Hi! My name is Hayley Fassl and I’m currently finishing up my last semester as a Communication Studies major and Spanish minor. This semester, I interned with Coded Agency as a PR & Influencer Marketing intern. This position was remote, and I worked two 8-hour days a week for a total of 240 hours. 

I found my internship through Indeed over the summer. Throughout the semester, I have had numerous opportunities to learn about the Public Relations industry as well as furthering my knowledge of Influencer Marketing. Some of my typical responsibilities have included press monitoring for new client coverage, clipping coverage to be sent to clients, social media content monitoring, generating monthly influencer target lists, and writing media pitches. 

Weekly Team Meeting

Another part of my internship that I love is each intern gets an opportunity to pick one of the agency’s clients to work with. Through this program, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the client by attending their routine meetings. In particular, I was able to understand the communication that takes place between the agency and the client, and I’ve been able to see how ideas come into fruition throughout the semester. We also have intern touchbase meetings every morning where account executives are able to share with us what goals they’re working towards and what they need help with, as well as giving us a convenient and welcoming space to ask questions.

I found several of my communication courses to be helpful in this position, especially Influencer Marketing and Business and Professional Communication. By learning the standard influencer marketing process beforehand, I was able to focus more on individual clients’ needs and tasks right away. Additionally, the skills I learned in Business and Professional Communication not only allowed me to draft professional emails and other correspondences, but they also gave me the skills that I needed to stand out in the hiring process. 

My Work From Home Station

This internship provided me with industry knowledge that I would not be able to get as much of in a classroom because I was able to directly make an impact on clients’ media relations and advertising instead of just learning about the process. This was incredibly valuable to me because I felt like the tasks I were assigned were beneficial to both the agency and the clients, and not just busy work. 

My biggest piece of advice for other students interested in an internship in PR or Influencer Marketing is to always ask questions. I was able to learn so much by reaching out to account executives to see what they needed help on, and they were able to train me on various tasks that I might not have learned had I not communicated with them. Overall, my experience with Coded Agency has been highly educational and informative, and I’m looking forward to taking the knowledge I’ve gained throughout the semester into my future professional endeavors.