Hi Guys,
Now that I am well into my internship, I have noticed a change in myself - I am much more confident (and willing) to pitch! It's a scary thought having to phone the media and pitch your story, particularly when they may not be that interested and it was something that I found quite difficult to do for the first 3 to 4 weeks of interning.
However, these last couple of weeks I've noticed that this doesn't phase me too much anymore. I'm happy to pick up the phone and call as many people as I can in order to get our story out there and achieve publicity for the client. I believe that when you love what you do and care about your role, it makes you that more persistent to get the best results. One thing I have learned from my internship is that an email is not enough. Phoning and having a conversation with the journalist is the quickest way to get a response, and yes sometimes you may get shut down, however it is better than constantly harassing someone with emails yet not receiving a response.
Having seen some good results due to my pitching efforts, I believe this has helped build my confidence and made me realise that it is worthwhile to pick up the phone. You must have confidence with what you are pitching because if you don't believe in it, it's likely that the journalist won't either!
As the agency I intern for is boutique, they place a large focus on ensuring that relationships are built and maintained. It is essential to offer journalists as much assistance as possible and to thank them for their time. We aim to be at every photo shoot for any paper, whether it be the West Australian or the Fremantle Herald, nothing is too big or too small that we cannot be there to provide help in any shape or form. I believe this is what makes Detail (agency) so successful. The care and diligence they take with each and every client and the relationships they have formed within the media has certainly been a huge part of forming their reputation.
The opportunity for me to meet so many people and interact with a variety of media contacts is priceless. This hands' on experience has made me realise how essential it is to build strong relationships with clients, media, bloggers, local community, government, and so on. You never know when you may need their assistance!
What has your internship experience helped you to understand more or realise about the real world of PR that you have not already learnt in Uni?
3 comments:
I couldn't agree more with your post! I can definitely relate to emailing isn't enough, using the phone is just as, if not more important for getting a pitch across or getting answers. When I first started I used to hide behind emails and wait for a response. However when nearing the end of my internship I definitely think my confidence grew and a phone call or two wasn't that scary. I think one of the main things the internship taught me that uni didn't, was to be confident in everything you do. I found people in the industry related to confidence a lot more than someone who lacked it, did you find that also?
Although the skills we learnt during our PR courses were extremely important, I don't think their is anything that could really prepare you for the real world, because it is pretty intimidating but as long as you project confidence and a desire to constantly learn you will get where you want to be!
Brigette
I completely agree :) It's hard at first because you lack confidence in yourself a little, being an intern and all, but I soon realised how important it is to pick up the phone and just have a chat!
Hi Stephanie,
I couldn't agree more with your post. As an intern at Curtin University's Events and Media department one of my jobs included daily pitches to journalists. The first 2/3 weeks I found this task really daunting and like Brigette I wanted to hide behind emails and wait for a response. Now that I have finished my placement, I have noticed a huge difference in my confidence and my ability to pitch story ideas to journalists. Although university equips you with the skills to succeed, I have found that nothing quite prepares you for the real world. Do you agree?
Goodluck with the rest of your internship!
Jesse
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