In the summer of 2022, I interned with Dine Brands Global as their Communications intern. Dine Brands Global is a leading, publicly-traded company in the food and beverage industry, with a wide-ranging portfolio of franchised and corporate-owned restaurants, most notably Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and International House of Pancakes (IHOP).
This internship was an integral step in my professional career. It provided me the chance to undertake a variety of projects, each one playing a pivotal role in refining and expanding my skills within the Communications and Public Relations field. Keep reading to learn more about the exciting projects I worked on and my key takeaways.
Throughout my internship, I played a key role in developing communication materials for Dine Brands Global, Applebee’s, and IHOP (press releases, messaging points, fact sheets). A keyproject during my internship was conducting a LinkedIn competitor audit for the top three competitors of each brand. This audit combined key metrics, content types, post frequencies, page elements, and franchise mentions. Ultimately, I culminated my efforts into a final deliverable, providing over 20 strategic recommendations for areas of improvement.
I also produced an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) that housed company and brand assets, media files, and 40 executive bios. These were written to serve for media and stakeholder engagement.
Furthermore, I curated content for the internal weekly newsletter, reaching a global audience of over 45k. This included projects like the production of a 10-part executive career series where I interviewed executives and then wrote an article about their career journey. I also wrote about events that interns attended, new restaurant openings, announcements, and even spotlighted team members for their achievements.
In addition, I conducted daily media sweeps where I would search for relevant business and industry headlines, competitor news, and share this information with the internal audience of over 45k via EmailOpen.
.png)
I also mapped out a 3-month content calendar for the summer internship program, where I was responsible for drafting social media posts and working with our third-party social media management partner to publish them. Lastly, I created a content calendar and a dynamic visual plan for the assets displayed on the headquarters' office elevator screens.
Reflecting on my summer internship with Dine Brands Global, I'm filled with gratitude. The experience equipped me with invaluable skills, from brand communications to curating newsletters, that continue to shape my professional journey. I'm thankful to Dine Brands Global for this opportunity, and I invite you to scroll down to view samples of my work.
