My traineeship with Muckle Media

My traineeship with Muckle Media

Written by James Maule – Trainee PR Account Executive, 2021

Today marks the last day of my six-month traineeship at Muckle Media. Back in March I joined Muckle, fresh out of university with a Sociology degree. I was new to the PR industry and ready to learn.

Prior to joining Muckle, my understanding of what PR was more around the media relations side of reputation management, but I’ve learnt it goes far beyond that. My time at Muckle has taught me that PR strategies can cover a number of channels depending on client objectives, devising plan to deliver results, whether it’s through media relations, social media campaigns or creative executions.

Through the traineeship I was able to gain insight and understand the core foundations to PR, and I absolutely loved it. Copywriting, drafting social media content, research, liaising with clients, compiling media lists, engaging with journalists and most importantly, gaining coverage. Gaining positive coverage was a priority for a lot of clients, so a good deal of time was spent selling-in to media outlets and sourcing journalists who would take interest in stories. So, a lot of variety in a typical week of my
traineeship!

I was also involved in managing our in-house social media, consistently creating content covering topics such as case studies, client news, new business, agency news and the campaigns we delivered for our clients. I was responsible for drafting copy and creating graphics and sourcing imagery, and at Muckle we always had something to say or share!

Throughout my traineeship, I have been privileged to work on some fascinating projects and amazing clients, including The Hebridean Baker and Edinburgh Napier’s graduation. Now, with my time at Muckle coming to an end, it feels that it has passed all too quickly. Muckle has helped me to thrive, both professionally and as an individual, and I will be forever appreciative of that fact.

Having spent the past six months furthering my understanding of what PR is and refining my skillsets, I am ready to start my career!

Training up during a lockdown

Training up during a lockdown

Written by Jenna Maclean – Trainee PR Account Executive, 2021

Over the last five months, I’ve been a trainee account executive at Muckle Media, taking my first steps into the world of PR. Before seeing the job advertisement, PR wasn’t something I’d ever considered or really knew much about, but after reading the advert I recognised lots of key skills I had that could translate to PR and thought I’d apply.

Graduating in the summer of 2020 was not the best time to be entering the job market with a global pandemic going on, so I was thrilled to get back into full-time work when Muckle offered me the position. On my very first day, we released a story on behalf of philanthropy organisation The Hunter Foundation about Scotland’s economy and contacted leading politicians, which resulted in blanket media coverage and stakeholder engagement. Over the last few months, I’ve honed my skills by working across a variety of consumer, third sector, public sector and B2B accounts, from writing press releases for hotels to drafting interviews about aquaculture and pitching celebrity chefs for TV. 

After five months of being a trainee account executive, how would I describe PR? PR stands for public relations, and so we aim to help our clients interact with the public in more than one way, managing and building reputations. Each of them will have their own target audience and so it’s up to us to help them communicate their key messages and values with their respective audience. This could be in the form of advising on and creating social media content to drive interest and footfall to a new distillery or hotel, or it could be writing a thought leadership piece around building sustainable homes. We’re also on hand to advise our clients how to manage their reputation during a crisis or unexpected developments, or to try and launch a news story that gets covered and sparks media interest.  

What’s my favourite part of PR? Aside from my reputation as the queen of proofreading (no typo gets past me), I’ve absolutely loved exploring media relations. During my time in the job, I’ve been part of many media sell-ins and thrived on placing last minute stories and pitching long-lead features. 

My traineeship with Muckle is coming to an end as I head back to university to study for a Masters in Film and TV Production. Working in PR has helped me to further develop my transferable skills and has certainly given me a much better understanding of the media landscape that I’ll be able to apply to my course. I’m excited for what the future holds but am definitely going to miss my wonderful colleagues at Muckle! 

To find out more about Muckle Media’s traineeships please visit our careers page

5 THINGS I LEARNED DURING MY INTERNSHIP THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MAKING TEA

5 THINGS I LEARNED DURING MY INTERNSHIP THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MAKING TEA

Emily Intern

I had been researching PR agencies in Edinburgh for about 4 months before I made the move from Canada to Scotland. The more I looked into Muckle Media, the more it drew me in. You’ve got to love a good alliteration and flashy pink branding, but what the heck is a muckle? One quick urban dictionary search later, I learned muckle means a large amount… of media. Sold. A catchy name with a clever meaning – I’m here for it.

Intern, Emily at the Muckle Media office

I applied to Muckle media with quite a risqué cover letter spilling out my hopes and dreams of one day leaving cold snowy Canada to work in a creative agency in the UK – the land of lovely accents. I also included my colourfully designed CV to wash it all down. Think Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, minus the perfume scented paper. Much to my surprise I received a nearly instant response and was in for an interview the next day.

All of my first day nerves were chased away by a warm welcome of smiling faces when I walked into the charmingly decorated office. With a collection of team photos and selfies, couches for comfort and a chalkboard wall, it is not your average workspace.

Intern, Emily in the Muckle Media board room

As an intern you don’t expect to be given hard hitting tasks, at least not right away. No, you expect to be making tea and fetching coffee. Well I can honestly say, as soon as I started, I was plunged right into campaign brainstorms, social media designs and proposal writing. And it’s a good job too. Because I’m from Canada and I make a dreadful cup of tea.

Intern, Emily

My placement was better than I could’ve expected. Not only did I learn and grow from it, but I met some top-notch people who have made my first month in Scotland an unforgettable one.

Emily’s Top Tips

So, if you’re also thinking of dazzling your CV with an internship, here’s my advice.

1. Be enthusiastic and eager

People don’t remember everything you say or do but they remember how you made them feel. Always be a positive light at work. Be someone they genuinely enjoy working with and want to keep around, especially when the Monday blues hit. Offer to help out when you are low on projects, don’t just wait for jobs to come to you. And eagerly accept tasks that are given to you (within reason of course).

2. Make yourself a part of the team

Mingle, mingle, mingle! Who doesn’t love a post-work drink or two? Get to know your co-workers, fellow interns and immerse yourself in the office culture. Become a part of the agency family and be memorable. It’s important as an intern to get noticed, both for work and your sparkling personality. You want them to miss you when you’re gone.

3. Do things outside your comfort zone (now’s the time to learn)

If you’re the least bit intrigued by a project offer to help. An internship is a great time to learn and ask questions. So, soak up as much information as you can. Before my placement, I thought I was terrible at design. One month and a couple of YouTube tutorials later and I’ve become one of the go-to people for design jobs. So, try something new, you might surprise yourself.

4. Keep a portfolio

Show your work (sorry to give you a traumatic flash back of math class). What I mean is have a running file of your written works and design projects. Especially the ones that you’re particularly proud of or praised for. You never know when you might need to prove you’re a PR all-star.

5. Enjoy it!

Most importantly, have fun with it. At Muckle Media, I had a seriously stellar time. From celebrating little wins in the office to lunch dates with the team, there was no shortage of laughs and play mixed in with the daily grind.

If you’re interested in Muckle Media check out our website where you can see more of what we do.