A PR freelancer’s experience of working with EC-PR

Gina Hollands has worked in the PR industry for 20 years. In December 2022, she left a senior position in a PR agency to go freelance. EC-PR was one of her first clients. Here she shares what it was like to join the EC-PR team as a PR freelancer.

What was your experience of working with the team?

My main contact was Liz, and she provided the BEST briefs. They were thorough and to the point without being bogged down with extraneous information. The way EC-PR work really suits my style. I felt trusted and was empowered to be autonomous, which is how I work best. No one was breathing down my neck, deadlines were clearly communicated and Liz’s estimations for how much time things would likely take were almost always bang on. If anything did take longer, I felt I could let Liz know and she’d be understanding, which she always was.

What would you say they are particularly good at?

My main contact was Liz, and she provided the BEST briefs. They were thorough and to the point without being bogged down with extraneous information. The way EC-PR work really suits my style. I felt trusted and was empowered to be autonomous, which is how I work best. No one was breathing down my neck, deadlines were clearly communicated and Liz’s estimations for how much time things would likely take were almost always bang on. If anything did take longer, I felt I could let Liz know and she’d be understanding, which she always was.

Were there any challenges you had to overcome?

Not really. It was all wonderfully straightforward. All I’d say is that tech PR isn’t for everyone. I love it because it allows me to stretch my brain by taking a complex subject, researching and understanding it, then translating it into a piece that’s media worthy. I enjoy that challenge, but I get that it’s not everyone’s bag. I’ve done a mix of trade and consumer PR in my past and enjoyed the opportunity to focus my efforts on tech. I also love writing, and my stint at EC-PR allowed me to do lots of writing and combine it with PR tasks, such as pitching and disseminating articles.

What’s important to you as a freelancer when working with a PR agency?

I’m quite far on in my career and can get a bit frustrated if the trust isn’t there. I do understand however that asking a company to trust a new freelancer can be asking a lot – they don’t have the experience of working with you, even if you do come with a solid track record. My ideal situation is that I get a full brief and then left to get on with it, knowing that someone’s on the end of the phone should I have any queries. That’s exactly what I got with EC-PR.

Being a freelancer for EC-PR gave me everything I was looking for: a cerebral challenge, the opportunity to flex my media relations, writing and creative muscles, trust, autonomy and being on the receiving end of excellent management. It’s actually very rare finding all that and I felt very lucky to have it at EC-PR.