Natasha Netschay Davies

For over 15 years, Natasha Netschay Davies has worked and taught in public relations. Initially beginning her career in journalism as a reporter for the Globe and Mail and Chatelaine, she went on to establish a social media department for Peak Communicators, B.C.’s largest independent PR agency.

Natasha now runs a digital PR and communications agency of her own, as president and owner of Moonraker PR. She provides strategy, content development and new media corporate training to companies and non-profits. We sat down with Natasha to speak with her about her love of the profession and what it takes to draft the perfect tweet.

What do you enjoy most about working in the public relations field?

I like finding a new way to get information out to an audience—which is why I can’t help but love technology, as it allows us to reach untapped audiences.

Who would you recommend take the Public Relations program?

Anyone who is interested in creating content or interested in pursuing a career in the fields of marketing and communications. Even people in human resources could benefit from taking the program, as internal employee relations is a growing field. There is also a growing demand for public relations within the business-to-business (B2B) sector. I would also encourage people who are older and established in their careers to take the program if they want to sharpen their communication skills with a public relations focus.

What will students learn in the courses that you teach?

I teach two courses, Influencer Marketing and Social Media for Brands.

Influencer marketing is a popular tactic and strategy within public relations because of the rise of social media usage. Brands look for influencers within their industry to get their message out, so we explore all the different ways that we can work with influencers as part of a public relations strategy. In my Social Media for Brands course, I focus on developing content with a strategy and a purpose in today’s competitive social media landscape. You won’t just be writing posts off the top of your head and instead will be writing strategically to further your brand’s message.

Students will learn how to think about social media strategically and discern who is a valuable influencer for the brand you are working with. Those are two important factors for successful PR campaigns.

What are some of the career paths that students can pursue in the PR industry?

Within corporate communications, there are so many different titles and roles: content management, public affairs, B2B content marketing, social media management and employee relations, just to name a few.

Do you have any advice for people considering taking this program?

If you’re interested in PR, you need to love communicating and telling stories. Having good writing skills is the most important skill you can have. If you are a great writer and communicator, you will excel in all of the different parts of the program, whether it’d be writing a news release or a social media post.

What is your favourite social media platform?

I would have to say it’s LinkedIn. The platform allows me to connect with my peers and it’s a place where people share their industry wisdom. LinkedIn is where I primarily learn about different industries as I hear about the work they are doing from employees in the organization directly. Also, the PR community is so connected professionally. If I know someone looking for work or someone who has an opportunity, I will go out of my way to connect people, and people in this industry do the same.