Chatsworth director Michael Deeny has spent more than a decade helping financial technology companies tell better stories. He leads key accounts, manages a team of senior managers and still gets a buzz from landing a great piece of coverage.

Did you always want to work in PR?

PR is a bit of a family affair for me. My dad and three sisters all work in PR and communications, so I suppose you could say it is in the blood.

Like most young people, though, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for a living. I was doing well in written subjects such as sociology and politics, and I had always enjoyed reading, so I thought journalism might be a good place to start.

I even did some work experience at a tabloid but quickly realised it was not quite the right fit. Then my older sister studied communications, advertising and marketing at university and loved it, so I followed suit.

While the degree gave me some solid foundations and taught the theory, it was my first job in PR that gave me a real taste for it. I worked at a small agency in Belfast on everything from bathroom companies and tourism bodies to cloud migration and R&D tax credits. It was fast-paced, hard work and incredibly busy, but I learned so much during those first couple of years, and it cemented my decision.

I then moved to London and joined Chatsworth, where I had to wrap my head around finance and technology (and the tube!), which was no mean feat. However, specialising in managing the reputations of firms at the forefront of a fast-growing, cutting-edge and exciting industry turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made.

What is the biggest change you have seen in PR since you started?

For me personally, the biggest practical change has been the rise of remote working.

When I started in PR, client meetings and media interviews tended to happen in person. You booked a meeting room, prepped the tea and coffee and nipped to the shop to buy some fancy biscuits. If someone was based abroad, you might speak over the phone on a conference call.

Our entire team was in the office every day, so there were no daily or weekly Teams/Zoom calls, and there was a lot less internal Slack traffic.

The widespread adoption of remote work changed everything. It showed that people didn’t need to be sitting beside one another to produce their best work or collaborate effectively. Digital tools made it possible for teams to speak every day, share ideas and keep work moving wherever they were based.

This also enabled me to move back to Belfast while continuing to work for a London agency and support clients around the world. This wouldn’t have seemed possible when I started my career.

I still believe meeting people in person is incredibly important. I am in London once or twice a month and try to pack those visits with as many team and client meetings as possible. Remote working is effective, but there is still nothing quite like being in the same room as colleagues, clients and journalists.

Ask me again next year, and the answer will likely be AI!

On that front, how do you think AI will change the PR industry?

I hope for the better. I think a lot of firms are still in the early adoption phase and tinkering around the edges. They’re using it to test out ideas, compile research and find journalists.

Agencies that are embracing it at full speed aren’t necessarily implementing it correctly. For example, I saw a LinkedIn post from a PR saying that they used AI to review the news and draft a personalised pitch to journalists without any human involvement. The post got a lot of heat from journalists and fellow PRs, and rightly so. Finding and judging stories, and pitching is a bit of an art form, so the thought of outsourcing and automating this process to AI doesn’t sit right.

A lot of firms are also using it to write content. I don’t have a huge problem with this, provided there’s proper thinking and editorial judgement involved.

Editors we speak to say they’re inundated with so many “slop-eds” that they’re running fewer contributed articles. AI can certainly help sharpen ideas, improve structure and polish writing, but the output can often be formulaic and lack the originality that makes content worth reading. I’ve always been taught never to send content you don’t fully understand, and in the age of AI, this is more important than ever.

I think the real value is the same as what nearly every other industry is saying. Automating the mundane tasks that take time, like admin.

Again, it’s still too early to say what the future will look like, but in PR, critical thinking and solid judgement have always been core to the role, and I don’t see that changing.

What separates a good PR idea from one that will actually land?

There are several elements, but a good starting point is to be honest about your intention.

If you just want to plug a product and speak about something you’re doing, it’s going to be a hard sell. If you are willing to share your expertise, discuss the problems facing the market and provide meaningful insight without forcing the product into every sentence, then you are much closer to having something journalists will find useful. That’s not to say it won’t promote your product or brand, but pushing them too hard puts journalists off.

You also need to think carefully about your audiences. I say audiences because there are always at least two. There is the buyer, investor or industry professional you ultimately want to reach, but there is also the journalist standing between you and that audience. The idea has to land with the journalist before it can ever appear in front of the end reader.

The best pitches offer a full package. When pitching a story to their editors, journalists need a strong narrative as well as facts, figures and sources to back it up. If you can offer interviews with customers/third parties, data and visuals, you make life a lot easier – it’s an ‘oven-ready’ story, rather than a tip-off.

