Meet the Team: 5 questions for Louise Pinchin

Continuing with our ‘Meet the team’ series, here we meet Louise Pinchin – founder of Yorkshire-based White Rose PR – who has been working with the SHC team, particularly on social media marketing, since 2022. 

What made you decide to start your own PR agency?

For 20 years I worked my way up in the corporate world undertaking senior comms roles  at companies including Boots the Chemists and Aviva. However in 2009 when my daughter was born, I wanted more flexibility and stability to fit in around her needs – and I never wanted to miss a nativity play or harvest festival. But it wasn’t just about becoming a mum, I also felt that I had reached a point in my career where I could take on the challenge of running my own business and I wanted the variety of working with different clients and being in charge of my own destiny.  

Why PR?

I’ve only ever worked in PR and been fortunate to have found the right career for me as soon as I graduated. There are many aspects of the work that I love – the creativity, the writing, the buzz of getting media coverage for my clients (something that never tires for me!) and the fantastic variety of people that I have met along the way including clients, colleagues, journalists, influencers and experts. Perhaps the one thing that has kept me in this career for 30 years is that no two days are ever the same. And this has applied in all my roles – agency, in-house and now running my own business.

For most of my career I’ve worked in consumer communications with some time also spent on B2B clients as well. For many years I’ve worked predominantly in healthcare, wellness beauty, food and nutrition – all things which interest my on a personal level, which means being at work never feels like a chore.

Right now I like the mix of having my own clients but also working with other consultancies such as SHC. It’s great to feel part of a different team and also to see how other businesses work – it’s good for idea generation and ensuring consistent best practice for the industry.

What have been your PR career highlights so far?

There have been many highlights throughout my career – some really successful launches such as Boots Men stores. Some huge challenges such as the POM to P switch of the morning after pill when I was Healthcare PR Manager at Boots, which although stressful was a huge learning curve and an amazing project to be involved with. And I can’t not mention getting to spend the day with Jonny Wilkinson – as a massive England rugby fan, this was certainly one of my favourite days!

As the media moves to more of a digital presence, how has this affected your approach to achieving results?

The media landscape has changed so much during my time in PR and we have all had to keep up with the times as social media and influencer marketing became more prevalent. We work with our clients to understand the benefits of digital media coverage, influencer campaigns and social media, as well as the need to sometimes aim for traditional print media coverage as well. As with all aspects of marketing, understanding the customer is key to finding the right media targets and creating the most fitting campaign.

That’s enough about White Rose PR… what about you?

I was born and bred in Barnsley, South Yorkshire and moved to London when I was 21 to do a Master’s degree and start my PR career. I then spent many years in Nottingham before returning back to Yorkshire in 2004 – my favourite part of the UK, particularly York and North Yorkshire. I live with my husband who works in IT, my daughter Holly who is almost 16 and my west highland white terrier, Rafi (we name our dogs after Lion King characters)! When not working I love doing yoga, walking the dog, failing miserably to write a book and reading (lots!). I’m also studying Italian and passionate about Italy – we have a second home in Puglia (the heel of Italy) and spend as much time out there as we can get away with!