“What is an Audio Edge Processor?” And Other Questions Answered Through My Internship at Caster

By Sophia Damon, PR Intern | URI Class of 2022 

Before my first day as an intern at Caster, I only knew about the foundational pieces of public relations that I learned in my classes at URI. I could write a press release and PR plan based on the basic structure professors show us at school. I knew the basics of PR, but I did not know how to connect the dots to connect with the media who can take brands to the next level, or about how different types of media played a part in that. I knew that I would learn a lot more about the PR industry while working at Caster, but I was quickly shocked to find out just how much I would add to my toolbox during my short four months here. I assumed my time at Caster would consist of typical intern tasks such as sorting files, sitting in on meetings, organizing calendars, and maybe a little bit of PR writing if I was lucky. On my first day I was greeted by the rest of the team and given my own desk, computer, and email, and I realized this internship was an opportunity for me to really learn the ins and outs of media relations, writing, social media, and more. I was so excited to get this kind of hands-on experience, but there was one problem… I knew absolutely nothing about tech, and Caster does tech PR exclusively.

As a 22-year-old college student who spent half of her college experience remote, I am proficient in using basic technology, but I did not have the slightest idea about what makes them work, or how to write about them in a way that would make people care. During my first week in the office, I was given a project: Make a media list with contacts that would be interested in covering news about an audio edge processor. My first thought was “what is that?” and my second thought was “who writes about that?” After reading a lot of articles and googling a lot of keywords, I learned what an audio edge processor is and realized that a lot of people actually write about them in depth.

After working on the audio edge processor media lists, my next project was to learn how to pitch a contributed article about the processor and apply both my PR and tech knowledge to catch the attention of the media. I read over the article, bylined by the client, and was able to identify tailored media targets from trade publications, pick out the key points the media would want to hear about, and write a precisely tailored pitch to each contact. Completing this project allowed me to learn the importance of research and finding key messages within a piece of writing.

In addition to the media relations projects, I also worked on creating social media content for the audio edge processor. This project required me to have to think about how to market the audio edge processor in a way that would make others interested to learn more and potentially purchase to put in devices. I learned that great social media content needs to not only be appealing to look at, but also establish thought leadership. Throughout the rest of my time as an intern I worked on numerous social content projects to build up my skills and knowledge about what works and what doesn’t.

In January I had no idea what an audio edge processor was or how to even begin writing about it, but I was able to learn enough about it that I was pitching tech journalists and editors about it by April. I thought it was going to be an impossible task to learn so much about technology in a short period of time, but with a lot of research, guidance, and perseverance I was able to learn so much.

Throughout my short time working as an intern for Caster, I have learned more about the public relations industry than I have in my four years in the classroom. Getting the hands-on experience showed me what a typical, and nontypical, day is like working for an agency. The skills I have learned here will apply in my everyday work life after graduation. I also learned that tech is not as hard to understand as I once thought. As I approach graduation and start looking for my next path, I now understand that their will be some growing pains and learning curves, but I know that with hard work, determination, and the skills I’ve learned from Caster, I am ready to take on whatever PR journey comes my way.