To gain a broader understanding of the world of public relations and fashion, I made the decision to embark on an internship at The PHA Group having heard lots of positive things about the agency. After spending a week with the Fashion & Lifestyle team, it is certainly safe to say I have achieved this and more!
On my first day at PHA, my mentor, Naomi, tasked me to help her to update a beauty and lifestyle client’s twitter account. With no prior experience of managing social media channels, this sounded like something I would be able to learn a lot from and I was extremely keen to help. Starting my week with this task was a brilliant way for me to see how varied the job of a PR executive can be. Having the responsibility of creating tweets gave me a chance to see how fast-paced social media is and what is entailed in the upkeep of a channel such as Twitter.
Later on in the week, Suzanne, one of the account managers at PHA, allowed me to accompany her on a desk visit to meet a reporter at one of the national newspapers. This gave me the chance to observe her while she spoke about a product on behalf of a client and provided insight into how crucial maintaining strong relationships with the press is for a PR professional.
One task I particularly enjoyed during my internship was writing copy for a short press release, on behalf of one of the fashion brands represented by PHA. I am not a particularly confident writer, so this helped me to improve my skills in this area and it was very helpful to have some pointers from the team. I worked specifically on e-alerts which, I learnt, were a punchier alternative to press releases in terms of getting a message out to the press. I enjoyed the chance to be creative by picking suitable products from the range of clothes and accessories. I enjoyed the chance to use my knowledge of fashion trends and the challenge of having to think outside of my usual fashion choices.
Throughout my week as an intern with the Fashion and Lifestyle team, I have accomplished a variety of tasks and have been able to learn from the different responsibilities that are expected of a PR professional. Seeing how many different elements there are to being in public relations has surprised me and shown me how expansive the skillset you need to possess is. The staff at PHA are really nice to work with and It has been made clear that in order to succeed in this type of fast-paced environment you have to be determined, proactive and receptive.
My experience at PHA has allowed me to adapt my interpersonal skills as well as my ability to write press releases, use social media and liaise with journalists.
I am grateful for being given the opportunity to learn more about the industry and I feel the knowledge I have gained from PHA has driven me to seek out similar learning opportunities and will benefit me a great deal in my future career!
