The Ultimate Property Freelancers Power Panel: What Do They Want From PRs?
As a property PR, you know how incredibly tough it is to get a commissioning editor’s attention. But what if you’re pitching to the wrong person?
Freelance journalists are the secret weapon of the property media landscape. They have the trusted relationships, the insider access, and the unique ability to nurture a story, package it perfectly, and sell it directly to top-tier editors who might otherwise overlook a direct PR pitch.
Why You Can’t Afford to Miss This
As a property PR, you know how incredibly tough it is to get a commissioning editor’s attention. But what if you’re pitching to the wrong person?
Freelance journalists are the secret weapon of the property media landscape. They have the trusted relationships, the insider access, and the unique ability to nurture a story, package it perfectly, and sell it directly to top-tier editors who might otherwise overlook a direct PR pitch.
Join us for a riveting, unmissable hour with four of the UK’s “top of the props” freelance property writers. They are pulling back the curtain on exactly what floats their boats, what makes a pitch irresistible, and how you can collaborate with them to land massive coverage.
The Panel
Cathy Hawker
Freelance Property Writer
Cathy has covered global property markets for 25 years, writing for publications including The Times, The Sunday Times, The Evening Standard, The Financial Times and HTSI
Charlotte Duck
Freelance Property Writer
Charlotte has been a freelance property journalist for 5 years and regularly writes for the Telegraph, Evening Standard, I Paper, The London Magazine, The NRLA’s Property magazine and Harpers Bazaar Arabia. She’s interviewed families who live off-grid, in houseboats and in camper vans, talked to celebrities about their homes, highlighted the plight of those trying to sell cladding-affected flats, and written about trends in the property and mortgage markets. Prior to writing about property, she worked for Conde Nast and was the Deputy Online Editor of Glamour magazine for 7 years.
Jayne Dowle
Freelance Property Writer
Jayne Dowle has been writing about homes and property for more than 20 years, since leaving an editor’s staff job on The Times to return to her native South Yorkshire with a young son in tow. The relocation experience was so traumatic she turned to writing about it. Now, as an award-winning freelance writer and regular contributor to The Times Bricks & Mortar, The Sunday Times Home, Telegraph Property, House Beautiful, The English Garden and others, she writes about where we live, how we live and how we used to live, also encompassing social trends, politics, education and heritage.
Ruth Bloomfield
Freelance Property Writer
Ruth Bloomfield has been a journalist for more than 30 years and has specialised in property, housing and architecture for more than a decade. She covers everything from the cladding crisis to the super prime market, and particularly enjoys visiting spectacular Grand Designs houses. She has twice been named Property Journalist of the Year at the Property Press Awards and has picked up ten individual awards too.
Henry Hemming (Moderator)
Global Advisor Property4Media
An industry legend with over 40 years of experience. As the founder of Rooster PR and the visionary who launched Property4Media in 2005, creating the UK’s first digital community of property journalists and property PR professionals, Henry will be steering this high-octane discussion to extract the absolute best insights for our audience.
The Big Talking Points
Our panel of elite freelancers will be diving straight into the realities of the modern property desk, covering:
Core Topics
- The Power of the Middleman: Why pitching a freelancer can get your story into titles that would flat-out ignore a direct PR approach.
- What Makes a Story "Sellable"?: The crucial elements an idea must have before a freelancer can successfully pitch it to a commissioning editor.
- The Anatomy of an Irresistible Pitch: Real talk on subject lines, asset bundles (case studies, data, spokesperson quotes, images), and the exact hooks that get freelancers excited.
- What We Don't Want to Hear: The common PR mistakes, follow-up habits, and misaligned angles that result in an immediate "delete."
- Nurturing the Narrative: How freelancers spot the hidden gem in a standard press release and breathe life into a story to save it from the rejection pile
Attending Property4Media Meets
Property4Media Meets webinars are free to Property4Media customers.*
*Non-customers may be able to attend by registering for a free trial of Property4Media – please contact Ash Pearson for details.