The Agency Doesn’t Need Another Rockstar. It Needs Someone Reliable.

Class of 2026: Congratulations. Placements Are Over. The Actual Job Begins Now.

To the fresh graduates entering the workforce this month, armed with degrees, internship certificates, LinkedIn announcements saying “Excited to begin my professional journey…”, and enough optimism to survive agency life — welcome.

You’ve made it through assignments, attendance shortages, group projects where one person worked and four got equal marks, presentations made overnight, and internships where your biggest takeaway was “Please coordinate.”

Now comes the real world.

And if your first stop is an agency across PR, advertising, digital, branding, communications or marketing, here’s a perspective from someone who has spent years watching fresher’s walk in enthusiastic, overwhelmed, ambitious and occasionally convinced they’ll become Vice President in 10 months.

Nobody expects you to know everything. But everyone expects you to be willing to learn. The difference between someone who grows rapidly in two years and someone who stagnates in five often isn’t talent.

It’s homework.

Yes. Homework. That thing you thought ended with college. Because in agency life, homework becomes your biggest competitive advantage.

Homework on pitches. Endless homework.

Want to know one of the biggest mistakes young professionals make? Sending a pitch to 100 journalists because “more people means better chances.”

No. That’s spam – Not PR.

Before pitching, some questions to ask yourself : Who is this journalist? What were their last three articles about? What sectors do they cover? What kind of stories excite them? Are they interested in founder journeys, sustainability, funding, hospitality, policy, technology, consumer brands? What is their writing style? Would your client genuinely fit into their beat?

A good pitch isn’t distribution. It’s matchmaking.

You are trying to convince someone that “This story matters.” ; “My client fits your audience.”; “This is worth your time.”

That requires thought. And thought shows.

Always.

Please. Learn to write proper emails.

This sounds basic. It isn’t. Somewhere along the way, professional communication disappeared and became:

Hi ma’am / sir- coverage possible?

Following up

Pls revert

??

Or the midnight WhatsApp:

Any update ?

For the love of all things professional … Write an email. A proper one. With context. A clear subject line. Why the story matters. Why you selected that journalist. Why now. What makes it relevant. And keep it concise.

Good emails build credibility. Bad pitching habits build block lists.

Journalists are not customer care executives.

This may be uncomfortable to hear. Calling someone repeatedly doesn’t improve your chances and following up every few hours doesn’t increase urgency. Calling on Saturdays, Sundays and late evenings for non-urgent stories doesn’t create relationships.

It creates avoidance.

Media relationships take years to build. Sometimes a decade. Respecting boundaries and understanding timing matters. Knowing when not to follow up matters.

And perhaps the biggest lesson: Silence is sometimes an answer.

Not every pitch deserves coverage. Not every journalist owes you a reply. Accepting this early will save you unnecessary frustration.

Learn to hear “No” without feeling rejected.

Your release won’t always get covered, your founder may not receive an interview and your event may not make headlines.

That beautifully crafted pitch you spent two hours on? It may disappear forever.

Welcome to communications.

The wrong question is: “Why didn’t they cover us?”

The smarter question: “What could have made this stronger?”

Along with … Was there actual news? Was timing poor? Was the angle weak? Was there enough data? Did five similar stories already exist?

The people who succeed aren’t those who avoid rejection.

They study it.

Reliability matters more than brilliance initially.

This may surprise many of you but the industry often rewards consistency before talent.

Can seniors trust you? Will you submit on time? Will they have to remind you repeatedly? Will you double-check attachments? Will you verify spellings before sending? Will you own mistakes? Because agencies run on deadlines, urgency and occasional chaos disguised as planning.

The person who quietly delivers becomes indispensable.

Very quickly.

AI will help you. Curiosity will set you apart.

Use AI.

Use tools.

But never outsource thinking.

The best communicators still know how to spot stories, read people , understand nuance, identify opportunities, build trust and know when a founder should speak and when silence is wiser.

Those instincts come from observation. Not prompts.

Stop expecting instant growth.

Your first job is not meant to validate your worth every month. It is meant to build your foundation. Learn. Observe. Ask questions.

Lastly — be kind.

This industry is smaller than you think.

Today’s intern becomes tomorrow’s editor. Today’s colleague becomes tomorrow’s client. Today’s junior executive becomes a communications head.

People remember competence.

People remember kindness

People definitely remember arrogance.

Choose wisely what you become known for.

– Manjuu Rangarajan,
Director,
BrandiT Communications