Then, when you land the interview, make sure your client is prepared to nail it. Answer directly, provide an opinion, explain concepts and, particularly in the fintech space, assume no prior knowledge and keep it simple. Don’t read off a script and don’t go way off script either. The sweet spot is giving the journalist useful colour and a strong point of view without saying something controversial purely for attention.

There can be an element of luck too. I once worked with a fintech founder preparing to sell one of his businesses that was challenging two large incumbents that hadn’t had competition in decades. We had trading volume data, an independent analyst and a strong story on why the market was being disrupted. Our top target was the Wall Street Journal, and after a bit of digging, we ended up speaking to a journalist who happened to already be looking into that exact market – we struck gold.

The feature appeared within a couple of weeks, and the company was sold a few months later for a nine-figure sum. It was a great example of how strong PR can support a business at a commercially important moment.

You have worked both in-house and agency-side. What has each taught you about the other?

Going from an agency to in-house was a steep learning curve. Being on the client side was eye-opening because you become aware of all the internal pressures that an agency can’t always see. People working in communications or hiring PR agencies understand the value of PR and marketing, but internally you are also dealing with sales teams, product specialists and senior executives who may not fully understand what communications does or where it adds value. A significant part of the job can involve educating colleagues and justifying the function.

It also taught me what firms really want from their PR agency. You want to feel like you are their most important client. You want them to have everything in hand, understand your business and operate as an extension of your internal team. You want them to be proactive, bring fresh ideas, respond quickly and take work off your plate rather than unnecessarily adding to it. Trust is vital. You also need good chemistry.

The combination of the two experiences has taught me that you rarely know all the pressures another person is dealing with. The most important thing is to support them, deliver the highest-quality work, go above and beyond, and treat their business as if you were an employee there yourself.

Which part of your job still gives you the biggest buzz?

Landing coverage is still the best part of this job.

Despite doing this for over a decade, securing a broadcast slot, seeing your client’s name in a big, global publication, or even placing an opinion article in a key trade title still gives me a buzz.

As you progress in your career, other wins emerge too. Promoting someone who’s worked their socks off and playing a role in their development is amazing. Passing on the tips and tricks you have picked up and seeing people putting them in action is very satisfying.

Winning a new client, particularly after a competitive pitch, is another great feeling. You suddenly have a new business to learn about, a fresh brief to get your teeth into and a whole set of ideas to explore.

There are plenty of wins in this job, but I think the key is not to rest on your laurels. No matter how well things are going, I am always thinking about what we could improve and how we can deliver better work.

What makes Chatsworth different from other agencies?

Having worked at other agencies and managed agency relationships in-house, I wholeheartedly believe that Chatsworth is one of a kind.

First, we are truly specialists. We work exclusively in financial technology and have spent more than 20 years building our expertise. You would be hard-pressed to find an agency with more knowledge of this sector than our team.

It is also a special place to work. The culture, energy and quality have remained consistent throughout my six years here, while independent ownership gives us a level of flexibility that larger agencies lack. The team is given a lot of trust, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the quality of work is exceptional.

Workloads are manageable, development is taken seriously, and the company listens to its people. I have experienced that personally through flexible paternity leave, strong benefits and my quick progression from senior account manager to director.

The work is genuinely interesting, the social side is great, and people are given the opportunity to become leaders within the agency.

As a boomerang employee who left for an in-house role and later returned, I can safely say there are not many places like it.

What is the best piece of career advice you have received?

No one snappy phrase changed my life, but some principles will stand any PR in good stead.

When you present a problem, suggest a solution too. PR rarely follows a straightforward plan. News agendas change; topics go out of fashion; journalists move on. So, the ability to find another route is incredibly valuable.

Ask questions, especially in a complex industry like financial technology. It is always better to admit you do not understand something than to nod along and get it wrong later.

Read the news. Understanding what makes a strong story, spotting emerging themes and finding relevant angles all depend on knowing what is happening in the world.

Trust your instincts and speak up. When you are starting out, it can be tempting to assume that the more experienced people in the room must have already thought of everything. They often have not. If you spot something, question an approach or have a better idea, say it.

At the same time, learn to listen properly. Some of the most valuable insights come from people who take the time to understand the issue before speaking.

Be someone people can rely on. Talent clearly matters, but consistently delivering good work, taking ownership and doing everything to the best of your ability will take you a long way.

I realise that’s a lot more than one bit of career advice, but a lot of this has kept me right over the past decade, and I know I have a lot more to learn in the years ahead.