MTV Jams; PR Intern Edition

If this blog was really responsible for feeding the interns as its name implies, we branding and PR padawans would be quite the emaciated lot, would we not? It’s about time we get some sustenance in the Intern Corral.

Forget the silly pleasantries that you may be used to. We “Interns of Summer 2012” prefer to do away with introductions and instead jump right into sharing the valuable knowledge we have so skillfully acquired by working fifteen whole weeks in the business (really hoping sarcasm is as big a hit with the next batch of interns as it was with us.)

All jokes aside, this post seeks to offer up a little advice to any reputation intern who happens to come across it. Your first PR internship can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience, especially at an agency as dynamic as i.d.e.a. I remember walking out of my first internal meeting and turning to my supervisor to whisper, “I didn’t know what half of those words even meant!”

So, in an attempt to better acclimate you to your first couple of weeks on the job, here are three simple tips based on what I’ve learned during my short time here at i.d.ea., each one accompanied by a song in order to drive the point home.

1. Call Me, Maybe? – Carly Rae Jepson

      

      I know what you’re thinking. What does a Carly Rae Jepson tune—despite being arguably the most culturally significant song of our generation—have anything to do with getting off on the right foot in the office? ‘Call Me Maybe’ kicks things off due to the fact that one of the things young communications professionals seem to be most uncomfortable with initially is picking up the phone and, well, actually communicating with media.

Alas, it is also one of the most important tasks for PR younglings to learn.

My intern colleagues and I often discussed the anxiety involved with the uncertain practice of pitching the media for our brand partners. That being said, someone who can craft and deliver on effective pitches is a huge asset to ANY agency.

Try to avoid wasting your own time with button anxiety. It’s like the three second rule at a bar; if you see an interesting looking girl or guy, you have three seconds to go over and talk to them; otherwise you’ll get too nervous and royally fowl things up when you do make a go of it. Have your pitch written down and well prepared, but don’t be afraid to veer from the script and simply have a conversation. Often the connections you create will be more valuable to your client in the long run than any single placement would be, anyways.

Pitching and “cold calling” may seem a little scary at first, but the more you do it the more confident and proficient you’ll become! Do yourself a favor and jump right in from day one.

Call me, maybe? No. Call me, definitely…and pronto.

2. Time is Running Out – Muse

Yes indeed, the days of having all night to do a press release “assignment” are long gone. Not only do things move fast in the agency world, but many different things are moving fast at the same time. It is the ability to juggle multiple accounts on the fly that will eventually earn us all an Account Coordinator position of our own.

Time management, therefore, is a crucial component of succeeding during your time as an intern at i.d.e.a. Yes, you will be a little slow at first, but really work to be efficient and thorough in everything you do, whether it’s clipping a newspaper placement or drafting a television pitch.

Although you won’t initially be able to control how long it takes you to learn and complete a project, you CAN control how you organize your day. Find a system that works for you and stick to it. Don’t only prioritize your schedule at the beginning of each day, but re-prioritize as different tasks and situations come up.

An article I read recently mentioned that the average worker takes their tasks and fits them into a daily schedule, allocating a certain amount of time for each, where as truly successful people work as hard as they can to finish their projects as quickly as possible, ultimately getting much more done. There is nothing worse than being average, so make your time work for you.   

3.  Express Yourself – N.W.A.

Without a doubt, creating specifically targeted messaging and a unique voice for our brand partners is a huge part of what we do as PR and marketing pros. With all the effort we put into creating a consistent persona for our clients, it’s a shame that we often forget about developing the most important brand of them all – our own.

Take a peek around the office and you will quickly see that personality is not something that is in short supply at i.d.e.a. From marathon runners to figure skaters; improv comedians to ‘Tra La La’ lovers, the people you will be working with have quirks and characteristics just as diverse as their many talents and technical specialties. At a creative agency like this one, the one who doesn’t stand out, stands out –and not in a good way.

Don’t be afraid to show people who you are. Having a unique and memorable personal brand is just as important as knowing how to craft a great press release or navigate the Twittersphere. At the end of the day, people like to be around interesting people, and interesting workers are the ones who get remembered and recommended…sometimes even hired.

Interact with your environment, take an interest in the people around you and make your presence known.