Are Writers and PR a Perfect Match!? A Working Writer Takes on a New Challenge in "Public Relations"

Driven by the desire to "create something that lasts with my own hands," Yuki Ishikawa (Yupi) began sharing her thoughts through a blog in junior high school. Today, she is a freelance writer who continues to produce numerous articles, armed with her pop and easy-to-understand writing style.

We asked her about what she hopes to achieve by leveraging the skills she has cultivated so far, as she takes on her first corporate PR role at Boku to Watashi to (hereinafter referred to as Bokuwata).

【Recommended for people like this!】
・Those who want to make writing their job
・Those interested in PR work
・Those who want to utilize their areas of expertise more in their work

I can convey my feelings much better through writing than by speaking

—First, could you tell us about what you have done so far?

After graduating from university, I was actually working in sales at a general goods manufacturer, which has nothing to do with my current job. That's because, at the time, I had zero motivation to work... (laughs).

—So you weren't aiming to be a writer from the start.

That's right. It's not that I particularly wanted to do sales; I just joined the company because it was a "white company" (a good place to work).

But once I started working, I realized, "Working might not be that different from school." I realized that doing what I could, getting evaluated for it, and having that become value was something I had already been doing in my student days.

I didn't feel like a "cog in the machine of society" as I had initially imagined.

I had always liked writing and taking photos, so I decided to challenge myself with the creative work I had wanted to do, and I changed jobs to an advertising agency.

—What kind of work did you do at the advertising agency?

I was involved in production direction for direct advertising as a creative director.
However, once I actually started working in advertising, I realized there were many types of creative jobs.

Web ads are replaced immediately if they aren't effective, so they aren't things that last like works of art.

Moreover, as a creative director, I was in a position to request work from designers, so I began to want to create something that would last in a field where I excelled.

So, after working there for about a year and a half, I went to job interviews for media companies to make my strongest skill, "writing," my profession.

—Have you always been good at writing?

I've been good at it since I was little; I had already started writing when I was in kindergarten. I was never good at speaking, so it was easier for me to convey what I was thinking through writing.

Before I knew about blogs in junior high school, I used to vent my feelings by writing in notebooks by hand.It might be more accurate to say it's easy rather than that I like writing.

Besides, I could get people around me to praise me for writing without putting in that much effort, so even though I had no experience, I decided to try making it my job for the time being.

The unchanging desire to "create things that last"

--How was it, actually making writing your job?

I had no intention of becoming an interview writer at first, so it was unexpected that I ended up focusing mainly on interviews due to the media outlet's policy.

I thought, "I'm bad at talking, so there's no way I can extract stories from people!" but I gained experience while being helped by my seniors. Even so, I still get very nervous before interviews no matter how many times I do them (laughs).

Interviews, which I was anxious about at first, have a way of accumulating within you as you repeat them. Because I get to hear stories from people I wouldn't normally meet and am directly showered with their words, I feel like it's also being put to use in my own output.

I deepen my own thoughts based on what I heard in interviews, write about them on note to share, and when friends ask for advice, I can answer by saying, "The person I interviewed the other day said this," so I think the feeling of being able to make the content of interviews part of my own flesh and blood is what's interesting about this job.

--So that's how you ended up in your current line of work.

After graduating from that media outlet and becoming independent as a freelance writer, I now write interview articles for various genres, including celebrities, experts, and internal corporate interviews.

I also write columns, and alongside my main writing work, if I get requests, I do graphic recording for events, voice-over recording, and occasionally social media management and photography.

Recently, writing and publishing a book, holding promotional events for it, and being interviewed have also become part of my work. I believe that writing a book is work, and spreading the word about it is also work, so it has started to feel more like my own business rather than client work.

--Looking at your note, you've written over 600 articles, and you hold book events at a pace of once or twice a month; you have an image of being a powerful and active person, Yupi-san, but where does that driving force come from...?

It feels like I'm just doing what I'm good at now, but I think I started sharing my writing on a blog because I had a desire to "leave behind proof that I lived."

The thing is, when I was in my second year of junior high school, I ended up living in America due to my father's work, and on top of being bad at talking, there was a language barrier, so I didn't have a place where I could express my feelings or what I was thinking.

Calling it proof that I lived sounds a bit like middle-school syndrome, but I felt a sense of crisis that "if I died now, there would be no evidence left that I struggled in America."So, I kept writing my blog with the feeling that I wanted to write it down and leave it behind.

