health and tech. She is the founder of Hey Good News PR, a public relations agency working across Australia and New Zealand, and of WorkTribes, a community for PR and communications professionals. That combination of hands-on agency work and a network of peers gives her a close view of how day-to-day media relations is actually practised now.

What comes through in the Content Sherpa conversation is a focus on value over volume. Rather than leaning on the habits that once worked, Elle sees an opportunity for communicators to meet journalists where they now are, on the channels and at the moments that suit them.