Promotions Intern—Washington, D.C.
Some people think that the local radio industry is dying. Even though auxiliary cords rule the way some people listen to music in the car, radio stations are far from long gone. Radio stations do way more than replay the same Flo Rida song every hour. Local radio stations work hard to keep their ratings up and survive in this auxiliary cord world we live in today. So if you’re into promoting a local music brand, this internship is the right one for you.
What it’s actually like
An intern’s work day flies by until the clock strikes 5 p.m. Promotions interns at radio stations usually work in pairs in an office separate from their supervisors. Living that independent life, interns get to create social media posts for different concerts the station attends or any other events it hosts. If it isn’t a social media day at the office, interns get other promotion-based tasks, like crafting different “celebrity heads” for the next concert. You’ll feel satisfied with that work when you see those heads coming up on your Insta feed.
Promotions interns also spend lots of time on the phone. “[Brush] up on your customer service skills, and [spend] a couple of hours a day on the phone with listeners…” said Keara Duffy, a former promotions intern at Mix 107.3. “[It] was fun to play around with my phone voice when I made the calls.” This internship forces you to strengthen your communication skills via telephone. And you’ll need it when you join the work force.
Cool stuff you get to do
As a promotions intern, you’re expected to help work three events a month, including concerts or D.C. festivals. You typically set up a small table with different promotions items like the celebrity cutouts for photos, enter to win boxes for scoring tickets to upcoming concerts and free station or movie merchandise. You’ll hand out t-shirts and take pictures of fans and event goers. You never realize how easily it is to make people happy with just a t-shirt or photo cut out of Adele. But that’s not all you’ll do. “[We] were often tasked with maintaining a prize winner database. This means keeping a running spreadsheet of all prize winners and contacting them directly to discuss their winnings,” Duffy said. You’ll rarely find yourself bored as a promotions intern.
What You’ll Learn
The internship teaches you how to effectively promote a brand through social media. If you strive to become a Hootsuite or WordPress master, this sounds like the internship for you. Besides that, you’ll learn how to work with a range of people and personalities and enhance your people skills “I enjoyed having the opportunity to speak with listeners on a daily basis—whether that be to inform them that they had won a grand prize or to invite them to an upcoming event. It allowed me to see the reach that the station has from the inside looking out,” Duffy said.
How to Prepare for Your Application
Try to get some sort of experience working with social media like Twitter, Hootsuite and Facebook. Make sure you can confidently work with different social media platforms and understand how online promoting is effective for a radio station. You should mention an interest in broadcast media if applying for the job. You don’t need to be a pop culture or music guru to intern here, but it definitely sets you apart and makes you a more impressive candidate.
Skills That Impress Them
Show off your leadership skills to impress your supervisors. And what do good leaders know how to do? Communicate effectively. “There are a lot of moving parts on a daily basis and with planning events and promotions for the station, so being in constant communication is key,” said Megan Gallagher, Mix 107.3’s promotions supervisor. “[Creativity] and a willingness to speak up and share ideas is important. And finally, follow through is a must-have skill for being on the promotions team. Saying that you will do something, complete a project, or commit to an event and actually doing so, is key.”
Cool Perks
The people who work at Mix 107.3 have crazy good connections. The supervisors want their interns to succeed in the office and in future endeavors. You can always count on them for a letter of recommendation or as a reference for future jobs and internships. Plus, you’ll probably score station merch and leftover movie promo items. Serving houseguests drinks from Bad Moms wine glasses is always a great conversation starter.
The Deets
- Unpaid, but you can earn school credit
- Must be available to work at least 16 hours per week (depending on how many credit hours you take)
- Summer internship starts early May and ends in August
- Internships also available during fall and spring semesters
- Apply by sending resume and cover letter to supervisor or through the online form
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