Chloe Bennett

Digital PR strategist at Digitaloft

Lecturers really became mentors through this method of learning, they knew who you were as an individual, what you understood in class and what you didn’t, and most importantly, what support you needed.

Why I chose to attend Leeds Trinity and my favourite memories

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. After being pushed into science subjects at a-level and hating every second, I had to figure out what I wanted to do. I began looking at all sorts of different careers and university courses, and straight away the courses at Leeds Trinity stood out to me. It really appealed to me that lecturers had experience in their field, most of whom continued to work within their subject outside of teaching, giving real life examples into the classroom.

Having been diagnosed with dyslexia during high school, I knew I needed a different university experience to just sitting in a lecture hall with 300+ other students. I needed a personal touch and that is exactly what Leeds Trinity was offering - as they continually remind you, you are a name not a number, and this is very much the experience you get. 

What I enjoyed most about my course

I really enjoyed the lectures. Most of the time class numbers were small and so it was easy to get involved with the subject. Lectures became more like discussions which really helped my learning. Lecturers really became mentors through this method of learning, they knew who you were as an individual, what you understood in class and what you didn’t, and most importantly, what support you needed.

Also, I really enjoyed the understanding Disney module offered in my second year! Although unfortunately I haven’t had Disney as a client yet!

How my career panned out since graduation

I was lucky to land a dream role before graduating as a Junior PR Executive for a large digital agency in Leeds. I gained a lot of experience after graduating, I won ‘results driver of the year’ two years in a row at my first agency. Following that I had three promotions, from Junior executive, to Executive, to Senior Executive and then Strategist.  

My career highlights include working with some of the most well-known brands in the UK, as well as some of my favourites! 

Being a Digital PR Strategist

I became a Digital PR Strategist for Digitaloft in August 2021. The day-to-day role includes onboarding and communicating with clients, writing ideation briefs, conducting ideation sessions with the rest of the team, coming up with creative digital campaigns, writing up ideas for presentation to clients and helping direct outreach and promotion strategy in line with SEO objectives. 

No one day is the same. Working with so many different clients across a range of niches keeps me on my toes. Some days I can be in back-to-back client meetings, updating them on campaigns, KPI’s and future activity, while other days I will be outreaching numerous campaigns and speaking with journalists from all around the world.

My advice for a student looking at a similar career route

Firstly, get on Twitter and begin following people in the industry. Digital PR Twitter is an amazing space - really supportive and active. I can guarantee if you DM anyone in the industry they will be more than happy to speak to you and give you advice! 

Secondly, get experience! Loads of agencies offer work experience and flexible internships which you can do alongside your studies. While it might seem like a lot of work, I guarantee it will set you up for an amazing career. With Leeds Trinity you’re required to do a placement, so don’t just look at PR agencies. Getting into a newsroom and understanding how journalists work would benefit your career as well.