Keeping The Pedal To The Mettle……
Mid-January 2026 has hit and I am shaking myself awake from the Scottish snowstorms to begin the next cycle of PR campaigns for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Yes, it may be in August, but the graft has already started.
You may be wondering what a “day in my life” looks like at the sharp end when August comes round in the thick of Fringe madness. Pedalling, very fast, literally. Here it is:
We’re mid-Fringe. Thursday 14 August, 2025. Trump and Putin are due to meet in Alaska. Spain is on fire. On my calendar: A photocall, a Fringe artist meeting and cycling - three miles through Edinburgh, powered mostly by caffeine!
Here we go:
8.30am: Cycling & the Chaos Begins: I cycle to the office near the castle and hear from an agency photographer who wants in on our Kate Barry photocall. Kate’s promoting her Fringe show Kate, Allie and the ’86 Mets with a photoshoot that includes her mum, a retro phone, a massive poster and the Edinburgh skyline. I give the photographer my number and confidently say “See you at 12”.
9.05am: WhatsApp Is My Office: Busy on the phone with a publicist suggesting a Fringe artist boost a Facebook post for some coverage we landed for them. I update the artist to pick up The Scotsman and find the business section where they can see themselves in a great piece.
9.44am: Excitement And Stress Levels Are Rising: Speak to a client to alert them that the Edinburgh Evening News are on and coming to review their show tonight.
10.48am: Caption Anxiety: My colleague Andy is finalising captions and cover notes, but publications want landscape and portrait shots. A deep discussion on image approvals. Technical but essential.
11.07am: Hit With A 2-Star Email: A reviewer emails and the show they covered is heading for two stars. Asking for opinions and options. I reply and make a note to revisit this after the festival.
11.45am: Bike, Brush, Ketchup: A final round of emails and calls to picture desks and editors for the photocall. Then a cycle past Arthur’s Seat to the photocall location. And the poster area is covered in cigarette butts, defaced with ketchup and near a McDonald’s.
Luckily, we’ve done this before. I whip out the emergency PR cleaning kit (brush, sponge, water, washing-up liquid) and scrub ketchup off the poster like this is a totally normal part of my job.
Meet and greet our photographer, Kate and her mum in a local cafe. The agency snapper turns up too, and I make sure nothing gets stolen. Keep an eye on the visuals and keep things upbeat and professional. I later learn that another photographer turned up after we had left. That’s one lesson: always linger a bit longer!
12.52pm: A Win! I WhatsApp colleague Jessie and a Fringe client that City AM in London has named one of our shows in their “7 Best Edinburgh Fringe Shows to Book” list.
1.58pm: Image Approval Dance: I run the photocall images past the artist for selection and caption feedback.
2.30pm: Back On The Bike: A bit of a hard cycle as a slight mix up over meeting locations, I pedal out to meet another Fringe client whose run has ended to chat about how things have gone.
3.55pm: Retouch Requests: Get feedback from the artist on the earlier photocall images. Quick call to our photographer on the images that need retouching before sending out to our agreed publication list.
4.05pm: Debrief and Prep: Check in with Jessie to see how the meeting notes are coming along for a debrief meeting tomorrow.
5.23pm: Social Media Tempts: The artist asks if they can post the photocall images on their socials. But I urge them to wait until Friday night. PR patience is a virtue.
7.13pm: A Genuine Question: An artist asks if The Scotsman and Edinburgh Evening News are the same thing. They are not and I explain.
Beaten By The Chickens! The photocall images were not used right away, as the publications went with Nicola Sturgeon’s new book launch and a separate Fringe photocall involving people dressed as chickens. However, the images did make the cover of the Edinburgh Evening News as part of a huge review. Worth every drop of sweat and ketchup.
Looking back, it was a busy, oddly satisfying day. Great coverage for our artists, strong Scottish and UK results, and a reminder that good PR sometimes involves actual cleaning. I’ll happily get my hands dirty for our clients.
And on that note: Bookings are now open for our 2026 Edinburgh Fringe PR campaigns and other UK projects. Planning a project this year? We'd love to work with you if you are. Find out more.
I update the artist to pick up The Scotsman and find the business section where they can see themselves in a great piece.