1.It’s ok not to know how to do everything

The greatest struggle when starting at Minerva was not knowing how to do things. Being wildly independent I struggled with asking for help at first, before realising that this was obviously expected. I was brand new to PR and communications and of course to my colleagues. I hadn’t had 10 years in the industry or completed a master’s degree in journalism; I was fresh out of college and so eager to learn. I have learned so much in short time at Minerva and one of the most important things is that you need to listen and learn from those around you with more experience.  Plus, colleagues in an office aren’t at all as they are portrayed in films; they’re so lovely and very helpful (even when you ask them the same question a million times because you are just so confused!).

2.Press releases are an art form

The order of information in a press release and articles is crucial – key info at the top, a little more information, throw in a quote or two, add some more information and give people somewhere to go for further information (although achieving that is often easier said than done).  I notice all the time now how an article is set out- when reading the paper, I’ll only read the first few paragraphs, as in reality the rest is just ‘extra padding’.

3.Time management is key

You can easily spend hours and hours perfecting graphics and videos but at the end of the day there will always be something more you could add or something else you can change, so time management is vital. Write lists of what you have to do with deadlines besides each task and try to keep to them.  I now find it oddly satisfying writing lists! Even though it may take time, in the long term it saves a lot of stress and last-minute panicking…

4.Prioritising the workload also reduces stress

Understanding the importance of each task is vital. We prioritise things in our lives every day, planning days out around when and where you can eat, prioritising your new favourite Netflix binge over the gym workout you promised yourself. Why does it always seem so much more difficult at work? I was naive when I first came to Minerva, thinking PR was all about playing around on social media, editing videos and writing news stories. In fact, research behind projects, stories, tweets and organisation of events is vital and time consuming, taking up a lot more of the day than I expected. I now prioritise the items on the lists make, in order of importance. The feeling of accomplishment when a box is finally ticked is just something else!

5.Knowing the right people is vital

Having lived in my village since I was born and working in local pubs for a good few years I always get laughed at for being the person who knows everyone.  In this industry, knowing people, the right people, is crucial and having been in the business for 20+ years I suppose it is the same in communications for Rhonda, Director of Minerva, in communications as it is for me in my village! Rhonda honestly knows everyone. Quite literally any sector of any project she has knowledge about and knows at least one person who will be hugely beneficial – which always comes in handy! From an expert in insects, to science journalists or even a handyman – Rhonda’s years of networking means she always knows someone who can help – or at least that’s how effortless it looks from my perspective!

6.Social media isn’t everything

As a 19-year-old girl I can assure you social media is in fact everything to me. Google tells me that the average time spent on social media per day is approximately 116 minutes – that’s an average of 6 years over your lifetime. Sadly, I can probably corroborate that. In terms of PR, social media does play a huge role in the dissemination of information about projects, book launches or events. However, traditional media such as broadcast, and newspapers are still major players and are not to be forgotten. The power of storytelling is immense and in my personal opinion, reading an emotive piece about how livestock production affects the penguins of the world would have a much greater effect on me than a tweet I can just scroll past quite easily to get to the next hilarious video of a goat or llama.  Therefore, I have learnt that taking the time in the mornings to read through the newspaper and check the BBC is just as important, if not more so, than checking my Instagram followers (2,223 as of this morning FYI). Plus, when you see an article that you played even the slightest role in creating appear in a newspaper you literally get little butterflies…

7.Twitter spellcheck is near impossible- but crucial

It’s hard to edit your copy down to the shortest of character counts, while making sure it still actually makes sense.  Checking, checking and checking again is crucial to the production of a perfect news article, document or the shortest tweet. I find it so challenging when writing lengthy hashtags, such as #storytellingweek, #saveourantibiotics or #makeadifferencetoday, to ensure every word is spelt correctly. To me it just looks like a huge jumble of letters and when you are using the hashtag for the specific reason of reaching the wider audience, spelling it incorrectly has consequences. As well as not being able to reach the right audience, spelling mistakes can also alter the actual meaning of a word too. For example, the current project I’m working on has delivered some quite comedic errors which – fortunately – have been picked up in the checking process by others – and luckily before they were posted on social media!  My y most common mistake is #briantraining instead of #braintraining – this doesn’t exactly work well as it’s not every day you train your Brian – unless the puppy you recently brought home is called Brian!

8.You never know when a photo-op will crop up!

At Minerva, we never miss a good opportunity to take a picture, be it International Women’s Day when we celebrate the women who changed our nation, or when we have attended a conference or event. So, with that in mind I’ve learnt never to have that extra 5 minutes of sleep, carry around a little powder with you and always double check you’ve rubbed your makeup in right in the first place (I’ve learnt that the hard way). Photos have the power to tell stories, share information and create a huge impact on audiences without a single bit of copy alongside them. Never discount the power of a photograph.

9.Taking a break away from the screen is perfectly acceptable

A lot of PR revolves around researching, planning schedules for social media and writing press releases which can leave your eyes burning a little after staring at the screen for too long! Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but sometimes your brain needs a little break from black and white text, some fresh air and (very rare) sunshine to take your mind away from all the information fizzing around inside it. Returning to the screen after a break can honestly feel like the equivalent of a quick nap – satisfyingly refreshing!

10.Have fun and enjoy what you’re doing – everyone else will see it and enjoy it too

Everyone at Minerva is truly passionate about the projects we work on and works hard to make them successful and make a difference within society. I enjoy being creative, making videos, creating graphics and putting together interesting new tweets to catch the eye of Twitter users. I like being able to see an end product as it gives me motivation to want to achieve more. I delight in seeing articles I have played a part in being published and that makes me motivated to continue. I see that in everyone else here too. We all share our work with one another, helping each other along the way, knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Usually our final creations are pretty spectacular, creating impact and reaching our targeted audiences. We all enjoy what we do and endeavour to achieve the best possible results for our clients, and to deliver maximum impact that advances the social good.