As you might’ve picked up on if you follow me on Twitter, I’m working with a herd of interns to monitor media coverage for Eugene 08 (the Olympic Track and Field Team Trials). Most of the work is being done remotely with everything being exchanged via email and reports are uploaded to the Socialtext wiki (right now it’s private, but when the trials are over, I’ll clean up the confidential stuff and let you see how it worked for us).
As such, I would be hard pressed to pick out most of the interns in a line up. But a few are taking this opportunity to stand out and make a good impression. Here’s how they are doing it.
- Do good work. One intern in particular has wowed me with her thoroughness and diligence. Her reports don’t have to be edited and I’ve sent them to the others as an example to follow.
- Go with the flow. We’ve had to change direction a couple of times because none of us have ever done this before. Typically in an agency there aren’t 10 folks working on a single client’s coverage report and that’s presented a unique challenge. Those interns who have paid attention, read all the directions and been able to adapt are excelling.
- Be self-motivated. I often run into this challenge with interns who work with my firm. Because I work from home, I don’t have “an office” where interns can come work several hours a day or week. This can be really tough (trust me! I know!). A self-motivated student will do a good job of checking email and communicating via the online tools available.
We’re just three days into the Olympic Trials and I love working with these students. I think they’ll take these skills into future internships and continue to wow those they work with.
(P.S. I know this post will show up in the interns media coverage search – no need to include this in your report!) 🙂
Comments
4 responses to “How to Stand Out in a Sea of Interns”
My supervisors at my internship have me researching a lot of blogs for pitching purposes. I’m excited about this because I’m all for using blogging and other social media for PR but when I asked how they pitch stories to blogs, they said “like any other publication.”
While studying blogging for PR purposes I learned it’s best to follow specific blogs of client-interest, establish an ongoing conversation regarding the subject at hand, and then subtly pitch a story to this blogger who trusts that you’re not just selling an idea but actually taking an interest and contributing to the discussion.
First of all, does that sound correct when pitching to blogs? If so, should I mention this to my supervisors who are sending news releases to bloggers as if they are reporters? I mean, I’m an intern with little experience, but I remember studying this…nine months ago.
Inkandsword,
You’re right. Blogger relations is NOT the same as traditional media relations. I’ve tagged a whole boatload of resources that you can use to make your case: http://del.icio.us/kellimatthews/blogger_relations
A few that are absolutely worth reading:
** http://blog.ogilvypr.com/?p=243
** http://www.chrisbrogan.com/some-differences-between-pitching-mainstream-press-and-bloggers/
** http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2008/04/28/how-do-i-get-placement-on-blogs/
** http://www.pr-squared.com/2007/11/prsquareds_social_media_tactic_4.html
Email me if you want to talk specifics.
I just wanted to say ‘hello’. I’ve only now just stumbled on your blog and have only read a few posts, but thus far I’m in love 😉 I only wish I had found it sooner. It looks like you have some great conversations happening and have a lot of PR wisdom to offer. I will be reading!
-Kerri
Kerri,
Thanks! Glad you found me. I’m always happy to answer questions or point you to resources.