[Placement Year/Intern] Digital PR Executive

At Deviation, we're defining how brands connect with audiences who search everywhere — and Digital PR sits right at the heart of that. We help brands earn attention, authority, and visibility in the places that shape modern discovery, from top-tier newsrooms and publications through to social platforms and generative search engines.This placement year is a real role, not a shadow programme. You'll be an integral part of our PR team, working on live client campaigns, building genuine journalist relationships, and learning what it takes to deliver Digital PR that drives measurable results. We'll teach you the skills you need, but you'll be expected to roll your sleeves up and contribute from day one.
‍‍

About the Role

As a Digital PR Placement Student, you'll be embedded in the Digital PR team. You'll support the execution of reactive activations and wider Digital PR campaigns across our increasing and diverse range of clients.

This isn't just an outreach role. You'll be involved in the full campaign process: researching the media landscape, pulling and analysing data, drafting press releases, building media lists, and helping the team spot the moments worth jumping on. Over the course of the year, you'll develop a well-rounded understanding of Digital PR and how it connects to SEO, brand visibility, and commercial performance.

You'll be supported and developed throughout, with guidance from senior team members at every step - ensuring you learn our trademark ‘Search Everywhere’ framework.

By the end of your placement, you'll have real examples of coverage landed, client results delivered, and skills built, the kind of foundation that sets you up for a career in PR (hopefully back with Deviation when you complete your degree).

What you will need

Don't worry if you're earlier in your journey, we're not looking for a finished article. We're looking for someone curious, driven, and genuinely excited about media, culture, and storytelling.

Here's what will set you apart:

‍

✔  You're studying a relevant degree (PR, Marketing, Journalism, Communications, or similar) and are eligible for a placement year.

✔ You have a natural curiosity - you're the kind of person who notices trending stories and wonders why they took off.

✔ You have a positive energy and a can-do attitude; you take initiative and don't wait to be told what to do.

✔ You have some awareness of what makes a PR-worthy story, whether from your studies, personal projects, or previous experience.

✔ You're a confident writer - comfortable drafting copy clearly and adapting your tone for different audiences and formats.

✔ You're organised, reliable, and able to manage your own time across multiple tasks.

✔ Any previous experience in a PR, marketing, journalism, or content role - seen as a bonus but not essential.

‍

What You'll Be Doing / What You’ll Be Capable Of

Reactive PR & Media Relations

• Monitor news, trends, and cultural conversations daily to identify reactive PR opportunities for clients.
• Support the team in pitching reactive stories to journalists quickly and effectively, helping clients land coverage in top-tier, strategically considered, publications.
• Build and develop relationships with journalists across a range of industries and beats.
• Develop and maintain up-to-date media lists for use across client campaigns.
• Understand what journalists want to cover - and help the team package stories in a way that lands.

Content & Campaign Execution

• Draft press releases and reactive angles for a variety of clients and story types.
• Pull, clean, and analyse data to support data-led reactive PR stories.
• Write SEO-considered copy for content and campaign purposes.
• Contribute to creative sessions with fresh ideas and a strong awareness of what's culturally relevant.
• Advise colleagues (including creatives) on the newsworthiness of ideas and story angles.

Research & Insight

• Lead research on the media landscape, helping the team stay ahead of trends and shifts in what journalists are covering.
• Monitor competitor activity in reactive marketing to help keep clients one step ahead.
• Understand your clients, their industries, and the kinds of stories that resonate with their audiences.

Reporting & Communication

• Create coverage reports that clearly showcase results and demonstrate the impact of PR activity.
• Keep the team up to date on results, challenges, and emerging opportunities across your accounts.
• Contribute to internal communications and briefing documents that keep campaigns on track.

Learning & Development

• Develop a working understanding of Digital PR's relationship with SEO — including how links, authority, and visibility connect.
• Participate in training, knowledge-sharing sessions, and team discussions that build your skills and strategic thinking.
• Grow into a confident, capable PR practitioner over the course of the year — with the support of the team around you.

Why Join Deviation?

At Deviation, we’re not just following where search is going - we’re defining it. Every campaign we create demands attention now and anticipates where demand is heading.

If you’re passionate about search, content, culture, and digital discovery, and you want to work with a team that thrives on innovation, we’d love to hear from you.

‍

Ready to spend a year doing real work that makes a real impact? We'd love to hear from you. 🚀

‍

‍