Intern Diary: Stella
Nearly three months ago, I was searching for a fall internship in public relations. When I came across JMG’s Instagram page and hit the follow button - I knew right away that I wanted to apply for an internship there! Fast forward to today and now my internship at JMG is almost over. As my internship at JMG Public Relations comes to a close soon, I wanted to reflect on my biggest takeaways from the experience.
Takeaway #1: The agency setting is fun and exciting!
I learned from interning at JMG PR that I absolutely love working in an agency setting. No day is the same: there are always different projects, different pitches to draft and send, and a variety of unique clients. There is never a moment that there isn’t something to work on - which for someone who loves to stay busy like me, is the perfect environment! The agency setting is the place for me, thanks to JMG for showing me that.
Takeaway #2: Organization is key to success!
This internship has given me the opportunity to hone in my time management and organization skills. Since there are always multiple projects to work on throughout the day, keeping track and checking off what I complete has been key to my success. During every morning meeting, I write down (in my cute JMG notebook!) all of the tasks that need to be completed by the end of the day, and mark off when everything is done. In addition, as a full-time student as well, I am sure to stay on track of my classwork outside of the internship. This has made me prioritize my time and stay focused in the internship and outside of the internship as well.
Takeaway #3: Research is imperative to all of the work you do!
In my current introduction to public relations class, we learned that research comes first in PR. However, I did not realize how true this was until my internship at JMG! No matter what I work on at the internship, research is number one. I found this particularly important for creating media lists. By utilizing Muck Rack, finding contacts for media lists was made very convenient and easy. However, I learned that before adding a journalist to the list you must do more than simply read their job title and place of work, but you must also research and read articles that journalist had written prior. This is important for determining whether they are a good fit for sending a particular pitch to, and emphasized to me the importance of doing thorough research.
I am extremely grateful to JMG for showing me these three important takeaways. This being my first internship ever, I am glad that the experience has shown me that I want to continue to learn, grow, and take on the public relations field! While I am sad that my internship is almost over, I would not have traded the experience for anything and am fortunate to have had the opportunity.
