It’s that time of year – the class of 2019 has graduated! The balloons from the parties are deflated and the epic “post-grad” trips are officially checked off the bucket list. That means more and more Gen Z’ers are transitioning into the workplace (and into Coyne)!
It’s an exciting time at Coyne, with new faces, fresh ideas and expanding teams – this month alone, we are welcoming 28 Account Coordinators and Summer Interns! If you are embarking on your first job, the transition might seem overwhelming. Remember, this is a great time in your life and while change might be scary – it’s totally worth it! To help, we are sharing our two cents about what to expect as an Account Coordinator (AC), and just like college … it’s all about the curriculum.
We created our ideal “Coyne PR Account Coordinator” curriculum that gives you a sneak peek through 8 “courses” of experience you’ll achieve during your first year in the PR industry.
Creative Thinking 101
For this subject, you’ve come to the right agency… Coyne PR was just named the 2019 Creative Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report (shameless plug). While creative thinking might be a more challenging course to teach in a classroom, you’ll experience firsthand the magic that comes from having some of the smartest creative thinkers in the industry in one room for a brainstorm. At Coyne PR, creativity is contagious. It’s important to realize that creative thinking occurs in big and small ways. So don’t hold back and speak up!
Media Relations Dos and Don’ts
After surveying the Coyne PR AC class of 2018, media relations came out #1 when asked what topic they wished their college classes touched on more. The truth is the media landscape is changing – which allows PR professionals to adapt and find creative ways to cut through the clutter of editors’ inboxes with great pitches and by building relationships. Did you know some editors receive up to 500 emails a day? #Sweating. Luckily, you’ll be learning from some rockstar Assistant Account Executives, Account Executives and Senior Account Executives on your team, who will share their best practices and dos and don’ts!
The Pursuit of Teamwork
If you’re like me, you might have not had the best “group project” experiences in college. If so, that’s about to change! My team is my second family – we get through the bad times and celebrate the good times. If we are in a time crunch for a project or a crisis looms, we band together and conquer it all. Some workplaces have a “survival of the fittest” mentality, but at Coyne PR we lift each other up and look to correct signs of struggle before it becomes a problem. Trust your team and be grateful for your team – you’ll learn a lot from them!
Marketing Mix – Where Do We Fit?
If you took electives like Marketing 101, Advertising 101 or Layout and Design classes – good for you! PR doesn’t work in a silo – it’s part of the integrated marketing mix. Our clients are Internal Communication Directors and Marketing Brand Managers. The more we understand each other’s goals and objectives, the better the campaign results will be. If you have friends who were Business Majors – keep in touch with them – they could be your client one day! Across the agency you’ll also have the opportunity to work with members of our social, digital and creative teams.
“Real World” PR Writing
Sure, you probably took multiple writing courses in college, but now you have real clients with distinct preferences on how to write on behalf of their brands. You’ll want to familiarize yourself with all press materials, style guides and even scroll though their social channels, in order to truly understand how the brand communicates with its audience. Then the next step, how do you translate that story and brand persona to media? You’ll learn that no two press materials are alike and that you can spend (what may seem like) hours re-writing a press release to craft the perfect headline and quote.
Newsroom Brief 101
Yes, you were likely a PR major, but journalism is the “ying” to our “yang.” If you don’t like knowing what’s going on in the news, you chose the wrong major. As PR professionals we need to keep up with what’s happening in our client’s industries, their competitors, the media markets we pitch and national news. You’ll be responsible for monitoring the news daily and will quickly learn why breaking news affects PR events and media outreach. You’ll learn ways to stay tapped into all kinds of trends, pop culture moments and news that could help provide an interesting insight for a client.
Professionalism 101
It’s true that you are typically discouraged from wearing pajamas to work (come on – admit it, you rolled up to an 8:00 a.m. class or two in “questionable slept-in” attire). But entering the workforce is a true sign of #adulting, so it’s time to focus on professional skills like being accountable, organized, prioritizing tasks, being proactive and managing up. All of these skills you’ll learn and practice as an Account Coordinator. There are multiple ways (and tools) to help you master these skills, so you’ll be able to figure out what works best for you!
Time Management – Agency Life
Time. Is. Vital. I’ll be honest with you, some days won’t be easy – you’ll start with a simple to-do list and throughout the day more pressing tasks will come up. By the end, you’ll be ecstatic if you crossed off one item off your list! What I love about agency life is that every day is different – different projects, meetings and brands to think about. Some days are slow and some days you’ll get to work, start on a project and look at the clock and it’s 4:30 p.m.! You’ll learn the importance of tracking your time daily and ensuring projects are not rushed.
So now you know what to expect – embrace the learning experience and jump in with both feet! We look forward to seeing you all grow in your careers and become valuable members of the PR community. Cheers!
