From Journalism Student to PR Intern: What I Learned During My Week at Lem-uhn

Hi, I'm Katie, a third-year Journalism student at the University of Sheffield.

As my time at university is coming to an end, I have been starting to think about what comes next. Graduating has always felt miles away but it is slowly creeping up and I have been looking for opportunities that help bridge the gap between studying journalism and stepping into employment. In my second year at university, I studied a module called ‘PR for Journalists’, which I thoroughly enjoyed and opened my eyes to PR as a potential career pathway for me. 

With that in mind, I wanted to explore work experience opportunities with a PR agency...

Why I Wanted PR Work Experience as a Journalism Student

Before starting my time at Lem-uhm, I had a fairly good idea of what PR involved. I expected to mostly write lots of Press Releases and send out emails with pitches attached to journalists, and hoping for the best. While, of course, those elements were definitely part of the job, this week has shown me that PR is far more detail-driven and strategic than I had imagined.  

PR isn’t just about getting clients’ coverage- it’s about shaping narratives, understanding how to target different audiences and thinking about why a story matters and why for that specific audience. There is also a strong focus on relationships, whether that is with journalists or clients. 

Gaining Hands-On PR Agency Experience

During the week, I worked on a range of tasks that gave me a real insight into Lem-uhn and how a PR agency runs. I spent time brainstorming campaign ideas for multiple clients, including Trail and Enertor, which helped me understand how PR’s think creatively and how campaigns are shaped for different audiences. I used regional data to tailor the same story for various locations across the UK for Rosetta Stone. This helped me understand how press releases work and how the same story can be reshaped for different audiences. 

One of my most favourable tasks this week was creating a targeted media list of journalists relevant to a story. I spent a lot of time researching different news stories and journalists, which really helped me understand how media targeting works and why journalist research is essential. It was eye-opening to be on the other side, researching journalists instead of being one myself!

What This PR Work Experience Taught Me

One of my key takeaways from Lem-uhn is how creative and broad PR can be, even though it is still rooted in strategy and data. Every idea needs a clear purpose, hook and target audience. Lem-uhn has taught me there is a strong emphasis on creativity in PR, especially when brainstorming campaign ideas. It has been a great learning space to be able to observe processes on team calls, ask for clarification and receive guidance that has made the experience especially valuable as a student preparing to enter the industry.