Testimonials
Just a handful of the wonderful words shared by PRs and business owners who have booked on my course, workshops and webinars.
"Having our new PR entrants attend Suzanne's training provides them with a toolkit on how to pitch and land coverage, and build relationships with journalists. The fact that Suzanne explains the journalist's experience really helps people grasp why certain things have landed, and others haven't! Our colleagues come back with lots of energy and improved effectiveness. Thanks Suzanne!!"
Jo Wilmot, ChartPR, PR director and board member at The Think Tank
"Would thoroughly recommend the 'How to secure media coverage' workshop for any budding or even experienced PRs looking for a bit of journalist insight to help with pitching. Suzanne was clear, informative and her interactive approach really ignited the discussions in the room. It also gives you a greater appreciation of the challenges felt on the other side of the inbox which can be really invaluable for relationship management."
Natasha Le Marquand, senior PR account manager at Napier
"Susie hosted a really insightful session in Brussels. I was great to receive her advice on how to land media coverage and nurture relationships with journalists. She provided practical examples, concrete Do's and Don'ts, and friendly heads-ups. I left the session with a creative spark, ready to take on my next media pitch. Thanks again Susie!"
Hollie Fisher, sustainability communication strategist
"As a recent graduate starting my career in PR, Suzanne's workshop was an absolute game-changer. It was incredibly informative and the insights she shared were immediately actionable. Consequently, I've signed up to Suzanne's newsletter for more helpful tips and will be looking out for future courses!"
Annie Davey, public and media relations executive
"I would highly recommend Suzanne Bearne's Lessons from a Journalist: How to Secure Media Coverage course. It is clear, practical and grounded in real newsroom experience, with genuinely useful insight into how journalists think and what makes a story worth covering. Suzanne shares advice you can apply straight away to improve how you approach media coverage."
Pip Watkins, head of marketing & communications at AirEx Technologies
"I've had 10+ years experience in PR and I have certainly at times been guilty of getting stuck into a rut of doing things how they've always been done. It can be easy to focus on what WE think is a good story, without actually thinking about what the journalist we're pitching to cares about. Susie's workshop was an important reminder for PR professionals to take a step back and really think about whether our story is worth a journalist's time when their inboxes are completely flooded, and if not, how to make it more useful or engaging. And as she reminded us, the most successful pitches are targeted and thoughtful. Her workshop was a great step in helping me create many more of those."
Caroline Hailstone, PR & comms at Octopus Money
"Suzanne's How To Secure Media Coverage workshop is a must-attend for PRs of all experience levels. I've been doing PR since the dawn of time and I still took a lot from the session. Suzanne has a lot of practical insight to share, and because she's still a very active journalist, it all feels relevant, up to date and credible. Thoroughly recommended."
Tom Kirkham, marketing & communications strategist, author, blogger, tech PR expert
"I found the session the be hugely insightful, providing invaluable insights into the world of a journalist and how to create the ultimate pitch for your features. I'm grateful for the knowledge gained and the connections made during this enriching experience and look forward to applying these newfound skills to create impactful future pitches and drive meaningful results for my clients and organisation. A huge thank you to Suzanne Bearne for holding the session and all of the knowledge passed on today."
Ollie Manser, public relations executive, The MTM Agency
"Our team have been super positive about the private workshop you delivered for us. When I joined a couple of client calls yesterday, they were weaving some of the learnings from it in which was great to see. Definitely testament to your insight and expertise."
Monica Poncelas, associate director, Aspire PR
"What an amazing course! Not only did it give me some insightful tips but more importantly it helped me with securing interviews and getting a job in this difficult time! Would highly recommend to anyone either starting out in PR or those who want to gain some more in-depth knowledge."
Amelia Vevers, PR and marketing manager, London Central Portfolio
“Just a quick one to say that I rewrote a pitch I had been preparing to send to one of the design magazines about one of our projects based on Monday's workshop and... it was successful. Thanks very much for the solid and relevant advice!”
Jenny Stephens, PR and digital comms, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studio
"Suzanne’s workshop was invaluable. She gave extremely practical advice and creative suggestions for securing more media coverage. She shared with us varied examples of successful pitches and the kind of coverage that they resulted in. Her dos and don’ts of engaging with journalists were particularly instructive! I’ve already signed up to Suzanne’s newsletter for more helpful tips."
Katie George, Crest Communications
Meike Schützek, Marketing and Communications Expert and Founder of NGO Ocean. Now!
"I booked Suzanne's online course for the team and it was a great decision in particular with regards to the different levels of experience. As we work with a very mixed team of people with various backgrounds, it was very handy to always tune into it online whenever people's time allowed. Learning from a journalist first hand was the most direct way to get to know the tips and tricks as well as technical details. Plus, we very much enjoy her newsletters as well, they contain very relevant info which is not so easy to get. We highly recommend Suzanne as a PR and press expert."
Lynsey Walden, Director, Front Door Communications
"After a training session with freelancer Suzanne Bearne, I came away feeling completely besotted with my chosen profession.
After twenty years in this job, I didn’t think there was anything I didn’t know. I know that sounds full of myself but after a certain amount of time, you can say that right?
But actually, Suzanne taught me a lot of things that I’d either forgotten about, taken for granted or just hadn’t even considered."
Amanda White, Owner, Gift Frippery!
"I’m so glad I booked myself onto one of Suzanne’s workshops. I only did it the day before, on a whim. My gift wrapping business is ME! Yet I have to learn to deal with all aspects of it. I wrote continually throughout the workshop and even a good year later I still reread those notes before approaching journalists.
