What made you want to work in the publishing industry?

I remember for my interview to do English Literature at university they asked my what I read for fun and instead of referencing serious authors, I reeled off all these fashion magazines. I thought it would be a really exciting industry to be part of.

Chart your career from the start to where you are now.

I graduated into a recession so interned for months at magazines and gave up on the idea for a bit because everyone was being made redundant. I ended up getting a job at a travel company and a few other places before I moved into magazines and worked at Stylist on their website and set up all their social media. I then moved to Glamour and again worked on their social media and following that, Bauer. I then became Cosmopolitan’s social media manager and three and a half years later I was made of Head of Social Editorial Strategy at Hearst.

How have social media strategies and digital content creation evolved in publishing since you began your career?

10 years ago Instagram and Tik Tok didn’t exist, Twitter was the big platform and we didn’t get much traffic from Facebook. I remember being told off in my first job for spending too much time on Twitter, when actually I was growing the brand and a community. Since then, Facebook news feed and Facebook video have exploded. Instagram stories have really disrupted how people use that platform and I think more broadly, publishers in general have had to adopt more of a 360-degree view. It’s not just about the print product but also the digital strategy as social media can be used to not only drive traffic to your website, but help reach new audiences, customer service and generate revenue. Generally, the attitude to social media has changed and lockdown cemented an appreciation of social media managers who are at the forefront of brands.

In regards to your recent partnership with TikTok, how did you approach and pitch this idea to them?

It was very collaborative and followed on from our launch of Delish, Digital Spy and Cosmopolitan. We wanted to launch Men’s Health and Women’s Health because health and fitness is huge on TikTok. We decided on the hashtag challenge and explained to the brands what it would involve, who then came up with a concept.

How much work and maintenance do these partnerships require once they have been launched?

The hashtag challenge sits in a really prominent place on the app and has amazing exposure. It is hugely promoted to all their creators and the concept from the beginning was very strong. TikTok has a big comment culture so we are always responding to people as well as promoting it on other social platforms. Once the challenge is over, we have to keep the momentum up on TikTok and that is what’s important.

What engagement have you seen since the launch of the campaign?

The account reached nearly 4,000 followers in a couple of weeks, with 36 million views on the hashtag challenge. Big creators took part in the challenge and some of the videos got over 300,000 views.

As Head of Social Strategy at Hearst UK, you oversee 13 brands all with very different readerships and large social audiences. How do you successfully oversee and manage so many different social platforms for such different brands?

We have a great team of social media and digital editors who are experts on their brands. My role is to advise on the strategy, and we use a number of social tools to give advice and analysis. CrowdTangle is great to monitor Facebook and Instagram and the big stories and trends that are bubbling up. Dash Hudson is great for Instagram analytics and we use Tubular Labs for social video analytics.

In your opinion, what are the next big social media trends that magazine publishers can take advantage of to grow engagement?

People really want information and to learn things. Doctors, scientists, estate agents and even sheep farmers have gathered big followings on TikTok because people want to discover more about the world around them and get expert advice straight from trusted people and brands. That’s a great opportunity for publishers because their brands are specialists on certain areas. Instagram has really exploded as a news source, so if you’re not on there as a publisher, you should be.

What’s on your radar?

Instagram Reels (Instagram’s new short form video feature). When Instagram launches a new feature it completely changes how people use the app. Since the introduction of Instagram Stories for example, it is no longer so much about being polished (although that does still happen) but about being real. So, it will be interesting to see how Instagram Reels changes things – will super short video dominate the feed? Publishing brands can capitalise on it because it’s a way to reach a whole new audience who might not follow you and showcase a new side to your brand. Reels also doesn’t require high end filming, often phone-shot video performs the best – but it does require making content that is short, snappy, and serves a purpose – it can be informative, revealing, funny, or showcase a really cool outfit, beauty trick or give inspiration or insight into something in just 15 seconds.

What magazine would you stockpile?

Cosmopolitan and ELLE from Hearst and the Saturday and Sunday Times Magazines and the Sunday Times Style.