PR Placement | Where PR passion meets practice

Eve’s first month of challenges and rewards as a PR placement

Eve Hyslop shares the challenges and rewards throughout her first month as a PR placement with Holyrood PR, showcased by PR Placement

STORYTELLING has always been a strong focal point throughout my career. My passion stemmed from helping people put their ideas into words and seeing their satisfaction once they saw the end product.

Something which my friends and family have always asked me is: “Do you find it difficult knowing what to write down and how to word it?”. And honestly, yes, which is ironic considering that’s pretty much the job of storytelling.

But the reward at the end is the part that makes the challenge worth it. My first month in the graduate placement with Holyrood PR has been full of challenges with loads of rewards to follow.

The unfamiliarity of media release writing, drafting social media posts, content creation, business research, and taking part in team brainstorms and client calls soon became the new normal for me within my first two weeks at Holyrood PR.

I began my new role immersed into the PR side of the company by drafting media releases and attending client calls – all tasks that I expected from PR. Beyond that first week, I soon found there was much more to the profession.

I was soon introduced to the digital side of the agency by getting involved in SEO optimisation and content creation. When I was tasked with creating content for Holyrood PR’s social platforms, I was given full reign to make the project my own.

I felt out of my depth at first, as my specialty is in words rather than images, content or graphics. But with prime examples shared from the team, I was soon able to get my creative juices flowing to create and pitch social-ready content within my third week.

I also became familiarised with the different technologies and software used by the team, particularly when tasked with uploading media releases and success posts to the agency’s website.

From the outside looking in, a company’s website is a resource that you often wouldn’t appreciate the value of. But it’s an essential part of Holyrood PR’s toolkit that helps the business stand out against competitors.

After giving the website a particular amount of attention, I came to understand that a company’s website is the first port-of-call for a customer or client so it’s important that it reflects the purpose and vision of the company.

For Holyrood PR, our vision is centred around how stories are at the heart of every business and our purpose is to transform the everyday into what makes us proud.

That’s where the website comes in – highlighting client’s stories through campaigns, releases and content and transforming them into something that they, and we, can be proud of.

The last month has been a whirlwind of learning, upskilling, familiarising and creating. With plenty more room for such, I look forward to having many more challenges thrown my way and reaping the rewards.