In Conversation with… Sarah
At Altitude PR, we specialise in delivering strategic and impactful PR across sectors that drive progress – construction, property, manufacturing, technology, renewable energy, education, charity, professional services, to name a few.
To illuminate our approach and expertise, we shine a light on our team members to discuss their journey, standout campaigns, perspectives on the evolving PR landscape, and more.
It’s time to hear from Sarah Chapman, Senior Account Manager, who recently joined Altitude.
Tell us a little about your background and journey into PR.
I’ve had a varied journey so far, starting the day I picked up a leaflet on public relations at the university careers library and thought ‘that sounds like me’. I’ve worked in agencies in Manchester and Sheffield, for a children’s hospice charity, for a workplace solutions manufacturer and a US tech company, and as an independent PR consultant. It’s been fun, challenging and educational.
While I’ve been mostly B2B PR focussed in recent years, early agency life gave me the opportunity to do everything from staging car crashes in shop windows and persuading pensioners to ride rollercoasters, to organising celebrity launches and unveiling city centre masterplans.
The built environment has been a theme – I’ve worked with regeneration bodies, architects, surveyors and construction businesses. Beyond that, sectors I’ve been involved with include charity, healthcare, housing, legal, manufacturing, property, sustainability – you name it!
What does a typical day at Altitude PR look like?
It’s not easy to neatly describe a typical day, as one day can be a complete 180 on the previous depending on client priorities, the news agenda and lots of other things. But on any given day you could probably find us meeting with clients to run through a brief or discuss the next stage of work, brainstorming ideas for campaigns, writing content, analysing data for a report or pitching stories into the media. Another day could involve attending an event or presenting proposals to a potential new client.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
I love the creative strategy and implementation elements of the role, and like being able to do at least a little of both, whatever I’m working on. However, seeing a campaign come to fruition and the ideas you’ve worked on achieve great coverage is always a huge buzz.
Crafting compelling narratives is central to PR. Do you have a piece of writing or a campaign you're particularly proud of and why?
It’s early days for me here at Altitude but one campaign I’ve enjoyed getting involved in to date is Matchmaker for Solomons Europe, which has involved pitching and drafting op-eds and setting up podcasts for the leadership team on the amazing work they’re doing to help SMEs access major infrastructure and built environment frameworks.
How would you sum up Altitude’s approach to PR in three words?
Collaborative. Energetic. Focussed.
What is a common misconception about the PR industry you’d like to debunk?
Perhaps this is a little inward looking, but people coming into the industry can naturally think B2C is the exciting side of the work, perhaps because it’s relatable and touches on products and services we use as consumers. I think many of us come to learn that B2B can be fascinating and rewarding too. We get to learn new things constantly about all kinds of different industry sectors and unpick the issues and challenges that resonate with their audiences.
The Altitude team with Sarah (second from left)
If you had the opportunity to feature a client's story on the front page of any publication, which would you choose and why?
The win here is securing a front cover in the publication most read by the client’s customers. That could be a specialist B2B outlet rather than a broadsheet, but if it reaches the people our clients need to talk to, that’s the right result.
What advice would you offer to businesses aiming to enhance their PR strategies?
Your people are often a brilliant source of industry and product insights, ideas and opinions. Try to give your PR team as much access to them as possible so they can capture this knowledge and make campaigns even stronger.
In PR, you write hundreds of words every day, what’s your favourite word?
Serendipity (don’t think I’ve ever used it in a PR doc though!).
Finally, what’s one B2B PR trend you think we’ll see more of over the next few years?
I’d like to see even more original, human-led thought leadership. This feels more valuable and important than ever in an AI landscape.
To find out more about how we can elevate your brand's presence and tell your unique story, get in touch.
