Laura Silver was the Editor of PoliticsHome when this interview was recorded. At times Laura can be quietly spoken, but everything she says is worth hearing. She’s an all-round impressive person, but I asked her to be a guest on Press Insider because of her influence over the UK’s political media coverage. Her experience in news reporting is extensive, so while we drill down into the particular requirements of PoliticsHome, this is a useful episode for anyone who wants to pitch timely stories to any news outlets. Particularly as Laura has previously worked for quite a few of them, including The Mirror and Buzzfeed. Two quick notes about this episode. Since it was recorded, Laura has moved on from politicsHome, though is still working in news. The second thing is that this interview happened just before the UK general election last year. There’s lots of references to it, which has now been and gone. The good news is that while some content examples are no longer relevant, the advice is still very applicable and transferable. Laura tells us why you need to be in online community groups, the robust process to follow when reporting original news, why you should spend a lot of time in pubs if you want to be a political or news journalist. And, their freelance rates — a very rare thing for an editor to share indeed! KEY TOPICS: How to become a journalist at Politics Home How to become a trusted PR at Politics Home How to pitch an article to Politics Home Article pitch examples for Politics Home How to write an article for Politics Home magazine How to get free press coverage at Politics Home How to become a regular freelancer at Politics Home How to future-proof your writing or PR career ABOUT THE GUEST: Laura Silver, Editor, Politics Home Editor specialising in politics and news. Extensive experience of digital publishing and multi-platform storytelling at a broad range of titles from start-ups to leading nationals.   Find them on: Laura Silver’s Linkedin  (where the above bio is sourced from) Laura Silver’s X   LIST OF RESOURCES MENTIONED: The House magazine Subscribe to PoliticsHome newsletters, including the weekend long read mentioned Recommended websites for news ideas: Next Door Facebook groups Political Substackers ABOUT PRESS INSIDER’S HOST: Kelly Bowerbank is a digital journalist, editor and content strategist with 16 years’ experience in the lifestyle sector. She has worked for multiple high-profile media brands, including woman&home, Marie Claire, The Stylist Group, and The Guardian. She has over eight years' experience crafting editorial strategies and leading teams, and has spent more than a decade commissioning, editing and creating content in various formats across a diverse range of subject verticals. In 2013 she was nominated for New Section Editor of the year at the PPA awards, and in 2020 she was nominated for Digital Editor of the year at the AOP awards. She’s mentored experienced print journalists and trained graduates into award-winning digital writers. In 2022 she stepped down from her role of Global Editor at womanandhome.com to go freelance and write more. She’s represented by Anna Pallai at AMP Literary.    Follow Kelly Bowerbank’s Instagram Subscribe to Kelly Bowerbank’s Substack Find Kelly Bowerbank’s Linkedin   SUPPORT THIS PODCAST: Share this episode: Every share of this episode makes another season more likely. If you enjoyed listening, share Press Insider with your network on Whatsapp, Linkedin and on your favourite social media platforms. It can be found on all the main podcast networks including: Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon music Follow the host on social media: Follow Kelly Bowerbank’s Instagram Subscribe to Kelly Bowerbank’s Substack Find Kelly Bowerbank’s Linkedin Email feedback: Send feedback about this episode and suggestions for future guests to pressinsiderpodcast@gmail.com