Angela Kelly explains a typical day for her as a freelance journalist and media consultant!

Up at 6.30am – I’m an early riser (useless after 10pm) so I check my emails, look at the overnight news headlines and today I’m finishing off two Bolton News’ columns for clients. One is for a dentist and the other an accountant – they’re needed for the following morning so must be sent to clients for checking before going to the paper.

After breakfast I’ve got an interview with singer Elaine Paige for an article for Fifty Plus magazine, a national publication based here inBolton. I write celebrity interviews and home and health-related articles for them

This is a phone interview at 10am sharp so I’ve got to do my “homework” on the famous singer first because I will only have a set time to chat and, in any case, it’s rude not to know your subject. When I ring her, she’s lovely – friendly, helpful and interesting. It should make a good piece!

After a much-needed coffee, I write this up, re-read it and then leave it for a while. It’s always better to come back to written work with a fresh eye later!

11.30am I’ve been fielding phone calls including from two prospective clients who are interested in me doing some PR work for them. One is a national company and the other based inLancasterand they both want to get more media coverage for their businesses. I arrange to see the latter the following week and have a long conversation with the former.

Emails come in thick and fast with news from PR companies trying to interest me, as a journalist, in their products and services - I get between 40 and 80 a day and only a few are of real interest.

12 noon to 2pm – I’ve got a lunchtime networking meeting today, thankfully at Bolton Whites Hotel nearby. I really value networking as a tool for making solid business contacts and always enjoy them. Today, I’ve met some really interesting people and made arrangements to meet them to find out more about their businesses.

2.30pm – A client wants to meet to discuss a new branch of his business which is opening. He needs to publicise it both locally and regionally so we discuss positive angles and I arrange to get a photographer to take some photos to go with the press release/article I will send out to the media for him.

4pm – Return to my office to write my weekly Bolton News’ comment page. I go through all the week’s newspapers and also go online to find interesting topics. It takes about an hour to research and around two hours to write.

5pm – tea and time to relax – and make a list of what needs doing tomorrow!

If you would like any more information about the fantastic services that Angela Kelly offers, give her a call on 01204 495552