When it comes to blending the worlds of journalism and communications, Zanda Wilson has mastered the art.
As Senior Communications Specialist at Sound Story, Zanda brings a wealth of experience from his time in the newsroom, where he learned the ropes of high-pressure environments and how to make a story really sing.
Whether it’s through traditional media or social media channels, Zanda knows that crafting a narrative is only half the battle; getting that message heard and truly engaging with the public is where the magic happens.
In this interview, Zanda dives deep into how his journalistic instincts shape his approach to communications, revealing the importance of picking up the phone to make genuine connections. He also shares his thoughts on why public engagement isn’t just a buzzword, but an essential part of building relationships and delivering meaningful messages.
From the pressure of the newsroom to the dynamic world of comms, Zanda’s insights are a must-read for anyone looking to bridge the gap between media and communications
What skills or instincts from your time as a journalist do you find yourself using most in your current comms role?
Funnily enough, it might actually be easier to list the skills and instincts from my time as a journalist that I don’t find myself using regularly since I made the switch to communications almost four years ago. The two are highly interconnected and so many skills are shared.
As much as journalism and comms has changed a lot – with publications increasingly meeting their readers, listeners and watchers where they are (with video-first content) – the fundamentals of executing a successful earned media campaign remain what they were during my time as a journo.
Having said that, one of my biggest bugbears is people who do ‘email comms’. As a journo I was on the phone all through the day; chasing leads, conducting interviews, calling for commentary etc. I hated it when comms people would email me back or simply not be available to talk, so my instinct now that I’m on the ‘dark side’ remains to jump on the phone and give a journalist a call. That’s a skill I use every day.
The two sides of media and communications work so much better when people aren’t afraid to jump on the phone and get something sorted, and so much can get lost over text. This isn’t a generational thing either – there are older journos and PR people who hate phone calls too!
Where do you think former journalists add the most unique value to comms teams that non-journalist backgrounds might miss?
While there are some aspects to working in comms that journalism acts as the best possible preparation for, it’s not a coincidence that the best PR and comms agencies know that a mixture of ex-journos and career comms professionals is what’s needed to cover all your bases in 2025.
Former journos add a stack of value to comms teams because they are more likely to be accomplished writers, have a knack for identifying the right angle to take with a pitch and have deeply embedded relationships in media organisations.
But career comms professionals often have a better handle on things like client and project management, which are also vital to a comms team running as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Have there been any moments where your newsroom experience helped you navigate a complex or high-pressure comms situation?
Working in a newsroom undoubtedly provides daily exposure to a high-pressure and time-sensitive environment, something that any good comms professional should be prepared for.
Specifically, I learnt to navigate complex comms situations because working in a newsroom forces you to learn to segment and prioritise several dozen complex tasks all at once, perhaps dropping a news story for something else that was breaking, all the while planning for the days and weeks ahead.
In 2025, having a crisis communications plan is a must for any business that takes its reputation and public perception seriously. It’s crucial to plan for any number of worst-case scenarios, and my time in journalism undoubtedly left me well prepared to tackle the issues management side of communications, where prioritising the most important task out of several that may be available to you can be the difference between staying on top of a media narrative and losing control of one.
Are there particular communication challenges in the entertainment and music industries that former journalists are uniquely equipped to handle?
Former journos will generally have a high appreciation for the importance of production value – something crucial to businesses in the music and entertainment industry. It’s an industry where one slightly-off piece of content or branding could spell disaster for a business with a reputation for high impact and high-quality creativity, something common to the best companies in the industry.
Whether it’s a video LinkedIn update, a podcast recording, or appearing on live TV news, ex-journos have all been a part of a piece of content that doesn’t meet expectations, often because their subject is unprepared.
As such, they are well equipped to understand the importance of, and the nuances that come with helping the journalists they are putting their clients and spokespeople in front of to deliver the best content possible – and as such, will work hard to ensure media appearances are in keeping with a client’s standards and brand identity.
Are there any common misconceptions comms teams have about how journos work — and how do you help bridge that gap?
Something I hear a lot among communications professionals and people outside journalism more broadly is how journos are being asked to do more with less (which is absolutely true), and as such, they prefer to just work from their desks. I have built strong relationships with many journos and I can’t think of a single one that would rather be chained to their desk rather than be out covering an event or a big story.
So take a punt and invite that journo you haven’t met before for a coffee or a drink, invite them to an event your clients are holding.
The power of being able to give a journo a buzz and being someone whose emails go straight to the top of their inbox because you caught up with them last week is unmatched in this field.
How has your perspective on storytelling changed (if at all) since making the switch from journalism to comms?
Absolutely. I’ll admit I previously had a fairly one-dimensional view of storytelling. This was (to an extent) simply a product of understanding my audience as a journalist, being rewarded for being able to narrow in on what they’d be most interested in reading about or hearing about.
But being able to pitch a story from a point of deep understanding of the audiences of different publications has been a superpower since I began working in comms.
My perspective has changed in that I’ve added another power: learning to understand all the different ways a business’ narrative can be communicated through different portals of traditional and social media.
Read also: Championing plain language at work
Zanda Wilson’s journey from journalism to communications highlights the importance of blending old-school storytelling with modern techniques. Whether through traditional media or social platforms, he shows how staying engaged with your audience can lead to more genuine, impactful connections.
