Overview
Public relations is a results driven industry. Agencies and in house teams measure success in media coverage, share of voice, and campaign reach. Your PR resume needs to reflect that. Writing "strong communication skills" without evidence is meaningless. Writing "secured 12 pieces of media coverage in national and trade press during a 10 week internship" tells the story.
This resume belongs to Marcus, a Public Relations BA graduate from Bournemouth University who interned at Edelman's London office and ran PR campaigns for the university's student entrepreneurship society. His resume works because every bullet point links an activity to a measurable result.
Agency internship with coverage numbers
If you interned at a PR agency, your resume should read like a mini coverage report. Marcus drafted 18 press releases, pitched to 40+ journalists, and secured 12 pieces of coverage including pieces in PR Week and The Drum. Those numbers tell a hiring manager he understands the pitch to coverage pipeline.
Name the publications you secured coverage in. Trade press, national press, online outlets, and broadcast all count. If you contributed to a campaign that won an award or generated a specific reach figure, include that too.
Media relations skills
PR is fundamentally about relationships with journalists. If you have experience pitching stories, building media lists, or responding to press enquiries, describe those tasks with specifics. Marcus built media lists of 40+ contacts for 3 campaigns and managed the agency's media monitoring dashboard for 2 client accounts.
If you have used tools like Cision, Meltwater, Gorkana, or CoverageBook, list them. These are industry standard platforms that PR agencies expect graduates to know or learn quickly.
Content creation and social media
Modern PR extends well beyond press releases. If you have written blog posts, social media copy, newsletter content, or website copy for a client or organisation, quantify it. Marcus wrote 8 LinkedIn posts for a client's thought leadership campaign, 2 of which generated 5,000+ impressions each.
Campaign management experience
If you planned and executed a campaign for a society, charity, or student organisation, treat it as professional experience. Marcus ran 3 PR campaigns for the university's student entrepreneurship society, generating local media coverage and growing the society's social media following by 45%.
