---
title: Interview with Lauren Sams, features director at ELLE Australia
description: Lauren Sams is the features director at ELLE Australia. She’s the author of two books. Her work has appeared in marie claire, Cosmopolitan, Good…
---

[Media Research Information and Insights ](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog)

# [Interview with Lauren Sams, features director at ELLE Australia](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/blog-interview-lauren-sams)

 Written by [Admin](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/author/admin) | Apr 26, 2018 12:38:52 PM

<https://twitter.com/laurenssams?lang=en>Lauren Sams is the features director at *ELLE Australia*. She’s the author of two books. Her work has appeared in *marie claire*, *Cosmopolitan*, *Good Food, delicious*,* The Sydney Morning Herald*,* Sunday Style *and *Daily Life*. She lives in Sydney with her husband, daughters and two dogs. Her Twitter handle is [@LaurenSSams](https://twitter.com/laurenssams?lang=en).

 

**How excited are you to start your new role as features director for* ELLE Australia*?**  
If there was a GIF that summed up my excitement levels, it would probably be that one of Liz Lemon high-fiving a million angels. I love *ELLE*; it has been my favourite magazine for a very long time, so working on the magazine is a dream come true.

 

**For a press release to grab your attention, what should it contain?**  
A product that actually relates to *ELLE*. Please don’t send me stuff about pets (unless it relates very directly to Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette).

 

**If there has been one big lesson you’ve learned so far, what would that be?**  
God, I have learned so much! But probably the thing that has resonated the most is the importance of listening. This sounds very obvious (especially for someone who interviews people for a living) but I’ve found over the years that slowing down, listening well and taking time to respond is very, very helpful. In work, and in life.

 

**You’ve worked as a freelancer for the last few years. What are the biggest challenges for freelance journalists in Australia?**  
Being paid well. I’ve had editors ask me to write for less than 20 cents a word. It’s difficult to see the value in even doing the work for payment like that. That said, I’ve had mostly positive interactions with editors, and I really did love working freelance. It gives you the freedom to write about so many different things, which I really enjoyed.

 

[View full post](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/blog-interview-lauren-sams)

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