Journalists and PR pros have worked side-by-side for decades, but there are those like Eleanor Hawkins that walk the line in between, one foot in each world. Eleanor got her start in communications as a press secretary for the U.S. Senate, then helped launch a foreign policy think tank before transitioning to PBS, where she managed corporate communications. From there, Eleanor was scouted by Axios to launch Axios Communicators, a newsletter that examines the topics and trends impacting how business leaders, brands and employers communicate.
We had the chance to sit down with Eleanor to discuss her experience at the crossroads of PR and journalism, the strategy that fuels her newsletter and the trends she’s seeing shape the future of communications. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Red Fan (RF): How did you get your start in journalism and what led you to Axios?
Eleanor Hawkins (EH): I actually started my career in communications, which is typically not the way people find themselves into a newsroom. I have a very D.C.-centric background at the intersection of policy, politics, business and media, which is kind of the bread and butter of Axios.
When I was approached by Axios about this opportunity, they were looking for someone to cover “communication 2.0” because the function itself is evolving so quickly.
A lot of the job is talking, listening and trying to figure out what is important. What is the “comms angle” of whatever is going on in the news that day, and how can I distill it down in a way that is worthy of our readers’ time.
RF: What was the strategy behind founding the Axios Communicator newsletter and Communicators Pro membership?
EH: Axios Communicators is a free, public newsletter. We think it’s important for practitioners and even those outside of the communications space to have access to this sort of reporting. But Communicators Pro is really an opportunity for practitioners to go deeper through trainings, webinars and deep dives, insights and an extra newsletter that we send every Monday. It also presents opportunities to gather, network and form community around the content.
RF: What has your experience been transitioning from communications into journalism?
EH: I think having communications experience allows me to report from a place of authority. It also allows for me to really understand: if I was still in a communications role, what are the issues of the day that would be dictating my workload?
There’s also overlap in telling a good story. That is really at the heart of what we do in a newsroom; we want to break things down and help audiences understand what’s happening in the world around them. We also want to make sure that we’re telling the stories that matter to our audiences. One of our key values at Axios is being “Audience First” so we’re often asking ourselves, “Why would this matter to my reader?”
RF: In your recent newsletter, you wrote about some of the new video features on LinkedIn. As a journalist, how do LinkedIn and other social media channels impact your work?
EH: When I think about using social media to promote my work and engage with my readers, I put on my old PR hat and think about who my audience is and where I should go to reach them. In the case of communicators, they’re on LinkedIn.
That being said, the fact that LinkedIn is going all-in on video is changing the way that I think about presenting my content. I am not super comfortable with vertical video. I come from a PR background where I was told to wear black and stand in the corner. So being the face of something does not come natural to me, but I recognize that vertical video is now how people want to receive their information.
I’m also watching what Substack writers are doing. They’re encouraging people to get involved in the comments. They are going into the comments and engaging with their readers in real time. Social media is very, very important, even as social media platforms deprioritize news. I think there are reasons for journalists to almost put on a creator hat temporarily to get their content out.
RF: What are some of the biggest trends within the industry that you anticipate covering this year?
EH: I think algorithm bubbles are just going to get thicker. There’s going to be a podcast, Reddit thread or a Substack for everything. And so that’s something that I’m tracking really closely.
I think it’s an interesting time because if you’re smart and strategic, you can be super targeted in the way that you reach your audiences, and that presents a lot of opportunities to drive business outcomes. To that end, I think the rise of owned content — content that companies themselves or brands themselves are putting out — will continue.
RF: Where do you think content creators or PR folks should be spending their time? With the future changing so much, what do you think’s more towards the past right now?
EH: It really depends on who you’re trying to reach. I do think an overlooked area is trade publications, because oftentimes those trades really get the conversation going and inform beat reporters from larger outlets. I think local press is also often overlooked. If you want to connect with a community, go to their local station, their local newspaper, their local newsletter.
RF: One question that we love to ask, it’s the million-dollar question, what is the best and the worst pitch that you have received?
EH: I hate getting a pitch that’s like, hey, I saw you covered this yesterday. Do you want to interview my expert on this topic? Well, no, I’m done with that story. For example, I wrote about the Barbie movie’s marketing campaign. You would think, based on my inbox, that I was a Barbie beat reporter. I don’t cover Barbie. I covered that campaign and unless you have something new and something totally different to say, I’m not going to write another story about it.
While it’s important to go back and understand what people cover, you don’t need to get so bogged down by the specifics of a story. If you’re going to pitch somebody for a second- or third-day story, make sure you’re actually offering a unique angle. And know that you’re probably going to have to do some convincing.
I think some of the best pitches I get are not really pitches at all, they’re genuine efforts to form a relationship with me and understand my writing. This is a great tip and I know I’m not alone in this across our newsroom: After my newsletter goes out, I’m watching the clock like a hawk, because those five or 10 minutes right after I hit send, I am on edge. I am waiting for somebody to email me and say, this sucks and you’re wrong. We all are sitting there waiting for that reaction email, not because we question our reporting, but because we’re anticipating and crave feedback.
And so, if you want to get a hold of somebody who wrote a newsletter, just reply to that newsletter and say, “Hey, this was really interesting. Thank you so much for covering this. I’d love to introduce myself and learn more about what else you’re covering.” Or, “I disagree with the experts you quoted. I’d love to offer a different point of view if you plan to cover this topic in the future.” That goes a long way.
Want more insights from journalists and communication experts? Check out our other “A Conversation With” features to hear more from the voices shaping our media landscape.
