Emily Naismith is currently working as a Branded Content Director at frankie magazine and has recently received the Mumbrella Publish Award for Branded Content Studio of the Year. Medianet sat down with Emily to discuss her career in the Australian media industry and how she first got here.
You first started your career in media in 2008 as an online journalist, how has the media landscape changed since then, and what has been the biggest marker of this change?
That was a role I was in while I was at university studying Bachelor of Communication (Media) at RMIT, but looking back now I wouldn’t technically describe that role as “journalism”. It was coding more than I was actually writing.
Having said that, the biggest change in media since then has been the explosion of social media to create a dialogue between the audience and publishers. It’s so normal these days you know, now everyone has a voice, but back then I remember being so excited and in awe of the possibilities that social media could bring.
You have also worked in a variety of different roles such as journalist, editor, creative,contributor, and many more. What has working in these different roles taught you the most about yourself and the media industry as a whole?
Well, it’s probably just that lots of different skills are transferrable, and that you can learn on the job and that’s totally fine!
When I got a job as an editor at Broadsheet I didn’t really know how to edit an article, but I had good ideas and could write, and the rest kind of worked itself out.
But I also did an editing course and asked lots of questions and, of course, I listened to other editors.
Did you always want a career in media?
I think so. I’ve never really had a huge dream job in the field or anything but I’ve always loved making things, like content, I guess, and thinking of ideas and writing.
Throughout my career, I’ve just kind of gone with the flow and accepted interesting opportunities that came to me.
Now, what’s a commonly held belief about your job that you disagree with?
Well, I do think there’s an assumption that branded content is always going to be less engaging than editorial content, but that’s bullshit! It all comes back to the idea. I put in a lot of effort to think of branded content ideas that our audience will love that align with our clients’ briefs.
For example, we worked with a dog-food brand called ‘Scratch’ to create a video and print article around crafting your own “snuffle mat” to slow down speedy eaters of the canine variety, and that was super successful.
What’s one thing about working in the media industry you didn’t expect when you first started?
Well…I guess I thought it was going to be very glamourous, and it occasionally is.
But mostly I’m working from home eating anchovies straight from the tin while I work.
That sounds like the perfect working environment. But what makes frankie so unique from the different places you’ve worked at? What makes it stand out from other media outlets?
frankie has an incredible brand and loyal readership that many of whom have been reading for over a decade, much like little baby me who picked up print issue one of frankie magazine on a family holiday in 2004.
I used to pore over the rants and writer’s pieces and, honestly, they taught me a lot about how to write and shaped my own tone of voice.
I think frankie has always been a bit different from any other publisher, and being different is always a huge strength.
If you could give advice to your younger self or to anyone else wanting to break into
this industry, what would it be?
Just start making stuff and put yourself out there.
That’s how most of my incredible and fun opportunities have come up.
It’s easier said than done because I also think there’s a lot of pressure on younger people to define who they are or what their niche is, very early on. I think especially when you think about how TikTok and other social channels constantly reward consistency.
But I think it’s super important to experiment and play, whether it’s at work or just personally. It’s really the only way to work out what you like doing and what you want to do more of.
Now working as a podcaster, do you feel as though you have a different relationship and way of engaging with your audience than you do with writing?
I feel really lucky to be able to share my personal stories with the frankie audience and often get lovely feedback, but it’s very different from sharing weird personal stories with our Ingredipedia podcast audience.
I do think it’s because the podcast audience is something my co-host Ben Birchall and I have built from the ground up, so I know a lot of our listeners personally or at the very least through social media.
I also wouldn’t put a video of me freaking out while learning how to deep fry or drinking pre-dawn olive oil shots on frankie’s social channels, but for Ingredipedia? Literally, anything goes.
What has been the most interesting thing you have discussed in the last few months?
Probably getting deep into maple syrup nerdery on the most recent episode of Ingredipedia!
I didn’t know that you physically hammer a little tap into a maple tree and out pours maple sap, which you then boil down to maple syrup, that is truly wild.
We also discussed a pretty hectic maple syrup heist from a few years ago in Canada.
What has been the most memorable experience of your career, so far?
It was probably when I sat on a panel with Pulitzer-prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold as part of a Melbourne International Film Festival panel. The discussion was around who can write about restaurants and food experiences, and I was there as a “food blogger” because at the time I was reviewing restaurants in emojis; it was cool at the time, I swear!
I was about to shrivel up and die at the thought of sitting next to him and chatting about everything food because obviously he was a “real food writer” and I was nothing but a humble self-proclaimed try-hard, but he was just so encouraging of me and my writing and continued to be for a long time after.
It was really special.
Now finally, what are your pitching preferences?
I don’t really take on pitches because most of the writing I commission is branded content, which stems from concrete ideas that are devised at the pitch stage.
But if any writers want to start writing branded content for frankie, I’d love to see an email from them with examples of their past work.
Oh, and I’d also accept tips on what ingredient we should cover next on Ingredipedia. The more divisive the better!
Emily’s pitching preferences:
I don’t really take on pitches because most of the writing I commission is branded content, which stems from concrete ideas that are devised at the pitch stage.
But if any writers want to start writing branded content for frankie, I’d love to see an email from them with examples of their past work.
Oh, and I’d also accept tips on what ingredient we should cover next on Ingredipedia. The more divisive the better!
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