I applied for an internship at Liberty through my university career portal and was successful in securing an interview a couple of weeks prior to starting. As a student of International Relations, I had become increasingly interested in the intertwining landscape of politics and technology and saw how tech PR would present a unique and illuminating opportunity for me to grapple with this synergy on a more practical, ‘real world’ level.
My internship started with an initial introduction to Liberty’s UK team jumping into a daily ‘check-in’ call. In addition to a very warm welcome, the team proceeded to run through new business agendas and work relating to different clients. The scope and breadth of work that Liberty undertakes, alongside the team’s knowledge, professionalism and deep expertise, became clear from the outset.
My time at Liberty was thoughtfully structured with interesting tasks supervised by each team member scheduled over the course of the week. The morning would consist of producing a daily scan and summary of particular tech news stories, which would then be shared with the team. Team members would later brief me individually in Zoom meetings on current assignments, allowing me to give my creative input.
This gave me great insight into the variety of work Liberty undertakes on behalf of its clients’, as well as the broad spectrum of clients they work with. Through this process I was able to get to know the team and learn about their experiences in tech PR, discussing the demands of their specific jobs – both that which they found challenging as well as enjoyable.
From drafting tweets and constructing pitches to conducting research, I appreciated knowing that I was supporting the team in their work, whilst also exploiting my writing skills and interests. I was given the opportunity to write a blog on the work that Liberty had done with Ampler – an Estonian company which produces elegant, agile, electric bikes.
Most fundamentally, I gained insight into the inner mechanics of PR – from reading press releases on e-Residency to witnessing the blend of creativity required for pitches alongside the more analytical, data driven aspects of the practice.
I very much got a sense of what the dynamics of the industry were like – albeit from my bedroom! (a testament to Liberty and the visible effort made during a pandemic to make me feel included and inspired!). In addition, I was offered the opportunity to sit in and collaborate with the team in a brainstorming session and was also fortunate enough to meet the US team. What I was particularly fascinated by was the notion of measuring the impact of PR and the difficulties surrounding it – a complex subject which I hope to explore in more detail at some point in the future.
In all, I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Liberty and gain first-hand experience in the PR industry. The week was a refreshing, stimulating and fast-paced experience that has taught me much about the sector and the vibrant and important contribution it makes to the commercial success of brands and businesses.