Playing the Angles – Taking on PR

wirtten by Stuart Milne

My Time at Holyrood PR

In researching my final blog I considered my angle options; from wacky tasks and props to post-uni early mornings. The truth is, however, I’ve always been good at getting up early and I feel like mentioning shopping for an ornate gold frame and stick on mutton-chops isn’t a fair reflection of the fantastic real-world PR experience I’ve gained (plus I’ve snuck that in here).

The best representation I could make of my internship experience is that I was immersed from the first moment to the last. I now really know what a PR career could offer as I’ve lived it for the past month, so that is the only angle I could take.

I’ve been encouraged by the whole team at every stage of the past four weeks and taken a story from picking up the phone to have a chat with a centenarian, long distance runner or award-winner right the way through to drafting releases and pitching to seeing the story appear in some of Scotland and the UK’s best known newspapers.

Finding an angle on a story can transform a plodding press release into PR dynamite. It can make the difference between the coverage being a short piece in a local paper to front page of one of the country’s widest read and most respected publications.

Diving deep to discover a hidden story is the key and is what Holyrood PR are all about. Finding out what makes someone unique and asking just one more question can make headlines. From ‘The Nan Who Loves Naan‘ to a centenarian who celebrated his birthday with a first ever drink rather than a telegram, human interest stories can spark the imagination of the public and gain more coverage in bigger papers than news of an important business deal.

Read my first week blog here

There’s been some great coverage while I’ve been here, spanning across all clients, in all industries. The varied work has kept every day fresh and exciting and I’ve enjoyed trying something each time I walk into the office.

Taking on every facet of getting a company good coverage has had me writing for hours on end, which is a rare treat for someone who’s used to cooking and pouring drinks. Not only have I written two internship blogs, I’ve tried my hand at another for the Holyrood website as well as several for clients. Press releases have stacked up so fast I couldn’t count them and I’ve had a chance to create coverage posts detailing the agency’s successes.

I’ve been trusted daily to upload content of my own and others to Holyrood’s website and have become a pro at Word Press and Node using SEO to get businesses noticed and up their online traffic.

So that’s my angle! Holyrood PR have offered me an insight into what it’s like to work in public relations, given me essential experience and bolstered my C.V. beyond recognition.

PR is all about maximising your client’s media footprint and this internship can show you how to do that if you throw yourself into it. It can also help widen your own footprint, giving you the chance to succeed and grow into PR in a way that no course could.