by Hannah Wadley, 2016 Cicero intern
Without a doubt the last three months at Cicero Communications has been the best public relations internship I’ve ever experienced.
I’ve come away with employable skills, a deeper knowledge of public relations, and meaningful relationships that will be invaluable for my career in the future.
This internship gives a broad exposure to key PR skills but also has the flexibility for students to show their talent in particular fields. Past interns have worked in various areas, such as conducting interviews, media release writing, social media content management, blogging, photography and corporate writing.
My role involved assisting with media relations for the Mother’s Day Classic, including press releases, editorial pitches to publications and researching potential contacts for newsworthy stories. I updated the media database, attended Brisbane Mother’s Day Classic Committee meetings and conducted interviews for editorial pitches.
I created a social media campaign, pitched it and was over the moon when it was accepted by Mother’s Day Classic. I was responsible for creating social media video content that could be broadcast on the Mother’s Day Classic’s Facebook and YouTube accounts to promote the event in future. Each video was a collaboration of film clips from interviews that represented a theme leading up to the event, such as volunteering, registration and organising a team.
For me, the biggest challenge was having the confidence to speak to professionals over the phone and making sure there were no mistakes with email correspondence. I was able to overcome this challenge and my attention to detail dramatically improved.
I also improved my habit of rushing tasks to meet deadlines – Kathryn was fantastic at showing me the importance of ensuring quality control.
And soon enough came the day of the Mother’s Day Classic, which was an amazing event. To see the result of everyone’s efforts and how much it meant to them was something truly unique and beautiful. It made me appreciate how outstanding the results can be through hard work, passion and collaboration. I will definitely be running in the Mother’s Day Classic in 2017.
I think what I loved about this internship was that I didn’t feel like a student that was a volunteering intern – I felt like a Public Relations professional. Kathryn Britt is amazing at Public Relations and is an invaluable mentor. She ensured my objectives would be met, including having a foundation of skills and knowledge that has made me more employable for future positions.
This is no regular internship. If you are lucky enough to be involved with Kathryn Britt at Cicero Communications, you will learn so much and come away thinking you had more potential that you realised.
Mother’s Day Classic PR intern Hannah Wadley with a run participant