Thanksgiving...Turkeys and Press Releases

This week was short, but jam-packed. Thanksgiving is tomorrow already and I am looking forward to spending time with my family, I love the holidays. So, another week down and only a few more to go for me =( My time here has been passing so fast its unbelievable. However, as the time passes my knowledge intensifies. This week was my client meeting that I worked hard to prepare for, and it paid off. Our website suggestions were very well received and I got the chance to learn more about what my client does on a daily basis, including future plans for the company. Now I am in the process of typing up all of the changes for the website and researching options for his annual charity event.

The thing I really appreciate about being an intern here is that you are not just an intern. They are allowing me to actively participate in client meetings and projects where I contribute and have a say. Those meetings and the account teams I have been on has been some of the best education I could ask for. I am literally right there doing the same work everyone else here does. I feel a sense of accomplishment, pride and trust in my work and this organization because of this perk =)

Speaking of other account teams, I have also been researching and ordering various newsprint articles from years past. Even the seemingly ordinary jobs like this teach me so much about public relations, like vendor management, research techniques, as well as getting a general idea of how the press works. On the writing end, I have also been composing a few press releases, which I really enjoy. I have always loved writing and releases are the perfect opportunity to improve your writing and editing skills. See, even with a three-day workweek you can still learn so much and have plenty of interesting projects to keep you busy. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving and I will check-in when we come back (hopefully you will too)!

Live and Learn

Another week has flown by and that means another week of intense learning. I have been very busy working on several different projects. The good thing is that all of these assignments are so different; there is always something new to experience. Out with the old and in with the new sounds like a perfect slogan right about now.

One of my first tasks was to follow up with invitees of a charity preview and confirm if they were going to be in attendance or not. Luckily, I like (really like if you ask my mom) talking on the phone to people so this was a natural fit. Next, I had to prepare for a client meeting coming up on Monday. I researched the client website and noted suggestions and changes I would make as well as brainstorming options for their annual charity event. After that I had to put all of my chicken scratch into an actual agenda to use at the upcoming meeting. I really enjoy working on assignments for clients, I know that I am contributing and it is great to see how a project goes from the planning stages to the implementing stage right before your eyes.

I have also been working on a survey about media relations. Media relations is exactly what it sounds like, how you interact with the media. This includes developing a pitch, executing pitches, flowing up with the media, relationships with the media and any other combination of media and relations you can think of. Media relations is crucial in the PR industry and it is important to understand how it works and how you can make it work for you.

With the first few snow flurries already falling over here (I already have a countdown to Spring, is that bad?) it reminds us that the holiday season is in full swing. With Thanksgiving next week it is important to take time and be thankful for what we have. Eisbrenner PR has lived up to this challenge, as we are in the process of sponsoring a less fortunate family from the St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center. I have been helping out with this project and it has been one of my favorite activities since I love giving back to the community. Well I have to get back to my edits now, I hope everyone has a great weekend and come back next week for more intern happenings =)

Going to the Dogs...

Well today is Friday, which means bagels and dogs (yes actual barking dogs, not hot dogs). Yeah I know that’s kind of a weird combination, but in PR anything can happen. Before I continue, I should probably explain the dog thing. Here at Eisbrenner people actually bring their dogs to work on Fridays! It’s a definite relief and change of pace from the daily grind. Today Charlie, a Shitz-Zu is here to visit us, lets hope he is office trained. Last week we had two other dogs come to see us, and they got right to work on PR tasks, welcome to the team.

These past two weeks have been an amazing learning experience for me. I have been actively involved in researching and creating a memo regarding advertising recommendations for one of our clients. It has been a very involved project, which has included lots of research on advertising prices, deciding what publications and issues to advertise in, and editing the memo numerous times. One thing I never realized was the sheer amount of edits that go into a project. I was always used to turning in an assignment to my teacher that maybe a few classmates looked over and I was done with it. Here everyone’s memos, letters, and projects are edited by several different people and can involve multiple changes. The important thing to remember is not to get discouraged by edits, as they only make your work stronger.

My Thanksgiving card project is nearing completion. Our cards finally arrived on my desk and they looked amazing. Our photo and text options we decided on were very fitting for the holiday season. After printing 300 or so labels and stuffing the envelopes they are on their merry way to all the recipients. This project was a point of pride for me, as I was a part of every aspect from planning to mailing. This project also made me realize just how close the holidays are. Thanksgiving is in two weeks!

Another project I have been working on is my first press release. Of course I have composed tons of releases in school, but this is my first professional one that will be seen by the public. Eisbrenner’s chairman and CEO, Ray Eisbrenner, was inducted into the Public Relations Society Hall of Fame yesterday (congrats Ray). I was in charge of writing the release and I think it went well. I still cannot believe how much I have learned in the short time I have been here, I am so lucky. I cannot wait to see what the next half of my internship will reveal for me. By the way feel free to comment or ask any questions you might have on this blog. It would be really nice to talk to someone other than myself for once (not that I talk to myself regularly or anything). Check back next week for more updates from Eisbrenner Central =)