November 28th, 2011Comments (0)

Client-Side vs. Agency Internships: Learning the PR Ropes by Ginny Woodcock

For some, the term “intern” used to (or still does) bring to mind responsibilities such as getting coffee or making copies. Fortunately, internships now greatly supplement a college degree and have evolved into a much more valuable experience than performing trivial assignments.

Before even applying for an internship, future PR interns must ask themselves an essential question: client-side or agency? For me, the answer wasn’t so simple. Attending college in a small town limited my ability to experience PR in an agency setting, so client-side PR became the building block of my career. Throughout all three of my client-side internships, I learned highly valuable skills including writing press releases, building media lists, and shooting/editing promotional videos. In addition to these responsibilities, my internships heavily focused on planning and marketing events, which I now consider to be one of the key responsibilities of in-house internships.

Upon graduation, I decided it was time to branch out and experience agency PR. After interning with MSL for a few months, I’ve come to realize that client-side and agency internships are quite similar in terms of the bottom-line goal, but of course the assigned tasks differ. In my opinion, agencies seem to place more focus on media pitching and monitoring, whereas in-house PR teams concentrate more on events and partnerships. Planning events proved to be an informative and rewarding experience, because it allowed me to see my labor come to fruition. As an in-house PR intern, it is easy to recognize the overall impact your work has on the company.

Another difference (one that comes with pros and cons) is team size. An in-house PR team can be anywhere from one person to several people depending on the company, which gives interns the ability to work closely with the internal departments. On the agency-side, some firms are very large, so teams may be comprised of multiple people. Some may see this as a disadvantage, but in my opinion, agencies give interns the opportunity to interact with and seek advice from numerous professionals and mentors with different backgrounds.

Even though I’ve only been with MSL for a few months, I can honestly say I think I’ve found my home in agency-setting PR. The strong focus on media coverage, both traditional and digital, definitely draws me to agency PR, but when it comes down to it, I am deeply intrigued by the fast-paced, unpredictable nature of an agency! Deadline-sensitive, client-pleasing tasks keep me on my toes and drive me to produce the best work possible. I have found that dealing with multiple accounts and a wide range of clients keeps work fresh and engaging, and it gives you the opportunity to expand your knowledge of various industries. Not to mention I have some pretty cool co-workers who have made my short time here a step above awesome!

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