Public Relations InternAt — InventPR, LLC.

Unpaid: Academic Credit Required

Invent PR is seeking a motivated, energetic and organized student to act as a part-time public relations intern. Marketing, journalism and communications majors in their junior and senior years of college are preferred. Excellent communication skills and a strong interest in PR, social media and marketing are essential to succeed in this position.

This internship is a remote (virtual) internship, so interns can work from home/school. Communication is done via email, phone and video conferencing.

A public relations intern supports team members with day-to-day responsibilities managing a client's media campaign.

Intern tasks will include (but are not limited to):
A public relations intern supports team members with day-to-day responsibilities as they manage a client's media campaign.

Tasks will include (but are not limited to):

1. Building and maintaining media lists: An intern will use state-of-the-art tools — including Cision, Vocus and Meltwater software — to build media databases. Internet searches will be conducted to update a journalist's contact info and to find new media sources. An intern will also be responsible for checking HARO requests for appropriate leads.

2. Copy editing and writing press releases: A well-written press release is one of the most powerful tools that a publicist uses on a regular basis. The intern will check facts, dates and details for accuracy, as well as grammar. The intern will be expected to make suggestions for fixing deficiencies and inaccuracies. Once a comfort level is attained, an intern will be tasked with writing basic press releases.

3. Writing pitches: A well-crafted pitch is another powerful tool that publicists have at their disposal. An intern will be tasked with writing basic pitches and variations of pitches for different media target groups.

4. Tracking press coverage: An intern will utilize Google Alerts to monitor media placements and conduct Internet searches to locate new articles, reviews, blog posts and TV coverage (video clips).

5. Creating monthly reports: Intern will assist in the preparation of client reports, which summarize monthly activity, including media lists, new media placements and new media interest.

6. Assisting with social media initiatives: Intern will promote new media placements with well-timed and strategically-placed posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest on behalf of Invent PR and its clients.

Training:

Supervisor’s Training Techniques
There are three core areas that this internship will focus on to help the student develop the skills to be a successful PR professional:

1. Building media lists
2. Writing press releases and pitches
3. Interacting with journalists

To help the student achieve their learning outcomes, the internship will implement the following training techniques:

I. Building Media lists — This is arguably the most important, and most time-consuming, function for a publicist. Accurate and up-to-date media lists are the lifeblood of PR agencies and publicists. The student/intern will learn the basics of the most popular media list building tools in the industry today, including Cision, Meltwater and Google searches.
a. This learning track will begin with an overview via Skype video session between the supervisor and student. This video session will last approximately 60 minutes and will include an overview of the importance of accurate media lists and the most popular tools used by PR agencies and publicists. The video session will also include step-by-step lessons on the basic functionality of Cision, Meltwater and Google searches.
b. The supervisor will provide the student with instruction manuals for Cision, Meltwater and Google searches for the purpose of building media lists.
c. The student will be given projects to build actual working media lists in categories such as travel, consumer technology, outdoor recreation, lifestyle and fitness.
d. The supervisor will provide the student immediate feedback via phone or Skype session, so the student can learn from the experience and fine-tune their skills in media list building.

II. Writing Press Releases and Pitches — A well-written, accurate and professional press release is of vital importance to a publicist’s overall success. It’s a skill that must be mastered to reflect positively on not only the publicist and PR agency, but the client as well.
a. This learning track will begin with an overview via Skype video session between the supervisor and student. This video session will last approximately 30 minutes and will include an overview of the importance of writing a professional press release. The video session will also include step-by-step lessons on the key components of a press release: what should be included and what should not be included, as well as the proper structure. Finally, the supervisor will discuss the merits of a well-timed pitch letter and the appropriate time to use a pitch.
b. The supervisor will provide the student with an instruction manual for writing a professional press release, as well as pitches.
c. The student will be given examples of professional press releases, as well as poorly-written press releases, so they can see the differences and learn from this.
d. The student will be given a project to write an actual press release, as well as pitches.
e. The supervisor will provide the student immediate feedback via phone or Skype session, so the student can learn from the experience and fine-tune their skills in writing press releases.

III. Interacting with Journalists — After building media lists and writing press releases/pitches, the student next learns how to interact with journalists in a professional manner in accordance with industry norms.
a. This learning track will begin with an overview via Skype video session between the supervisor and student. This video session will last approximately 20-30 minutes and will include an overview of the importance of interacting with journalists in a professional and courteous manner. The video session will also include some of the do’s and don’ts of communication with journalists, including spamming, acting in a professional manner, meeting editorial deadlines, observance that the publicist is representing the client and following through on requests from journalists.
b. The supervisor will provide the student with an instruction manual for the proper methods and etiquette to follow when interacting with journalists. This will include examples of some of the most common types of media requests, including photographs (and the term “high-res” and what it means), press releases, interviews and additional information. And it also includes ways to handle certain types of negative reviews or comments from journalists.
c. The supervisor will provide a role-playing exercise, where the student has to respond to a variety of responses from journalists and how they would handle the situation. This exercise would be done via email and are only hypothetical examples of scenarios that the student may face once they're working in the PR field.
d. The supervisor will provide the student feedback via email and phone, so the student can learn from the experience and fine-tune their skills in communicating with journalists.

Supervisor's Background: Mr. Blakeney is the founder and President of Invent PR, a PR agency that specializes in working with start-up companies in industries such as technology, consumer products and travel. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida and an MBA from Arizona State University. He has been in the PR industry for a decade, and prior to that was a magazine editor and newspaper columnist. So he has seen the industry from both sides and has a unique understanding of the inner workings of both PR agency and media outlet. Mr. Blakeney has actively worked with Cal State Fullerton's internship program for several years.

Learning Outcomes:

The student will learn the skills, qualities and attributes that make a good publicist, which will translate to a traditional full-service PR firm, a boutique or specialty PR firm, or an in-house corporate position. Many PR firms are also incorporating a telecommuting model, where publicists can work from a remote/home office; the student is learning the same principals during this internship, which will enhance their marketability after graduation. The student will learn to perform the most important functions of a successful publicist: building a strong database of journalists; writing effective pitches and press releases; following up with journalists to ensure media coverage; tracking media coverage in a timely manner; and presenting the strategies and results to the client with a well-written summary report.