After wrapping up my second week as a PR and Social Media intern for Anchor, I’ve realized something: most people don’t actually know what PR really is. There are all different perceptions of the world of public relations, ranging from the glamorous life of Samantha Jones on Sex and the City to the basics that they teach us in the classroom. Coming into my internship, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
I knew I would be assisting with social media and would have the opportunity to attend and assist with other “PR events” that came up, but I honestly did not fully know what that would entail. I’m sure every future PR intern dreams about living life like Samantha Jones – power lunches, schmoozing with the wealthy and powerful, and attending fabulous parties and events. This, however, doesn’t seem much like the life of any intern I know. On the other hand, judging by what I had learned in my marketing and communications classes, my internship would involve writing lots of press releases to a mass audience and making coffee runs.
In these short weeks, I’ve learned a lot. My job and the world of PR entail a little bit of both of these concepts, but also so much more. In class, social media is kind of a side note; no one really teaches us how important it is and how to use it effectively. At Anchor, I have learned that it relates to almost every aspect of PR and marketing. On top of the importance of social media, I’ve learned the number one rule of public relations: know your audience. This comes from knowing your brand and how you want the public to perceive it, knowing who would most benefit from your brand, and how to attract them to the brand. This takes so much more than mass marketing through press releases and self-promoting Facebook and Twitter blasts. It takes careful research, planning, and most importantly, building personal relationships, which is more than can ever be learned in a classroom or from a TV show.
