During the summer, I had the opportunity to intern as a remote copywriter and digital marketer at Geria.io for six weeks. From crafting blog posts to managing social media advertising, partaking in this internship has been transformative.
As an aspiring professional writer and BA English student, I applied for the internship through my university in hopes of gaining invaluable experience. Certainly, this role has contributed to my creative growth.
About the Company
Geria.io is an engineering-as-a-service company with a team of talented developers. As a writer specialising in lifestyle and entertainment topics, venturing into the realm of tech-themed content initially worried me. Would I be able to write about tech trends or tips on acquiring a job as a software developer? Fortunately, the company was extremely helpful and patient, with multiple team members guiding me through the process.
Learning the ropes
My first few days were busy with training. I completed an online training course, namely Foundations of Digital Marketing on Cousera, and watched countless educational videos about IT roles, how to use marketing platforms, and how to effectively communicate with a remote team. Communication was simple, as all I needed to do was to have a Microsoft Teams account for daily meetings and a Google account for collaboration purposes.
By the end of the first week, thanks to my team members’ encouragement, I was confidently producing website content and brainstorming blog ideas.
What did you work on during the internship?
I worked on multiple projects during my time at Geria.io. This included crafting content that advertises several events organised by the company.
Biggest highlight?
My work for marketing a specific event, Immigrants in Tech UK, was a highlight of the experience. Tasks included writing the website content, which was comprised of information such as ‘About the event’, ‘Become a speaker at the event’, and ‘FAQS’. As I’d never written website content before, this was an exciting opportunity! I also a published an article about the event on Medium.com, and it was extremely rewarding to see my work published.
Biggest challenge?
Writing an article about the legal technicalities of hiring a distributed remote team was challenging, as evidently I had little knowledge of the topic. It took several days to wrap my head around the task: I researched by reading dozens of articles and frequenting the UK government website for advice. I wrote several inadequate drafts. Fortunately, my co-workers helped edit and proofread my final attempt, and the article was completed.
What are the key learnings from the internship?
Quality over quantity is a classic quote for digital marketing. This role has taught me that excessive adverbs and adjectives are not necessary! As my internship is for a company that has professional clients, I’ve learnt that B2B (Business to Business) copywriting is direct and focuses on advising the reader. When writing B2B articles, layout is key: use bullet points, headings, and even images to make an article more readable. Therefore, I’ve developed not just my writing skills but also my presentation skills - both are crucial in the marketing industry. I also practised creating visual ads, utilising platforms such as Canva, and this aided with marketing a compelling piece of content.
Future goals
Embarking on this journey with the Geria.io team has been an incredible experience, backed by unwavering support and encouragement. This internship has given me the motivation to apply for graduate jobs in the copywriting and digital marketing field, so that I can continue to learn and excel in my professional writing career!
