Cat’s PRrrfect Internship

Holyrood PR BlogIntern Programme

Bicycles, Botox and Blog Posts: My final two weeks of the Holyrood PR internship

PR Internship Catriona Timoney Edinburgh

By Catriona Timoney

THE final two weeks of my internship at Holyrood PR have provided me with an even greater insight into the gears and cogs that make a PR agency work.

Through attending meetings, writing content for clients and generally watching the team at work, I have had a real taste for the world of public relations.

These are all tasks that I would not have believed I could do when I started, so the whole month has given me such a confidence boost.

Filming a video where I raced Melissa to hollow out a lemon, presenting a scoop of Mackie’s in it, for the launch of their new St Clements flavour, was not something I thought a typical PR activity would be, but it was good fun, despite being a little chilly and gave me a real ‘scoop’ for how creative videos can do a lot for business!

On Thursday I was invited to attend a bloggers event at The Dermal Clinic, which was fascinating. Watching live beauty demonstrations and hearing talks from the doctors that work there, it was a really enjoyable event- Although I don’t think I am quite ready for Botox yet.

A real highlight for me has been seeing some of my press releases gain important local press coverage – and feeding this back to the people whose stories we have told has been rewarding.

My story about a Dad, Ryan, who was cycling 45 miles in aid of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation was picked up by a few local papers so when I fed this news back to him it was so exciting to hear him say “How exciting, I’m going to run out and grab a paper”.

Moments like those really make taking the time to find the story and write each release worthwhile and it’s what has made me so sure that following this experience I will pursue a career in PR.

Cat Shows Coverage of SKFF Cycle in Dunfermline Press

 

In my final week, ready to head back out into the big bad world in pursuit of getting on the PR job ladder, I was lucky enough to be asked to stay and continue developing at Holyrood PR. Through hard work and some luck that there was a space for me I was offered the role of PR Admin Assistant and I can’t wait to take on this opportunity. To be able to keep developing skills and growing with Holyrood PR is a dream come true.

Making the most of your internship- a key to success

In order to impart some of my new-found wisdom I asked the team (that I have been working so closely with for four weeks) to describe me, in the hopes that this could be useful for any future interns.

Asking everyone a little about my work I got some answers that I was pretty pleased with *queue head exploding*.

So without further ado, I’ll let my good colleague’s take over the next chapter. Here is what they each had to say:

Kenny 

 

Kenny Murray of Holyrood PR in Edinburgh, ScotlandKenny initially described me in one word as chirpy, but after being ridiculed by the other members of the team, he changed it to “steadfast”. When he realised that steadfast is an adjective primarily used to describe ships, he landed on… “hard-working”.

 


Stuart

Headshot of Stuart Milne Holyrood PR Photography ShootStuart recognised my input on the Roddy Kyle Pilot story for Bield to be some of my best work here. Pointing out how it received coverage on the Scottish Sun Online, which reaches over 50000 potential readers per day.

He summed me up in one word as “pro-active” which I will happily take.

 


Melissa

Melissa Craib at an Edinburgh PR Agency

 

After noticing the amount of times I say the phrase “why is that” in the Vox Pop I presented, Melissa thought it would be apt that the word to describe me be #whyisthat. I am still waiting to see that particular hashtag trending on twitter.


Craig

Holyrood PR Photography Shoot

When asked, Craig said “enthusiastic” because I jumped in front of the camera to film the now almost famous vox-pop like a “duck to water”.

 


Alie

Holyrood PR Photography ShootAlie suggested that my stand-out piece of work was a Sick Kids Friends Foundation press release, regarding a cycling fundraiser – and it was rewarded with some good press pick-up.

She recognised the aim of stories like these to be gaining all important regional coverage – something that this tale managed very effectively.

She also described me as “efficient” because of my quick writing.


Chris

Chris Fairbairn of Scottish public relations agency, Holyrood PR in EdinburghWhen asked about my best piece of work, Chris went with a blog post I wrote for Eagle Couriers on potholes -0 as it was a piece I researched and drafted from scratch.

He also described me as “committed”. I take pride in seeing a job through – and being proud of what I produce – so was delighted with this feedback.


Ainsley

Ainsley Piggott of Scottish public relations agency, Holyrood PR in EdinburghTo sum me up in one single word, Ainsley landed on “reliable” and she complimented my press release writing and my confidence over the phone.

This was feedback that I was really happy to receive as similar to many other interns/ millennials, speaking on the phone is something I can find a little daunting.


Scott

Scott Douglas, Director of Holyrood PR in Edinburgh

“Keen” was the word Scott chose for me, and he was happy with the social media audit I completed over the course of the month.

He also noted my Lemon Victoria sponge as good work, but I’m not sure that’s a skill you can verify on Linkedin quite yet (unless you are Mary Berry).


Raymond

Holyrood PR Photography Shoot

 

Finally, Raymond described me as “effective” which I was glad to hear and was pleased with my identifying interesting social media content for clients.

 


 PR Professionals

Receiving such lovely words from the team, it’s certain that the feeling is very much mutual – as this experience would not have been the same without them.

I have felt my confidence grow daily at the hands of the team, who are so lovely and always willing to help.

Whether it’s setting you up for a task so that you can tackle it with confidence, answering every little (potentially silly) question or helping with each much-needed round of hot drinks, I have felt so at home here.

The work that gets done here every day to uncover and tell stories for each business they work with is amazing and it’s a skill I one day hope to replicate.

I would advise the next intern to get stuck straight in, be proactive, ask questions- and if you’re going to bring cake… don’t expect leftovers!

Learn more about an internship with Scottish PR Agency Holyrood PR

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