Q&A with Kelli Armstrong from Escape
Escape's managing editor on good famil behaviour, her favourite recent commission and her biggest freelancer pet hate
It’s always a good day when a Kelli Armstrong email skitters into my inbox because it always means a great assignment is coming my way. I don’t care if it involves a trip or if it’s writing something that plucks from travels that I’ve already done or expertise that I’ve researched over the years. Escape is fun, it’s egalitarian, it’s curious, it’s trend-focused. And I simply like the Escape team, as I’ve mentioned before.
So it gives me great pleasure to present to you the next in my series of ‘stuff interesting people in the travel media space are saying’: a Q&A with Escape’s Managing Editor, Kelli Armstrong.
I’m probably going to do more of these from now on because frankly, they’re all a lot more interesting than me blabbing on about ChatGPT
AC: Tell us about your career as a travel communicator, in a nutshell
KA: As Managing Editor of Escape, Australia’s largest travel media ecosystem, I am talking to travel representatives every day. Whether it’s PRs, our expert contributors or people working directly in the industry as a concierge or cruise director, I am continually informed and curious about how travel is moving forward. These communications are important for the forward planning of content for Escape which I am considering everyday – what are the stories our audience is hungry for and what are the travel trends we need to educate them on? At Escape we are at the forefront of every mode of travel, from road tripping to rail riding to high flying to armchair travel – conversations inform our expertise.
AC: How does your commissioning process work at Escape?
KA: Famils (which are managed internally) generate the majority of commissions across all of our platforms – print, digital, social and video. Cover stories are ideated ahead of time and commissioned to a tight raft of expert Escape voices. Occasionally we will accept pitches for feature stories and the personality pieces such as My Hols and My Travel CV.
AC: Can you share a piece you’ve commissioned recently that you’ve really liked?
This article about diving a sinkhole in Mt Gambier South Australia by Catherine Best is one of my favourites. She pitched the idea to me and I commissioned it straight away as it was unique and engaging. It was also during a time when famils were on hold.
AC: When a writer hands copy to you, what do you love to see?
KA: Copy that reflects the commission, that delivers on the Escape tone of voice (this shows me the writer is familiar with Escape content), it not only takes the reader on a travel journey, but it propels them from dreaming to considering to actually booking because all the information they need is there.
AC: And what drives you mad?
KA: Spelling and punctuation errors are the worst. We all make mistakes or typos but before handing something to an editor it should be checked thoroughly.
AC: Escape sends writers on ‘famils’ or press trips. What do you expect your writers to do on those trips? How should they behave, and what do they need to achieve?
KA: As a representative of Escape on a famil, contributors are expected to uphold the News Corp code of conduct. We share a document with writers that details these expectations. Most of it is common sense, such as participating in all the activities, doing the tours, not getting rowdy, drinking too much or disappearing. And certainly not asking for anything beyond what is required to create the content. We have relationships with all the PRs and always hear feedback from the famils.
Expectation is also that the writers find good story angles as it is often hard to tell from an itinerary what the best content response will be.
AC: What’s the best part of your job?
KA: The travel of course! But I love the team, and by that I mean the wider team including our regular contributors. I enjoy engaging with everyone and discovering more about our world of culture, food, sights, experiences… especially after a difficult past few COVID-19 years.
AC: What’s the worst bit (if there is one!)?
KA: All the admin such as hundreds of emails, invoicing and budgeting are very time consuming and can impact on the creativity.
AC: Funniest/best/worst/craziest thing that’s ever happened to you on a press trip?
KA: Well, it wasn’t a press trip, but I was stung by a scorpion in Thailand. The pain was excruciating, but I survived to tell the tale of how important travel insurance is. You can read about it here. [Ed’s note - I had no idea there were scorpions lurking in Thailand and ARRRRGHHGGHH]
AC: What advice would you give to newbie travel writers who are looking to build a career?
KA: It’s a very competitive industry, I mean, who doesn’t want to write about travel for a career?! A good way to start is with a travel blog and social media to build your audience and hone your storytelling voice. Video is the next big thing in content so upskill with this visual medium. Also start with work experience or writing for small, independent publications to build on both your experience and your portfolio. Join writer’s associations and Travmedia
I’m going to skip my usual faff at the end today - deadlines!
Thanks for reading, go somewhere good.
Alex x