We are obsessed with all things beauty at Wild Wood London – any excuse for a blow dry, facial or lash treatment, we will find it!
Jessica Psaila runs Glossy Consulting a specialist PR and Social media service for luxury beauty and hairdressing brands in London.
We jumped at the chance to sit down and have a chat with her on how she got things started with Glossy Consulting.
What inspired you to work in the beauty industry and why did you start Glossy Consulting ?
I’ve always been completely obsessed with everything beauty ever-since I can remember I was experimenting with my mums lipstick collection and creating my own skincare concoctions!
Whilst I was at university studying journalism I interned at British Vogue (amongst other fashion magazines) in the beauty department and thats when it all kicked off really, I was in my element and was instantly hooked by the industry and everything involved in making the beauty pages come alive with innovative beauty launches. I went on to work at L’Oreal Paris on the press team and following that (and a lots more interning and working in-between) and after years of hard graft, long hours and experiences I could write a book about, I decided to fuse my love for beauty journalism with thrill for public relations and content creation and thats how Glossy Consulting began. 4 years on and I almost can’t remember my life before I started my agency! It fills me with joy everyday, doing what I love most and helping amazing beauty brands be heard.
What does your typical day consist of?
Everyday is different and thats why I love what I do so much! At the start of the week I try as much as I can (although this rarely goes to plan!) to stay at my desk and get my planning and strategy done- It gives me time to get my most creative ideas together and make plans / notes for all of the brands I look after.
The rest of the week is usually filled with meetings with my lovely clients and journalists, influencers and brands to discuss new launches, collaborations and creative ideas on how we can work together. We often meet at beautiful lunch and coffee spots in various locations across the city- I love checking out new places to eat / drink so its nice to be able to factor this into my daily routine. A lot of my closest friends are creatives which is amazing as it means we can join forces and bounce ideas off each other. I’m a huge advocate of supporting each other in business and helping each other to grow, it gives me the biggest boost and I value them a lot.
Aside from meetings and networking I also attend lots of beauty events and a big perk to my job is definitely being able to test out new hair and beauty treatments – i’d be lying if i didn’t say that was my favourite part of my business lifestyle!
In the evenings I try not to be on my emails which I usually fail at as I find it very hard to switch off, I think most business owners feel like this so I’m not alone but I am really trying hard to give myself time out to spend with my fiancé and so he has my full attention. We’re getting married in Italy next year so a lot of my time is also spent organising that which is a lovely contrast to work.
Top tips for getting into beauty PR?
Invest your time in doing what you love, its the only way to make your dream career become a reality. By this, I mean intern as much as possible and gain as much experience as you can, you never know who you will meet and cross paths with. Some of the most inspiring women who have helped me get to where I am now, I met have been whilst interning, networking and communicating both online and offline- true passion will always lead the way and get you to where you need to be, just don’t give up. It could take years to get there but theres nothing better than waking up everyday doing what you love. Also another tip would be to start a beauty blog, I did this when I was studying at uni and before blogging was ‘a thing’ and it really helped me secure my beauty internships it just shows how serious you are about beauty and that you’re willing to put your own free time into it.
where do you see your business in five years time?
I hope to carry on growing my business and working alongside people and brands I admire. There’s nothing more important to me and my business than the people I work with, they’re not just ‘clients’ to me I work too closely with them for them to be just another name on my portfolio. I love investing my whole self into my projects and being able to make a difference to other people’s businesses so I hope I can carry on doing just that! I also hope to be a practising facialist by then as skin is a big love of mine – obsessed doesn’t quite cover it!
You have recently started offering day workshops on social media for small businesses, I would love to know more about this service and what it entails?
I realised that not everyone has the budget to be able to make a monthly financial commitment to PR but they still want to be able to reap the benefits of a successful PR strategy, so with this in mind I created my one-to-one coaching and consultancy sessions. These hands-on sessions enable business owners to learn and master their own PR strategy and therefore promote it themselves on a daily basis, as part of their wider business plan.
The sessions involve solid guidance and industry-insider knowledge, invaluable contacts, expert tips on how and when to approach the press and to essentially get them to say yes to your offering!
I have two options available; The consultation session is a a half day and is priced at £600, it includes setting realistic PR goals and how to establish successful press hooks and stories, plus a PR action plan.
The full day coaching session priced at £1,200 includes a full strategised month-by-month PR plan helping you to clearly plan ahead and execute your strategy- it also includes a months work of guidance, tips and help to help you get started and ensure you’re moving in the right direction. The coaching day also includes social media guidance and how to attract your audience through clever social media and content.
And Lastly, What are your favourite flowers?
I love peonies and garden roses.
