• 25 Feb 2022

My first 3 months at Glass Digital: Milly Pyne, Outreach Executive

• by Milly Pyne

Milly Pyne joined Glass Digital as an Outreach Executive back in November 2021. Here, she tells us how she’s found her first three months working in digital marketing, and what she’s learned on the job.

I completed my Media & Public Relations MA back in September 2021, and applied to Glass for the Outreach Executive role not long after that. I was so pleased when I was offered the job — it meant I’d gotten my first job in my dream industry before I’d even had my formal graduation ceremony in December!

My first three months at Glass have flown by. It feels like only yesterday that I was heading into the office for my first day, but at the same time, it feels like I’ve been at Glass forever because I feel so at home here. I also can’t believe how far I’ve come with my SEO knowledge in such a short space of time.

When I first started, I didn’t have any hands-on experience in SEO, and I was worried that I’d struggle to catch up. But, I’ve come to realise that in a fast-paced, constantly evolving sector like digital marketing, you never really stop learning. The company has also invested a lot in helping me grow my knowledge and skills, and I can now confidently say have a good understanding of SEO and organic search.

My first month involved a lot of intensive training — I became totally immersed in the world of digital PR and link building. Every day was a mix of training sessions with senior team members, reading guides, watching webinars, and subscribing to PR newsletters to build my contextual knowledge of the industry. I wanted to absorb as much knowledge as I could in my training period.

After a month of initial training, I started putting what I’d learned into practice by working on my first client campaigns. At first, I spread my time across four different brands, but my roster has grown week by week, and I now work alongside 13 different clients. Working on different accounts in an agency environment means there’s always a lot of variety in my schedule — it keeps you on your toes! The work is varied, and seeing your clients’ search visibility grow thanks to your efforts is really rewarding.

Initially, I helped our clients build their backlink profiles and domain authority by seeking broken links, monitoring brand mentions, and responding to media requests to help secure linking coverage. As my knowledge and skills progressed, I moved on to more ambitious tactics, such as creating newsjacking and digital PR campaigns to gain relevant and high-quality links for my clients, as well as maintaining relationships with online publications and journalists. I also collaborate with my colleagues in the Content and Outreach teams during creative ideation sessions, where we come up with exciting new ideas that will help generate linking coverage for our clients.

It might sound cheesy, but I feel like my confidence in myself has really grown. The team is lovely and because our work is very collaborative it gives you a chance to interact with all departments, which means you get a chance to learn about lots of different aspects of SEO. Everyone is always happy to share what they know with you.

In terms of what I’ve achieved during my first three months, I’m proud to have built some great, high-DA links for my clients. We also work with some amazing high-profile brands, such as Pukka Herbs, and it makes me really proud to be trusted by the team to gain links for such prestigious clients.

Another highlight was attending the Christmas party with Glass: I’d only been here for 3 weeks at that point, but everyone was so lovely and welcoming. The Outreach team have also done a few socials together, which has really helped me to feel right at home.

We have a flexible work policy here at Glass, and right from the start, I was impressed with the fact that they trust you to choose which is best for your situation. I do hybrid working, so I can split my time between home and our Ouseburn office. I’ve found that I’m just as productive at home as in the office — sometimes more so, as everyone loves a good chat when we get together! It’s my first job where I’ve had the flexibility to choose both, and it really works for everyone.

My advice to anyone who is considering a job in digital marketing would be to check the news, subscribe to newsletters and podcasts, and generally try to stay informed. The industry is constantly evolving and it’s so important to grow with it and stay up to date with the latest trends. I also think believing in yourself is key, as well as having the confidence to back up your ideas.

Are you looking to carve out a career in digital marketing? Take a look at our careers page to view our latest opportunities.