Worth It: A PR Internship that Matters

Like many PR agencies, Irvin PR is made up of a small, busy team that works at a fast pace. We had tabled our intern program for several years, but as our staff continued to expand, we began to re-think the value of an internship program.

Slow down and teach? Would an intern be more work than helpful? Who will manage this person? These are questions we had to ask ourselves for an agency operating on a steady jog and billable hours. We knew that having an intern would need to mean more than just a college student coming by the office to staple papers and create spreadsheets. If we were going to commit to establishing a meaningful program, it had to be done right, and in a way that made sense for our team, our clients, our intern, and our capacity.    

Make it Make Sense

From the get-go, this was a team decision. Why? Because everyone was going to be involved. With a team our size, there’s really no avoiding anyone, anyway. Together, we discussed the plan, the timing, the projects an intern could help with, and what had and had not worked in the past. We also decided Irvin PR internships will always be paid to ensure we were being inclusive and accessible. All perspectives were considered to make sure this endeavor made sense from all angles. 

The Chosen One

A few members of our staff had involvement with Central Ohio’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and spoke to college classes where they met aspiring PR professionals. Without having even announced the internship opportunity, we had students reaching out wanting to network with our staff.

Once we had the framework to our internship program built, we were able to quickly act on interest. And at Irvin PR culture is everything, so, like we do with all new hires, we established coffee meetings with a designated candidate—first with our president and vice president, and then with the entire team. It was not an arduous process, and we avoided a long list of professional requirements. We know interns may come with little industry knowledge. It was ambition and professionalism that we were after.

Build a Planner That Supports Efficiencies

One Big Beautiful Document. A singular Google document—our Internship Masterplan—provided the road map to the intern’s tasks. It listed every single project the individual was to complete during the duration of the internship with corresponding deadlines. The document was color-coded by service offering, interactive so we could see what tasks were “in progress” or “completed” and was accessible to everyone on the team. Documents could be saved in this space, and more importantly, at the end of the summer, it served as a list of accomplishments. Both the intern and our staff can still reference this spreadsheet to see what tasks were completed. This is important to us because we will inevitably forget those details when it comes time to revisit the program for next year, and the intern can use it as a reference point when updating their resume or applying for another internship or job.

Make it a Team Effort

Have we mentioned this was a team effort? Our intern worked with everyone on our team –not just leadership or middle management. What makes Irvin PR special is the staff – their personalities and the unique skills they each bring to the table. The intern benefitted from working with a variety of people and was able to tap into each one of their strengths and opportunities as account leads on different projects.

Our intern did everything from research in the office, to work out in the field, facilitating live media shots for a major event, or interviews in studio. In addition to tasks listed out on the masterplan, there were specific trainings such as Crisis Communications 101, Influencer Relations 101, Graphic Design 101, and more. This allowed us to amplify the learning opportunities for our intern and offer our staff leadership opportunities on topics in which they are experts. Everyone had a shared sense of responsibility and had a stake in the intern’s success.

Document the Experience

Our 2025 summer intern was a wonderful addition to our team. She was highlighted in our social media throughout her time with us. As a final project, we asked she write a blog about her experience—what she learned, how it impacted her education and goals as a student and young professional. Her account was detailed and affirmed our approach with this program. You can check it out HERE.

Know that an internship program that truly makes sense and is beneficial to all involved IS possible for a small team that moves quickly and is molded by billable hours. Make it less daunting. Make it inclusive. And make it fun! It’ll all be worth it.