As a second year Physiological Sciences student, I often asked myself how new cutting edge research reached the public – a curiosity that led me the opportunity to intern with EatMoreFruit this summer. From hands-on experience in supporting the team with influencer campaigns, to media strategy and creative pitches, each day brought a deeper understanding of the world of Healthcare PR.
Here are my top 10 takeaways:
1.PR & Marketing are dynamic – campaigns shift fast. Adaptability is key to meet new goals, deadlines or changes in strategy
2. Collaboration drives success – teamwork and diverse perspectives spark innovation and agency life is full of idea sharing, learning and teamwork.
3. Constructive criticism fuels growth – feedback is a useful tool which helps sharpen ideas and not something to fear.
4. Strategic planning matters – great PR is down to delivering the right message, to the right audience, at the right time, via the right channels. Understanding not just the subject matter but keeping your finger on the pulse to stay attuned to new trends and emerging tech.
5. Asking questions shows initiative – curiosity helps you learn faster and there’s never a silly question!
6. AI is reshaping healthcare PR – from drafting content and analysing media coverage to predicting audience trends, AI tools are speeding up workflows and helping PR teams stay one step ahead. But human judgment, creativity, empathy, and nuance remains critically important to success.
7. Relationships are everything – with colleagues, clients, journalists, suppliers and influencers alike. Although the world has become more digital, and AI is dehumanising many connections, face to face and phone time is key to deepening relationships.
8. Trust is built through credibility – partnering with KOLs, clinicians, and influencers allows brands to “borrow credibility,” making messages more authentic and impactful. And in a world where LLMs are driving Google results, borrowing credibility and trust can increase a brands chance of appearing in search when optimised correctly.
9. Market research is foundational – whether it’s looking at trends, understanding your audience, benchmark against competitors, or to get new data to tell an interesting story, having new insights is key and often the crux of a campaign.
10. Confidence grows through practise – The more I immersed myself, the more I contributed and learned. By the end of my internship I felt confident sharing my ideas as I learnt more and more new skills.
Work experience is more than just building skills and completing tasks – it’s about challenging yourself, discovering where you thrive and stepping confidently into unfamiliar situations.
Creative projects had always been out of my comfort zone – I had even dropped Art during my GCSEs because I lacked confidence and believed I didn’t have the creative mindset for it. During my internship, however, I discovered that brainstorming and generating creative ideas is something that improves with practice and collaboration. Developing this patience and confidence allowed me to contribute ideas, and it was incredibly rewarding to see some of these ideas involve into campaign ideas.
My experience at EatMoreFruit also taught me that Healthcare Marketing and PR are not just about the campaigns themselves, but about the people, collaboration and strategy that underpin them. This has inspired me to bring forward a more creative and collaborative approach to my studies next year, and to remain curious about how communications in healthcare will continue to evolve, especially with technology and AI set to change the future.
