An introduction to the world of public relations consultancy

Hello!

Welcome to my first blog post :) 

I commenced my four-week internship at Professional Public Relations WA (PPR) on the 30th July. PPR is one of Perth's largest and most dynamic PR consultancies. There are four divisions within PPR including: Corporate Communications; Consumer; Investor Relations and Digital Public Relations. With over 50 staff they have more experienced and specialised PR practitioners than any other agency in Perth. For eleven years running PPR has been named the number one PR consultancy in WA Business News’ Book of Lists.

It's not what you know; it's who you know...

I landed my placement at PPR by going straight to the top. I'd been given the Managing Director’s business card through a family member who was a friend of a friend of his. Perth is a small world. Everyone knows someone who knows someone. You just have to ask around and NETWORK! Once you have established a connection with someone it’s easier to build a working relationship. I received a positive outcome after approaching the man at the top and from there I was put in contact with the Human Resource Manager. Together we selected the most appropriate period for me to intern at PPR.

I went into the PPR offices twice before commencing my internship - once to meet with the Human Resource Manager and the second time to have a hand over meeting with the previous intern and administration assistances.  All of whom are extremely lovely and caring. I don’t recall being nervous at all when it came time for me to start interning.

So far, so good

My first few days at PPR were as if I had been thrown in the deep end of the pool and it was either sink or swim. Luckily I know how to swim! Interns at PPR undertake a fair amount of administration tasks and for the first week my workstation was located in the admin office. I was guided by and worked alongside two fresh PR graduates (both from Curtin University might I add!!!). It didn't take long for me to find myself extremely busy.

One of my regular and main roles as an intern is to do media clippings for one of PPR’s largest clients, Perth Fashion Festival (PFF). As PFF draws closer more media coverage appears in local, national and international publications. The clippings come through what’s called the media portal and from there a senior consultant working on the account will instruct me on what does and does not need to be clipped. I’ve clipped coverage from print, online, radio and tv media outlets – all of which are a tiny bit different from each other. To show the clients return on investment each clipping has a calculated advertising value equivalency. During PR Media at university I was taught how to do media clippings but I’ve found PPR’s clippings differ slightly. Once all clippings are complete I update the media report, save them to the database, send them to relevant consultants and file a hard copy for future client meetings.

Consultancy PR offers variety and the ability to learn in a fast pace environment. Deadlines come around quick and a sense of urgency surrounds most tasks. Even though some of my tasks have been relevantly simple I haven’t had a dull moment yet! I have to highlight time management as an essential skill in PR consultancy. Working on several accounts at one time forces you to prioritise tasks to ensure everything gets ­completed effectively and efficiently. In my first week I have already worked on the Perth Fashion Festival, Landcorp, Muzz Buzz, Emirates and Shell accounts in one way or another. I hope everyone else is settling into their internships as much as I am!

Gemma Edwards

Curtin University

Bentley, Perth WA