Meet the Team: Kirstie Nickson

What does a working day in your life look like?

By the time I sit at my desk after dropping my daughter off at nursery, my head is already spinning with a to-do list, so I make a point of spending the first half-hour of the working day reviewing each our client planners and making sure I’m clear on priorities for the week ahead.

This could be anything from scheduling in interviews with key spokespeople for thought leadership activity, preparing media pitches, holding planning calls with clients to review their ongoing strategies, or writing and issuing news releases to relevant media outlets.

Every day is so different because each business we work with has its own bespoke PR strategy and plan, designed to help each client achieve their business goals. We also provide crisis and issue support for a number of organisations too, meaning some days are about reacting to a time-sensitive matter with little notice, providing strategic advice and communication support to help our client navigate whatever challenge they’re facing.

What’s your favourite part of working in PR?

I genuinely love the way a well thought out PR strategy can have real, tangible impact on a business and its goals.

I got into the job primarily because I love writing and yes, that’s still a part of what I do every day, but nothing beats the high you get when a client tells you they’ve seen a spike in sales, or an increase in charity donations for example, because of the plan we’ve put together for them and the work we’ve done.

What makes Sidekick PR special?

If you’ve ever been in the same room as the three of us together, you’ll understand! Sidekick is more than a company and more than a PR consultancy, we’re three great friends as well as committed business partners who really do believe in what we do, the power of PR, and what we want to achieve on behalf of our clients.

We’re continually challenging and supporting one another and, when it comes to doing business, we know we have each other’s back. This has resulted in us building an almost-ten-year-old company that really reflects our values and passions, with a client base we love to work with. We’re very proud of that.

What are you most looking forward to in 2025?

With the world whirring with uncertainty at the moment, I’m hesitant to make any guesses about what lies ahead this year but, one thing that I can say I’m very excited about, is Sidekick commencing its tenth year in business. It’s a fantastic achievement – the last nine years has flown! We’re busy pulling together plans for how we can suitably celebrate Sidekick’s growth and the clients and suppliers who’ve been there with us along the way.

If you could share one top tip with an organisation considering taking on a PR agency, what would it be?

Make sure you’re clear about what you want to achieve as an organisation. The more focused your business goals are, the better aligned your PR strategy can be to helping you move forward and achieve your aims.