To my great joy, following Suzanne’s recommendations , I secured a piece of editorial with environmental journalist Anna Turns. She later came back to me for a larger piece on eco wrapping pre-Christmas in Reclaim magazine. Thank you!"
"I purchased Suzanne’s online course when I reached a point in my business where I was ready to elevate my profile and share my expertise as an employment specialist. Suzanne’s course made everything so clear and manageable. The templates and honest insider advice helped me understand how to ‘think’ like a journalist.
As a result of the knowledge. confidence and excitement I gained, I was featured on local radio and TV where I live in Nottingham, as well as on BBC Radio Leicester. This definitely has enhanced my credibility and raised my profile."
Judy Bullimore, Job Coach
"I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone who wants to take a deeper dive into the mind of a journalist and receive key insights on how to make your pitch stand out. I left the workshop feeling knowledgeable, optimistic and with a strong sense of admiration for the field of journalism."
Hailee Harris, Campaign and Event Manager, Vegan Friendly
"Thank you so much for a brilliant workshop. Really appreciated your candour. Less than 24 hours later, I’m already putting your training into practice – for pitching, thinking more creatively about stories, and with the ‘consultant’ hat on, as supporting evidence (or ammunition, probably… I don’t shut up about case studies & data at the best of times, but definitely ramping it up now).”
Lex Rosenthal, Account Manager, Tala
Tom Higgins, Marketing Manager, Voxpopme
"If you've ever wanted the inside track on how to secure media coverage, I'd highly recommend the 'Lessons from a journalist' workshops. In a hectic world, connecting with journalists the right way can be hard, but after attending Susie's workshop, it feels like it's going to be a lot easier. I left with a host of resources, practical tips, and creative ideas.
I've gone on to secure more press pickups using on Twitter and my new pitching style."
Will Berrington, Media & PR Officer, StepChange Debt Charity
“Susie’s workshop was an absolutely fantastic insight into how a professional journalist views our pitches. The session was in-depth and covered everything you needed to know about getting a journo’s attention, without for a moment being condescending.
I can genuinely say Susie’s course has helped become a more effective press officer.”
Alina Bauer, PR & Communications Manager, Webedia
"I just got round to watching the second part of your webinar yesterday. And I have to say: The second part was equally as good and helpful as the first one. Thank you for all your insights, advice and for making three hours seem like 30mins."
“I've turned to Susie many times now, and her content has been incredible for my PR efforts. I started with a newsletter followed by a Power Hour and finally visited her workshop. Those were amazing 3 hours packed with valuable insights, lifehacks, real-life case studies and pitches. I left with lots of notes and ideas that I can't wait to implement. I also got a better understanding of how to become a reporter's trustworthy partner and valuable source. I highly recommend the workshop both to PR newbies and more experienced folks - seeing the whole PR process through a journalist's lens will definitely help you bring your A-game.”
Nadya Movchan, PR manager, 3DLook
"I attended one of your workshops yesterday afternoon and just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thank you. I found the session really insightful in terms of top tips and tricks, but it also immediately sparked a few creative thoughts as to how I can try and pitch for some of my current clients. I also really appreciated the candour of your delivery, and feel it helped with the sense of 'seeing behind the curtain' that the session carried.”
George O’Neill, Account Executive, Good Relations Group
Ruth Sturdy, Founder of Colour Chronicles
"I have thoroughly enjoyed Susie’s course. It’s given me the insights I need to create a plan and execute it. Just what I needed!"
Ben Yelton, Communication & Event Manager, Sepura
"I genuinely think this was the most useful workshop I can remember attending. Really well thought out and just had the right amount of practical useful guidance."
Julia Gifford, founder, PR & content marketing agency TrueSix
"Starting to go through Suzanne's course. Despite doing this for years, I'm still learning about new PR opportunities that are available. Having never had formal PR training (or established agency experience), this has massive value."
“Thank you for organising last week's workshop on securing media coverage - as someone just starting out in PR, your tips were incredibly helpful and I'm beginning to have conversations with colleagues at WSP about stories and projects that would be interesting to share with the media.”
Margarita Zvereva, Public Relations Officer, WSP
“As PR’s it’s rare we get to sit down with a journalist and pick their brain about what makes a great pitch - especially one with such extensive experience. Susie gave a whole host of advice, speaking about best approaches to creating compelling stories, with her real-life examples helping to bring this to life. The whole team - from new starters to Account Directors - walked away from the session with practical tips about how to pitch national journalists more successfully, excited about how they could put these tactics into practice. Thanks Susie!”
Hannah Sobolewski, Account Director, Touchdown PR
“Definitely recommend @sbearne’s workshop and courses if you want to get inside the mind of a journalist! So many useful tips and tricks.
Lance Honegan, Content & PR Executive, Assisted Digital
“It was really interesting to hear Suzanne Bearne's first-hand experience, tricks of the trade and most importantly what a #PR should NOT pitch in her Lessons from a Journalist workshop yesterday with my fellow media specialist Kate Hellig.”
Annabelle Tooby, Account Executive, Whiteoaks International
Industry References
"Susie comes up with excellent ideas for features, which she goes on to write very well indeed. As importantly, she always meets deadlines, and is very easy and friendly to deal with." - Will Smale, Editor, BBC
"I've commissioned Susie plenty of times and she always delivers clean, lively and engaging copy. She's adaptable to different styles of articles and she's a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend her to others looking for a freelancer." - Alex Lawson, Business News Editor, Evening Standard
"Susie is one of the most natural story-getters I have had the pleasure to work with." - Katherine Rushton, Head of Investigations, Telegraph