Music Publicity and Marketing InternAt — Straight Gold

Straight Gold is seeking a motivated Publicity & Marketing Intern to gain hands-on experience within a creative marketing and communications agency working across music, entertainment, culture, and emerging brands.

The intern will work alongside the Straight Gold team to support publicity campaigns, media relations, digital marketing, content strategy, audience research, and client projects. Students will gain exposure to the full lifecycle of a campaign, from research and strategic planning through outreach, execution, reporting, and post-campaign analysis.

This internship is designed for students interested in careers in public relations, marketing, communications, music and entertainment marketing, digital strategy, or creative brand development. Interns will work on real-world assignments while receiving direct mentorship and feedback from experienced team members.

Responsibilities may include researching journalists, publications, creators, influencers, and cultural trends; assisting with media lists and outreach preparation; drafting publicity and marketing materials; supporting campaign strategy; monitoring media and digital coverage; researching partnership and promotional opportunities; contributing ideas during creative strategy sessions; and assisting with campaign reporting and analysis.

The ideal candidate is organized, curious, culturally aware, comfortable conducting independent research, and interested in understanding how publicity, marketing, storytelling, and audience development work together.

Tasks:

The student will perform professional and pre-professional duties that directly support active publicity and marketing campaigns, including:

1. Research journalists, editors, publications, newsletters, podcasts, creators, influencers, brands, and other potential campaign partners.

2. Build and organize targeted media and marketing research lists based on client objectives, genre, audience, campaign narrative, and cultural relevance.

3. Research current industry, social media, cultural, music, entertainment, and consumer trends that may inform campaign strategy.

4. Assist with the development of publicity campaigns, marketing strategies, launch plans, content strategies, and promotional ideas.

5. Draft and edit media pitches, campaign briefs, client biographies, press materials, talking points, marketing copy, research summaries, and other communications materials.

6. Review client music, creative assets, brand materials, and project information to identify compelling narratives and potential publicity or marketing opportunities.

7. Assist with media outreach preparation and learn how professional follow-up and relationship management are conducted.

8. Monitor press coverage, digital activity, campaign responses, audience engagement, and relevant industry developments.

9. Maintain organized campaign records, contact research, coverage reports, project documents, and internal databases.

10. Assist with identifying partnership, influencer, creator, experiential, and cross-promotional opportunities for clients.

11. Participate in campaign brainstorming and strategy discussions and contribute researched recommendations.

12. Prepare campaign updates and reports summarizing outreach activity, coverage, marketing performance, key findings, and recommended next steps.

13. Analyze completed campaign activity and identify lessons that can be applied to future publicity and marketing initiatives.

14. Participate in regular meetings with the internship supervisor to review assignments, receive feedback, discuss professional development, and connect day-to-day responsibilities with the internship's academic learning objectives.

Training:

Students will begin with a general agency orientation covering Straight Gold's services, client workflow, expectations, communication practices, confidentiality requirements, project-management systems, and the fundamentals of working within a creative marketing and publicity agency.

Interns will receive training in publicity and media relations, including how to research journalists and publications, evaluate whether a media contact is relevant to a campaign, develop media lists, understand editorial positioning, prepare pitches, and monitor coverage.

Training will also cover marketing and creative strategy, including audience research, campaign positioning, competitive research, social and cultural trend analysis, content strategy, influencer and creator research, and identifying appropriate promotional opportunities.

Students will receive examples of previous campaign materials and work samples to understand professional standards before completing comparable assignments independently.

The intern will participate in regular mentor check-ins and project reviews where assignments are discussed, contextualized, reviewed, and revised. Feedback will focus on research quality, strategic thinking, writing, communication, organization, and professional development.

As the internship progresses, students will move from guided exercises and observation into greater responsibility for research, campaign preparation, written materials, reporting, and strategic recommendations.

Learning Outcome:

By the end of the academic internship, the student will be able to:

1. Develop and evaluate publicity and marketing strategies based on a client's goals, target audience, positioning, release schedule, and broader cultural context.

2. Conduct professional media, audience, and market research to identify relevant journalists, publications, creators, influencers, trends, and promotional opportunities.

3. Create professional communications materials including media pitches, campaign briefs, research summaries, press materials, marketing copy, and outreach recommendations.

4. Analyze campaign performance using media coverage, outreach activity, audience engagement, and other relevant metrics to identify successes and opportunities for improvement.

5. Demonstrate professional agency workflows and communication practices, including project organization, deadlines, client confidentiality, collaboration, presenting ideas, incorporating feedback, and managing multiple campaign priorities.