Prior to my internship with Prohibition PR, I had no idea what Public Relations was and how it worked. Having gained three months experience now, I am amazed at how much I have learned in such a short period.
Here is my list of tips that I have learnt from working with the Prohibition team:
– Firstly, to succeed in PR you need to have excellent written and verbal communication skills. Be it writing a press release, a blog or presenting a proposal, they are not just needed in Public Relations and Social Media, but this applies to employment in general.
– Ask questions. When you start work in the industry, you’re bound to not understand everything, so it is vital that when you’re stuck, you are prepared to seek advice. To really understand the business you need to be able to confidently ask questions.
– Be pro-active. PR is a competitive business where people need to be quick thinking, they need to have the ability to produce ideas when under pressure.
– Prepare. Before you even step into a PR firm, buy The Social Media Handbook as this will give you a good base of knowledge to help you get ahead of the game on the social media and digital side of things.
– Understand the importance of your clients. They are the core of business, so keep them happy!
– Make the most of social media. An immensely powerful channel, working at Prohibition PR I created several blog posts including one about the effects that social media has had on the music Industry, which was shared in loads of places including on the official CIPR website.
– Try and grasp the techniques of how to write a good strong blog article. Develop and have a good eye for a story and understand the nature of the PR agency you’re working for and what stories are best suited to them and their clients.
– Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. See it as a trial run and a place where making mistakes is allowed.
Work experience is a great way to prepare for the working world and broaden your knowledge, so make the most of it!