Tell me, what does a publicist actually do?

As told to Lara Daly

“At this point, I’ve gone to the opening of a tin of sardines.”

Many of us, myself included, grew up with the idea of a ‘dream job’ – or at least, some idea of where we’d want to work when we grew up. But as we know, the careers we idealise in our heads (and take out debilitating student loans to pursue) often aren’t what we expect them to be.

To shed some light on the realities of the workforce, it pays to be nosy, asking people with different jobs what their day-to-day looks like. This week, we talk to Brigette Borbely, a Sydney-based publicist who has worked with premium lifestyle clients like Charlotte Tilbury, Dyson Audio and Paula’s Choice.

Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.

Brigette is the first to admit that when she applied for her Public Relations degree as a seventeen-year-old, she had no idea what a publicist actually did. “I knew Samantha Jones from Sex and the City was the kind of woman I’d like to grow up to be, I knew I wanted to move as far away as possible from the small town I grew up in, and I knew I wanted a glamorous job that merged my love for words with my affinity for being social,” she says.

While working at a PR agency is not always glamorous, her role is varied and scattered with exciting events. “Some days you’ll be cheers-ing champagne with people you once dreamed of meeting, some days you’ll open up your favourite magazine and see a shiny editorial featuring your client. Other days, you’ll be sending hundreds of emails, only to receive a pity bounce-back in reply.” If Brigette were to craft a ‘standard’ week in her job, here’s what it would look like.

Monday

I start everyday with a very large coffee while I browse all of the news sites. It’s crucial to understand what’s happening locally and even globally, so you know the appropriate times to pitch. If I can give any advice to someone starting in PR, it would be to know who you’re pitching to, absorb every piece of writing you can.

I then check emails that have come through since Friday and organise my diary for the week ahead. I’m an analog kind of girl and have a physical diary that comes with me everywhere.

On Mondays, we have an internal WIP [work in progress] meeting with the PR team, where we discuss all of the activity and priorities for the week ahead for each client.

Today mainly consists of sending out invites for an upcoming event, managing RSVPs and liaising with talent managers and media. I’m also managing a PR send out of about 120 gifts which will be sent to key ‘opinion leaders’ and media. Next up, I’ll create and print labels for each recipient’s gift, and organise couriers or package them up for AusPost.

The send-outs can get wild, real fast.

Tuesday

Today I kicked things off by writing a pitch to media on behalf of a client. ‘Always-on’ retainers [rather than project clients] mean constantly thinking of evergreen concepts and topics the media will be interested in hearing and more importantly, writing about.

The main questions I get about PR always revolve around pitching. The way I like to explain it is that publicists are the bridge between the brand [or person] and the media. It’s likely the next time you see a product in a magazine or an article, it made its way there through a PR person.

Matcha break.

Next up is a front-cover photoshoot for a newspaper in preparation for a key date in the client’s social calendar. I hop in an Uber and make my way to the photoshoot location, where I’ll meet the client’s team and the photographer. You truly never know what’s required of you on set until you get there.

Today, I held up a light diffuser while standing on a chair to ensure the light was reflecting nicely on the model. These kinds of shoots also require an eye for detail, and making sure the shot is exactly what the publication is after.

Wednesday

Today is a WIP day for me which means I have three client meetings scheduled throughout the day. These days, most of our meetings are online and run for roughly an hour, where myself and the client discuss all upcoming and past activities.

Every morning, I monitor the internet and social media for any client coverage that has come through overnight, as well as flick through any new magazines that have landed on my desk (which might be my favourite thing to do).

Hi, Fashion Journal!

Today we’ve been added to a one-off project to support a brand for an upcoming launch event. We’ll need roughly 50 high-calibre guests in attendance, so I begin my guest list in a spreadsheet with about 200 names, linking their social accounts and followings, and my rationale for including them.

Once the list has been approved, I’ll begin personally emailing the 200 names with the invite and will continue monitoring and managing RSVPs throughout the week.

Tonight I’m attending an event for a boutique Melbourne fragrance brand, Ficifolia. They’re launching their Sydney collection with an intimate dinner at Bistro Grenier in Newtown. I try to go to as many events as I can because you never know who you’re going to meet and where it might lead. At this point, I’ve gone to the opening of a tin of sardines.

Dreamy set-up at the Ficifolia opening in Melbourne.

Thursday

First up on my list today is to do some pitching research for a client. I’ll begin researching what topics are trending in Australia and globally, as well as doing some competitor analysis. I settle on my ideas and begin writing a pitch that I’ll email out to select journalists and editors who might be interested in covering the topic.

Today turns out to involve lots of writing. Next up is a press release on a brand’s launch which involved a lot more research on the brand and their audience, as well as the objectives we would like to achieve with the release. Press releases tend to be longer than an email pitch and rather than offering a certain angle, they will likely cover something that’s new or newsworthy. I’ll finish writing this and send it across to the brand for approval.

Tonight is the 2024 TikTok Australia Awards and I’ll be attending as a publicist for Victoria-based Creator of The Year nominee, Elle Ray. At 4pm, I begin getting ready, laptop open in case any surprise emails come through. An hour later, we head off to the awards.

Multi-tasking.

First up is red carpet management. As Elle walks the media side of the red carpet, I keep an eye out for any journalists and reporters I know, thankfully tonight I know a few and say hello, letting them know that Elle will be walking to them shortly and that she’d love to chat. You’re a 24/7 networker as a PR, any reporters that I don’t know, I’ll introduce myself and Elle to set up another interview.

The red carpet media frenzy.

Friday

Finally Friday, we’ve made it through the week. But first, reports. Each week, clients receive a recap of all of the coverage we’ve achieved which means monitoring, tracking and entering data from online, print, and social media into an Excel sheet. This tends to be a lengthy process.

On Fridays, I’ll wrap up anything outstanding from the week and get to all the emails I haven’t had a chance to respond to. Fridays are also a good opportunity to take a moment to plan for the week ahead. We’re lucky enough to have ‘summer Fridays’ all year round, so at 4pm we head off to the pub for some team drinks and a catch up.