The first expectation I had of being an intern was that I would be doing the daily coffee run and photocopying everything. But much to my surprise, right from the start of my very first day people were offering to make me a drink, writes Hayleigh Griffiths
Before starting my internship, my perception of PR was that the sole goal for agencies is to promote clients’ businesses and raise awareness with a wider audience across magazines, TV, radio, etc – and that’s true. But little did I know, there was so much more to learn.
Taking a break from Brighton University, where I’m studying Media, Industry and Innovation, to come and step into the big adult world was exciting. A key part of my course includes a compulsory month-long placement. Being given the opportunity to undergo such an interesting internship in a successful agency made my experience even more invigorating.
At the start of my placement, acronyms and day-to-day PR-speak such as; ROIs, AVEs and KPIs were being thrown around the office – I had no idea what on earth everyone was talking about! But with help from the wonderful Fleet Street team, I was quickly educated on ways of working and boosted my knowledge of the industry – and the acronyms!
My perspective of PR has definitely changed a great deal over the last four weeks. I went from knowing the bare minimum to being involved in a few different projects. These included generating daily social media posts, monitoring for client coverage, reporting, alongside event sell-ins. In addition, I also had the chance to draft a press release for Wing Yip – the UK’s largest Oriental supermarket.
In my view, doing an internship has definitely been worthwhile. It gives someone with little industry knowledge the chance to experience the rhythm of day-to-day office life. I was able to learn office etiquette, professional ways to communicate with both team members and clients as well as the ability to “balance a spinning plate” – all of this made possible due to excellent support from the amazing Fleet Street family. For anyone looking for an internship in the PR industry, I strongly recommend this focused and thriving company.