Give others the chance to vote.
Share this poll, because the more votes the better.
Create your own.
Opinions! We all have them. Find out what people really think with polls and surveys from Crowdsignal.
closed
Share this poll, because the more votes the better.
Opinions! We all have them. Find out what people really think with polls and surveys from Crowdsignal.
I believe PR interns should pitch the media with two caveats: (1) they are carefully coached first and (2) they are paid for their work! All PR interns who do any work of significance -- and this counts! -- should be paid, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA). That's the law. It's also the right thing to do.
Thanks Christina and Mark for sharing your thoughts. And, special thanks to Chris (editor) for sharing from the media point of view!
(Editor) Yes, as long as they're trained and well-briefed. This includes knowing the client's business well enough to be able to answer simple follow-up questions on the spot.
Amazing how many agencies throw their stundents/interns to the lions without any of the tools they need to do the job. Not only is it unfair on the individual, it means the pitch fails and the agency comes across as a bunch of unprofessional idiots. So short-sighted!
(Student) I think it's essential for interns to learn to pitch! Learning to pitch the media is key to PR and denying them the chance to do so is really a disservice. Now, I'm not saying that you should let your intern pitch a new client or your biggest promotion of the year--but let them pitch in on a smaller deal or have them "mock pitch" to you first to make sure they're prepared. If you have time, consider sitting in on their first few. I've been very fortunate to have been given lots of responsibilities at my internships and I feel far more prepared for the job market than some of my colleagues.
Of course! How does one learn to pitch if they don't do it while they're in college or interning? In most places you get a job in this profession, people will EXPECT you to know how to pitch (and write) press releases; Or at the least, be familiar with them. I was fortunate enough to have internships, classroom assignments AND an entry-level position before graduation that prepared me for that. Otherwise, you could screw your name up, or worse, the company's name you're working for.
From my journalist perspective, we laugh at people often who send pointless press releases and ignore many more (PR pros know this already). If a journalist knows that an intern is sending something, they probably won't be as judgmental (still might not make press if it's not up to par, but at least your name and the company you work for won't be slaughtered on the reputation cross).
In public relations, we have to learn by DOING. Not simply be reading and studying. This is not like those other fields where you can just stick your head in the books and be an expert at applying the concepts and theories.
I used to be an assignment editor and I am totally fine with students pitching me. They have value too and if they can't sell me on something in their opening statement I always ask them questions to get more story out of them anyway
Given the risks, I'm not sure this is the best learning experience an intern can have. Of course it goes leagues to expand many student's misconceptions that they'll be working in social media the rest of their lives, but it reinforces the idea that pitching is the primary role of a PR pro. Frankly there are a litany of strategic communications tools interns should be able to learn about, not just earned media (in broadcast and print). Maybe they should be pitching bloggers.
I voted yes but wanted to qualify it further. Obviously an intern would first be trained, coached and monitored throughout the pitching process, and that would include the process that takes place well before the media list is created. I don't recommend a "hey get on the phones and get us some hits for this news release" a valuable way to teach them. Sadly I have actually seen this happen.
NOTE: this is in follow-up to my BurrellesLuce blog post, "Should PR interns pitch the media" - http://budurl.com/mx5s
I believe one of the responsibilities we all have as public relations professionals is to help PR students. In my opinion the best way to learn is by doing. We encourage our interns to get involved with every aspect of what we do from day-to-day and that certainly includes pitching.