If there is one thing that uni didn't prepare me for, it is the amount of research that goes in to a PR consultancy! I mean, if I had given it some thought I would have realised that everything in PR needs research. It was just that doing PR in uni, you have to research for assignments etc., but that's normal for uni and I didn't really think of it as how the job would be.
I learnt at the very start of my placement - there is always more research to be done! It makes sense, as PR professionals we need to know as much detail as possible about anything that will have an impact upon our clients or our own activities. We need to cover all bases and this takes a lot of time and a lot of searching for information. Not that all of my placement was spent researching, but it seems to work its way in to the majority of tasks!
Another thing I have learnt is that there is always information, databases, contact lists etc. to be updated and maintained! Again, this is not something I used to think of when I thought of the public relations profession - but, of course, it is something that must be done!
Finally, I now understand the kinda of time, effort and resources that a public relations consultancy puts in to mail outs. During my third week of my placement we had to do two mail outs for a particular client. When I was first asked to be involved I had no idea what really went in to it. After composing, checking, editing, approving and printing the letters and their attachments, we folded, packed, sealed and labelled hundreds of letters. The next day, myself and one of the senior consultants spent the morning in Rivervale dropping each letter off. That afternoon we drove to Craigie and spent a few hours there doing the same thing. I actually quite enjoyed doing this, just to change the routine a little, but it just wasn't something I thought a PR consultancy would do! I expected the letters to be sent via regular mail or courier but the consultancy physically drops off each letter so as they can assure the client that it has been done.
I know it sounds like I've used this blog to complain about things that bored me, but that isn't the case at all. I'm just using this opportunity to share some of the tasks that weren't what I came to expect from my time at uni. These tasks - although they sound like the mundane, boring ones - helped me to understand how a consultancy does operate in the real world and I'm grateful to have had to opportunity to learn about the little things that make the big things happen :)
6 comments:
HiSamanthaJones90,
I know exactly what you meant by the amount of research that needs to be done that has to be included in our PR job scope. I too, had to research, update and maintain information, databases and contact lists of current and potential members in the organization that I'm working in. Drafting and composing emails were also part of my tasks.
As small a task as it may seem, I find it is still as important because this is part and parcel of managing stakeholders' relationship.
Seems like I can relate to you as we share similar experiences (:
All the best Samantha!
I agree! I have been working on databases a lot at my placement and it just never seems to end. The biggest one for us is the membership database.
It is rewarding too though, because although it needs constant attention, you can see the results of what you are doing and know that it is an important contribution to the business.
Hi Samantha,
I have also experienced the amount of research that is needed to be an effective public relations professional. I have spent hours and hours researching every single publication in the wider Perth area and all of their individual details such as distribution, readership profiles, demographics etc. This is all so that you can target the most relevant publication with your press release, giving yourself the best chance to have it picked up!
In the end, I have learnt that all of the research is worth it and it really is an important part of the job!
Well done for putting the hard yards in, you sound like you’ve been incredibly busy!
Hello Samantha!
I too was surprised by the amount of research that went into PR work when I first began by internship at a PR agency. Research is a crucial part to gaining insight into what the agency's client does, the client's competitors in the country and in the region, and also the situation and progress of the particular industry at that point in time.
Research may be easy but tedious and time consuming, and at any agency, time is money. So for my internship, I learned that research done, not only had to be relevant, but also had to be found very quickly. I suppose it is a lot to live up to being a newbie in the PR industry, but my internship experience was invaluable and I hope yours will be as positive as mine was!
I 100% agree with you all! I too am completing my internship with a PR consultancy and I don't think I've ever done so much research. It is definitely evidient to me now the importance of research and the importance of creating and maintaining contact lists and databases. If you were to ask me the two main tasks a PR professional does when working with a consultancy, it would definitely, without a doubt be research and maintenance of contact lists.
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