So now that you are in the driver\u2019s seat and creating PR internships of your own, you\u2019re the one in charge of deciding what PR interns do for your team. <\/strong>What a great opportunity to bring some new energy into your office and gift a burgeoning PR pro with a memorable experience! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how to create win-win PR internship opportunities for your interns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you post that PR internship description, meet with your team to discuss how a PR intern can enhance your agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where could they provide the most value on the team? What entry-level tasks would be both exciting and educational for them? Are there any upcoming projects, like a client event, that have a lot of smaller sub-tasks that a PR intern could work independently on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Write the internship description together and collaborate on the final version, so everyone knows what to expect.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you assign the intern to work under someone else on your team, create a detailed training plan with that person. Discuss your goals for the PR internship and empower the internship supervisor to hand off low-risk projects to the intern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget to confirm you\u2019re hiring under the proper legal conditions. Refer to the Department of Labor for the specific qualifications of an internship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, if you\u2019re a small agency, you may be competing with larger, well-known agencies for interns. <\/strong>So when interviewing, tell potential PR interns about the advantages of working with a boutique agency like yours. They\u2019ll have more involvement in client work, be exposed to a wider range of PR tasks, and receive close mentoring from senior-level professionals. If they dream of having their own PR agency one day, their time inside your agency will prove even more insightful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A PR intern needs to start with the basics. Although they may be studying PR or communications in college, they have yet to apply this knowledge to real-world projects, tasks, and <\/strong>PR tools<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Set the stage by giving them a list of the PR skills<\/a> they\u2019re going to learn during their PR internship. You\u2019re setting expectations about the level of work you\u2019ll be requesting, and it\u2019s exciting for a PR intern to hear what they\u2019ll walk away with after time at the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have PR interns begin by becoming familiar with your clients<\/strong>. Provide a list and ask them to spend time on your clients\u2019 websites and social media platforms. Let them ask clarifying questions about the businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take them to lunch on the first day to make it extra special. Then, have each team member schedule a one-on-one coffee break with the intern during their first week. Encourage them to go off-site for this to get to know each other. This upfront investment in building office connections is always worth it. Your employees get an opportunity to mentor, and the PR intern feels like a part of the team<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fill their plate so they\u2019re not bored! They are new to an office environment; remember your first days learning what a full day in an office felt like? In fact, you may want to create a modified schedule for them if that works for both of you. Perhaps ending their day at 3 pm or having them do half-days their first week will make the transition from college to the office a little smoother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check in at the end of every day their first week, and then at the end of every week after that. These 15-minute sessions alone will give you great insights into how the internship is faring for your agency and for the intern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can talk all day about what we do, but there\u2019s no better way to learn than to see PR work in action<\/a>. Fortunately, this part is easy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n BCC them on emails to clients, and let them sit in on meetings and brainstorming sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your agency uses an automated PR software system like Prowly, this part is even easier.<\/strong> You can train the intern on the system, give them permission to look at the details of your agency\u2019s shared account work there, and within a few hours they can work on real PR tasks like creating targeted media contact lists<\/a> and building online newsrooms<\/a>. They can draft pitches too! The best part is that all of this can be saved in the system for their supervisor to review, edit, and give feedback on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nHow to create PR intern opportunities <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Start with the basics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Show, don\u2019t tell<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Prowly](\"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Prowly-PR-Software-Press-Release-Creator-1024x536.png\")
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