Fleishman Hillard/High Road Blog

By: Michelle Vuong

This was my first behind the scenes public relations tour. I had no idea what to expect from their presentation, but without a doubt it was eye-opening and exciting. Surprisingly, the majority of their staff had started off as interns for their company, so much of their knowledge was geared towards the student perspective. This is what I learned.

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Learn Everything

Learn anything and everything you can about public affairs. Government relationship, media relations, direct public relations, stakeholder relations…whatever knowledge you can get your hands on! It is best to learn a bit of everything, rather just one subject and to be caught by surprise on another.

Client Relationships

Building client relationship can go beyond phone calls and meetings. Healthy, strong and collaborative relationship come from genuine conversation. Don’t hesitate to grab a lunch together or suggest other informal meetings!

Product Launch and Launch Events

Product launch is something that you continuously learn along the way, there is no perfect algorithm to success. However, you should always prepare a launch strategy/calendar, timeframes, research channels and delivery methods, and potentially host a launch event.

Launch events are showcases for a new product or line of products. This encompasses both marketing, event planning and coordination. Prior to the event, you should contact and invite media outlets for coverage, along with inviting guests. Post-launch, there should be an outreach to the media, asking for reviews, and perhaps hinting at upcoming seasonal promotions (Christmas shopping!).