Former magazine editor helping Hawke's Bay business to shine.

by Hawke's Bay App
Monday, Nov 09, 2020 12:58 PM

Hawke’s Bay’s innovation and entrepreneurship are ripe for nationwide media exposure.

That’s the belief of former New Zealand Woman’s Weekly editor Fiona Fraser, who has been living and working in Hawke’s Bay for four years.

A seminar hosted by Fiona on Thursday November 26th at the Hawke’s Bay Business Hub will explore the changed media landscape post-Covid, and the many pathways to positive publicity in 2021.

Fiona established her public relations and communications consultancy, Contentment Agency, in 2018, working with a range of consumer and creative clients who, she says, have “amazing stories worth telling the rest of the country - and the world - about”.

Those clients include local legends First Light Wagyu, Rockit Apple, Telegraph Hill and the Harcourts Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival.

Fiona says her seminar, for which tickets are now on sale, will help other Hawke’s Bay businesses understand the value of good publicity and what it can do for a brand.

“I think businesses can be a little frightened of dipping their toe in the water when it comes to the media,” Fiona says. “Some of the most common concerns I hear are around what kind of stories make good fodder for journalists, a lack of confidence in writing a press pitch or media release, or worries that the story might not turn out the way it was intended.”

Fiona’s lengthy career as a journalist working in radio, digital and print has helped inform the way she works with brands and businesses, she says. She was appointed editor of New Zealand Woman’s Weekly in 2014, after working her way up through the ranks of several print and digital publications in both London and Auckland.

“Having been on the other side of the media fence, I think I have a fairly clear idea of what stories will work for media, and what won’t, as well as how to reach out effectively and get the best value from the opportunity.”

She still contributes regular features to print and online platforms such as Kia Ora magazine, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly and The Spinoff.

A feature Fiona wrote last year on the iconic Hawke’s Bay meatball was a surprise hit and had tens of thousands of views on The Spinoff website.

“I still get asked about it all the time – Hawke’s Bay people are passionate about their meatballs and happy to debate which are best!”