By Paige Schick
My summer as a public relations intern for BizCom Associates is coming to a close, but I definitely won’t be leaving empty handed. I now have real world public relations experience, new knowledge about franchising and a portfolio full of press releases, blogs, media pitches, social media posts and more.
We’re going to miss our terrific summer intern. Great job, Paige!
As most college students know, landing that perfect summer internship is key when building your resume for after graduation.
But finding it is not an easy task. I hit the jackpot with BizCom, however. Even though I was new to the Dallas area, I immediately felt at home with BizCom and was put to work doing a lot of the same things as the account managers.
Here are the top 5 things I learned during my internship this summer:
1. Franchising PR is not boring
Let me just start out by saying I knew nothing about franchising or franchising PR when I first began at BizCom. My apprehension about how exciting this type of PR was going to be was quickly resolved when, right off the bat, I got to write press releases, blogs and media pitches—all things I loved doing during class, but this time I was able to see them actually published.
2. Working as an agency intern means every day is different
Even as an intern, agency life means you get to work with many different clients on a day-to-day basis, which makes the work much more exciting. This summer I had the opportunity to work with some of the fastest-growing and tastiest franchises in the U.S. including Gigi’s Cupcakes, Burger 21, Red Mango, Restoration 1 and more.
I was even lucky enough to get to try some of our client’s new menu items like Gigi’s summer cupcake menu and Red Mango’s FroNo dairy-free frozen yogurt—both delicious I might add.
3. Influencers are becoming as important as traditional media when it comes to getting publicity hits for clients
As social media continues to grow and become more prevalent in daily life, pitching social media influencers such as Instagrammers and bloggers is another great way to acquire publicity for clients.
I did a lot of research to find social media influencers to blog or write posts about our clients that ended up being really successful. It was always rewarding to see the blogs or social media posts I helped get published.
4. Good writing skills are key
They don’t make you take all those writing classes in college for nothing.
I don’t think there was a day this summer where I wasn’t doing some sort of writing which, lucky for me, is one of my favorite things to do. I loved being able to apply the information I learned in my public relations writing classes to what I was writing here at BizCom. As the saying goes, the more you write the better you get.
5. Work doesn’t feel like work when you love what you do
I’ve been working since I was a freshman in high school. From babysitting and cashiering to lifeguarding and waitressing, I paid my dues earning money for college. But this was the first job I’ve had where I actually looked forward to going to work every day.
It felt great to know that all my hard work throughout the years finally paid off and allowed me to intern doing something I love. I’m so thankful that I had this opportunity to learn and grow with such an amazing team.
Although I learned a lot more this summer than just these five points, these are the ones that will stick with me the most as I head back to Texas Tech.
Having the opportunity to work for a public relations agency before graduating has been invaluable. Now, as I approach my last year and half of college, I have a better understanding of what public relations looks like outside of the classroom and a better idea of what I might want to do after graduation.
This summer has solidified my love for public relations and given me the hands-on experience I needed to feel more confident in the field. I will forever be grateful for my opportunity to work at BizCom, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me.
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