A PR Master Class from an Award-Winning Agency

Intern Programme

My Time as an Intern for Holyrood PR

By Michael Lawrence
Holyrood PR in Edinburgh provide internship programme to give PR skills

IF you are looking for a hands-on insight into the world of agency PR I can’t think of a better place to intern than Award-winning PR agency Holyrood PR.

Here the age old rule that two days are never the same couldn’t be more applicable. Throughout my time at the agency I can testify to this.

I would need weeks to compile a detailed chronicle of what I have learned here, a report sure to challenge the length of my dissertation. Instead I have chosen to list and outline the top 10 things I have learned and will take forward in my PR career.

1) Media Releases  I have learned over other placements that these differ from firm to firm but in the case of this Edinburgh PR agency there is a winning formula to follow that has attributed to their numerous success stories.

2) Media Roll Out  At Holyrood PR you learn the importance of successfully executing the issuing of a press release and are shown the steps involved in garnering coveted coverage in National press and industry publications. This is down to selective pitching of the clients stories rather than a spray-and-pray approach.

3) ‘A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words’  Every journalist knows that stories can be told better with the aid of images. It is important therefore when pitching a client media release that the best quality pictures be attached.

N.B. As a general rule of thumb this will give your story a bigger and better display.


Essential business guide to public relations photography from Holyrood PR in Edinburgh

Find out more about how PR photography turbo charges your messages by reading our guide on the power of photography


Holyrood PR in Edinburgh Staff Train Interns to give them expert PR skills

4) Don’t Be Shy  Once the story is in the media’s court, it is vital to chase it with a call to the editorial team to make sure they use your story. There is no room for being shy in PR, it simply won’t work.

5) Re-pitch  In many cases editors may not have even seen your email, this makes it even more important to be confident and sell that story over the phone. It is all about balance and feeding them enough to get them hooked on the story. From observation – and being thrown in the deep end – it seems Holyrood PR are professionals at getting their clients into print.

6) The Proof is in the Punch  Like any PR agency it is important to log and record your success to show your client just how hard you have been working. At Holyrood PR this involves searching the web and print for coverage that your skills got there. These are all compiled into press reports for each client.

7) Internal PR  While it’s great to be garnering success for your clients, it’s important to remember to promote yourself as this will drive more business your way. At Holyrood PR you’ll learn they issue a fantastic newsletter every week and an accompanying video (HPR TV) showcasing their successes of the week before.


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Holyrood PR Edinburgh intern Michael is learning from the PR experts

8) Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)  Before coming to Holyrood PR I had only read about this at university. During my internship I have been shown just how to maximise this through inclusion of key words and the effects of successful optimisation.

9) Get Blogging  If you’re after a career in PR or communications in general you should establish your professional writing style. A great way to do this is by starting a blog. At Holyrood PR you get plenty practice in blog writing for both clients and for the Holyrood PR website. Have a look at the blog section of the Holyrood PR website to read all the latest blogs.

10) Keep Calm and Carry On  A final tip that will serve you well in your internship is to remember you’re there to learn and the only way to learn is by making mistakes. So dust yourself off and keep shining.

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