Libby Windle is PR Manager at connective3, the digital performance agency which has offices in Leeds, Manchester and London.
Connective3, which recently announced the launch of its dedicated international team to provide digital PR and SEO support to global clients, has rapidly grown the size of its PR team.
Leeds-based Windle joined the agency in early 2020, having previously worked at Propaganda and Jaywing, and is part of connective3’s digital PR team.
We found out what a recent week in her life looked like.
Monday
Mondays are pretty mad, to say the least. We’re able to work a couple of days a week in the connective3 office if we wish, so by 7:15am I’m on the train and in the office an hour later.
After a quick check of the news and client results secured over the weekend, I sit down with our PR Strategists at 9am to kickstart the week ahead, discuss the team’s workload and what they have going on for clients. These meetings also provide the opportunity for the team to discuss any client red flags so we can think of a plan to nip it in the bud sooner rather than later.
Following this, I join our sales and marketing meeting to discuss new business opportunities coming through the door, what’s needed, and deadlines. A lot of client calls also take place on a Monday and I join one or two with the team to offer support, discuss overall activity, results and next steps.
As I’m currently supporting a new business proposal and we have just over a week to submit, I spend most of my afternoon dedicated to the deck, including research and planning the strategy. It’s an exciting one! I’m home by 6:30pm, shattered – having not done the commute for over a year, you really do feel it! Dog walked, tea cooked, showered, and I can tune into Love Island with a brew.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I’m working from home so I’m up at 6am for a workout, and at my desk by 8am. This morning I’ve joined two brainstorms with the team, one for a client based within the arts industry, and the other within the home sector. I then catch up with Strategists leading the accounts to go over the ideas and pick out the ones we believe are the strongest and worth putting in front of the client.
In between meetings, I also support the team in proofing content before it goes out of the door and checking in on how their client work is going, ensuring strategies are all on track. Not only that but I also get stuck in on some media outreach for a couple of big client campaigns that have just gone live.
I still get the same buzz when doing outreach as I did when I started in my career. The evening is the same; I’m a creature of habit!
Wednesday
Same pre-work routine this morning. We’re working on a big AR/VR campaign for a client of ours, so first thing we have a meeting with the developers to ensure everything is on track.
It’s a super busy week for the team with lots going on, so today I’ve jumped on to help with the data analysis of an upcoming workplace-focused campaign, as well as drafting a press release for another campaign we have going live soon.
The rest is taken up with 1-to-1s. I hold these bi-weekly with our Senior PRs and Project Manager. The one-on-one time allows us to catch up on work, as well as anything else they have going on, whether that’s inside of work or out.
Because we’re not having the daily face-to-face communication we were used to, I think it’s important to still have that time with the team to check in and have a general natter, even if it’s just about their weekend plans. Every Wednesday afternoon we have a PR team midweek catch-up where we discuss any client campaigns that need some TLC.
We use the time to quickly think of new angles, as well as discussing any other cool industry campaigns we’ve spotted, taking the inspiration into account. I try to join these catch-ups as much as I can to ensure I have a clear overview of everything that’s happening and can offer my support when needed.
Thursday
Up and at it again. We’re hiring for our Manchester office, so we have a second interview with a candidate who we’ve tasked to share ideas on how they’d pitch for a dream client.
Following this, I have a client call, then another interview for our Manchester office. It’s so refreshing to speak to new people, most of who are graduates. Their ideas are fantastic, and they’re so super eager to learn. We’ve recently rolled out a mentoring scheme at connective3 where everyone within the business chooses someone they’d like to be their mentor, whether it’s to help them achieve their professional goals or generally learn more about another area of the business.
I catch up with my mentee after lunch, speak about how she’s getting on, and catch up on the actions set during our previous catch-up, outlining new actions for the following few weeks. Following this, I have another interview with a potential PR, but this time for our Leeds office, before one more 1-to-1.
Friday
Today I’m on the 7:14am train to Kings Cross. I’m off to work with two of our PR Strategists, one of which recently joined the team, and we haven’t yet met face-to-face.
I head to our WeWork, grab a coffee, and set up camp for the day with the team. I then join our weekly creative meeting with our Senior PRs, as well as the Head of Design and Social to discuss the bigger, creative campaigns we have in the pipeline to ensure every inch of the content is top-notch before it goes out of the door.
After lunch, I jump on another brainstorm whilst also ensuring all my admin is up to date. This afternoon we also have our monthly client accounts catch-up where the Director, Senior PRs, Project Manager and I spend the hour looking at the past month including results and deliverables.
We also use the time to forecast for the month ahead taking the number of projects we have on, team holidays and so on into account to ensure we won’t hit any hurdles. Come 4pm, we receive our team good vibes – a weekly email with team shout-outs for their hard work. Laptops are shut, and I head out for a drink with the guys before catching the train home.