I think I have a strong desire for self-expression.I do my current work with a motivation similar to that "desire to leave something behind" I had when I started my blog. Besides, if that becomes valuable to someone and I get praised for it, isn't that great?

--It's wonderful that you can be useful to others while satisfying your desire for self-expression...!

When I think about it that way, I might be closer to a creator than a business person myself.I'm happy that the things I like are connected to my work.

I realized that the essence of PR is "connection"

--What kind of things are you doing at Bokuwata now?

Currently, I work in public relations, handling tasks like writing press releases, editing our company's note blog, and planning series for external media. I also sometimes take on managerial roles, such as facilitating meetings and managing project progress.

—As a writer, what inspired you to start working in public relations?

I once interviewed a PR professional who mentioned that many people transition from writing to PR careers.

At the time, I didn't know much about PR, but when I looked into it, I realized that it requires communication skills for dealing with external media and writing skills for drafting press releases, so I felt it had a high affinity with the skills I had cultivated so far.

I had been working primarily as a writer, but I also get bored easily, so it was the perfect time for me to try something new.

That’s why I sent a LINE message to Imadaki, the representative of Bokuwata whom I had known for a while, saying I wanted to try being a PR assistant, which is how I joined the company.

—How was it, actually working in PR?

By seeing PR work on the front lines, I realized that at the end of the day, 'connections' are what matter most in PR.

As the name suggests, the job of PR is to 'spread the word.' I felt that to increase company awareness, horizontal connections are crucial—like connecting with media professionals who will help spread the word and actively communicating with PR staff at other companies.

And, before you can spread the word, you need to know more about the company than anyone else, so the connection between yourself and the company is also vital.

Since Bokuwata is a fully remote company, I want to deepen my understanding of the company even further through initiatives like these internal interviews.

Supporting the company through the power of words

—Speaking of the connection between yourself and the company, what was your impression of working at Bokuwata?

What surprised me was how much more serious everyone is about their work than I had imagined.

Since it’s a company with many young members—about 90% are Gen Z—I honestly had an image of it being like a 'group of friends.'

But once I started working here, I found that when it comes to getting things done, everyone is very thorough, and they provide strict feedback to each other regarding progress management and the quality of output. I think they can do that because there is a foundation of mutual trust.

We have fun together during our monthly Bokuwata workations and the various clubs we run daily, but when it comes to work, we push each other to grow based on a shared desire to improve, which I think is a great environment.

—Thank you. Finally, please tell us what you would like to do at Bokuwata in the future.

I want to help shape our representative's vision of making Bokuwata the first name that comes to mind when people think of 'Gen Z.'

When you work hard every day, it’s easy to get tunnel vision and think, 'Maybe we are at the center of Gen Z,' but if you look at it from a broader perspective, there are many companies related to Gen Z, and I believe new businesses will continue to emerge from the younger Gen Z generation.

I want to learn how to think strategically about what phase the company is in and what kind of PR activities are necessary.

Also, my core strength is writing, so I want to support the company through the power of words.

I believe words are so important that the definition of a company can change based on how it is defined in words, so I want to help the company move forward through my writing.

（Reporting/Writing = Hotaru Mokuji (@kosyo0821) / Editing = Yuki Ishikawa (@milkprincess17))

Now Hiring Directors/Producers/Back Office Members!

Due to strong business performance, we are currently considering hiring directors, producers, and back-office staff who can work at least 15 hours per month. (Total of 8 people to be hired, fully remote, side jobs allowed)

↓Please check this note for details↓

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About Boku to Watashi to Co.

Boku to Watashi to Co. is a planning and marketing company representing Gen Z. We specialize in planning and digital marketing for the SNS-native generation (Gen Z). Based on "Emo Marketing," we have launched many projects in collaboration with various companies and governments, such as "Way Way Land!," which combines alcohol and board games, "KANGOL NAIL," a nail salon that men can also easily visit, and "CQ," an SDGs media that supports Gen Z's decarbonization efforts.

Leveraging the fact that 70% of our members are Gen Z, we provide one-stop services from PR design that incorporates the real perspectives of today's youth to brand production and SNS management. We are also practicing new ways of working, including remote work systems, sauna hiring, and regional workations. Aiming for "every member to become a president," many companies have been born from within our own company. Our representative's book, "Emo Consumption: New Rules for Hits Across Generations," is now on sale.