My First Six Months in PR

Six months ago I finished my last week as a university student and walked bright eyed and bushy tailed into the Motive office.

I’ve learnt so much in the past six months and it’s been very satisfying seeing lots of what I learnt at uni being put into practice.

Here are my six highlights of the past six months:  

1. National coverage

On the Monday I first walked through the doors at Motive, the team were still dealing with the aftermath of a press release going viral - literally. Client Compass Pool’s innovative Infinity London pool design had hit headlines in every UK national paper, and was even being talked about on American TV channels and on websites as far away as Chile, Australia, and even the Middle East. Type ‘Infinity London’ into Google and you’ll see for yourself just how many items of coverage the team scored, not to mention the Twitter threads and social media discussions that ensued! As a result, there was a real buzz in the office and I couldn’t wait to be a part of it.

Bagging my first piece of coverage in a national newspaper felt great, and I couldn’t wait to achieve more. Within a few months I’d sourced, written and then distributed a press release which hit almost all of the nationals, including Mail Online, Mirror, Express Online and Daily Star.

It’s a feeling you can’t quite describe, knowing that thousands of people will be looking at something you’ve worked so hard towards, and luckily it’s something I can experience quite often in the Motive office!

2. Brussels

We ended the year with a major rebrand and a Christmas party to celebrate – but this wasn’t just any Christmas party, as this one happened in Brussels! It was an amazing weekend full of Belgium beer, waffles and chips. Team building is so much better with a mulled wine in your hand, strolling around traditional Christmas Markets. Just don’t mention Brexit.  

3. Awards ceremonies

Motive were lucky enough to be nominated for seven awards in 2019’s Midlands CIPR Pride Awards, which gave us the perfect opportunity to dress up in our fanciest outfits and head to Birmingham for a team night. I wasn’t sure what to expect but hoped it would give me a bit more of an understanding of what other PR companies were up to, and how we could raise our game. I had a great night, and this was topped off by winning two awards – Gold in the Transport or Automotive Campaign category, and Silver in the highly coveted Small PR Agency category!

4. Pizza Tuesdays

The first Tuesday of every month, we order a Pizza Hut delivery and eat lunch together in the office. It’s a great way to have an informal chat about clients, catch up with one another and just have a general gossip – all whilst eating everyone’s favourite food. It also helps alleviate the stress when it comes to thinking ahead and preparing lunch for the next day!

5. Client visits

It’s really important to ensure we check in with clients regularly, to see how their businesses are going and how we can help them achieve their goals. As part of this we have regular phone calls and also go out to visit them to have proper face to face conversations to ensure we’re hitting the mark with their PR activity. This is a great opportunity to ensure we have an effective ongoing relationship.

6. Rebranding

I’d been working at Motive for three months when talk of re-branding the company first began. No one in the office had been through the process before, so it was exciting for everyone, but I don’t think any of us realised how much hard work and effort it would entail for everyone involved! We had seminars with a local branding agency where we discussed what the brand and company meant to us, and what we wanted to achieve in the future. It was a great process to be part of, and all the hard work paid off, as we’re all very proud of the result!

© MOTIVE 2020.