Riley Spratt – Social Media, Pr & Marketing Specialist

Riley is a country-turned-city girl who loves to spend her weekends eating all the smashed avocado available in Sydney’s inner-west. She has been working as a Social Media, PR and Marketing Specialist for one of Australia’s largest e-commerce groups, Lux Group for almost two years. Here’s her insider story about the job….

How long have you been in social media?

Around five years

What did you want to be when you were younger?

I always wanted to be a famous actress!

What was your first job?

My first job was behind the counter at a family owned and operated Baker’s Delight while I was in high school – I learnt a lot of valuable business lessons and ate a lot of bread.

When did you first know you wanted to start a career in social media?

I first had a crack at social media during a PR internship I completed at an agency while I was at university, and immediately decided this was the path for me!

What did you study?

I studied Business Management (Retail Marketing) and also have completed a Digital Marketing Course. The best way for people to get into this industry is to intern and absorb like a sponge.

Give us a rundown of a typical day in the office

My day starts with checking the activity that’s happened over night and flagging and enquiries that may have arisen with our customer service team. As for the rest, it’s a large mix of meeting with our different buying and creative teams to ensure our strategies are aligned, scheduling content and checking results and tweaking budgets to make sure they’re allocated correctly.

What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you while working in social media?

Social media is such an interesting and evolving industry to work in, every new update or news story can get me excited! The day Instagram allowed you to have multiple accounts at once was pretty exciting (#nerdy I know).

Name the best and worst parts of your job

The best part is the people I’m lucky enough to work with – I’m fortunate enough to have
access to every department here at Lux Group and the team here are truly incredible (but it’s a close tie with our in-house massages!)

As for the worst part? Social Media never sleeps, so it’s fairly rare for me to have a
break that involves me 100% switching off, even over the Christmas holidays…

What’s the most important career tip someone has given you?

One of the General Manager’s at Lux Group always says “Luck doesn’t happen… Luck is
what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I’m not sure where he heard it, but it’s such a great motto to keep in mind when thinking about your career.

What advice do you wish someone had given you before starting in social media?

It’s not as easy as you think! I think there’s a big misconception that people who work in social media simply post pictures on Instagram all day – there’s a whole lot of data crunching that goes on behind the pretty pictures.

Name a career highlight

Recruiting and training my first assistant – who has proven to be an invaluable part of the team – always makes me proud to think about! As well as being part our philanthropic company mission to Cambodia last year, it was a truly amazing experience to help children less fortunate than us alongside my fearless colleagues.

What’s next for you?

This space is very dynamic, and I don’t think anyone could tell you with certainty what my role will look like in 5, 10 or 20 years time – but I’m sure excited to find out.

Keen to make your mark in Social Media Marketing and PR? Start by enquiring about our courses today!