How we got 25 companies for the school internship in 24 hours
Find out how we kicked off our training program and got companies on board. The story of simple steps, real talks, and making things happen.
Just two weeks ago, a spark of an idea came to life. As we navigated through our mission of making tangible differences in the lives of immigrant talent, we stumbled upon a concept that felt too good not to pursue: a growth hacking internship program in partnership with a local university of applied sciences. How didn't we figure it out already?
The beauty of this idea wasn't just in its potential to bridge gaps and offer real-world experience; it was also in how quickly it took off. I reached out to a contact at the university I had already and their enthusiasm mirrored ours. Together, we're now in the fast lane, gearing up to launch the program by mid-April.
For a while now, my team and I have been talking to schools, and the public sector, and anyone who’d listen said how tough it’s been for folks from other countries to land work experience here. It's hard to find opportunities for school-related work training - even if it can be free for the companies.
Can it really be that hard? We had to test it ourselves.
Here's how we found 25 companies for the growth hacking internship with a local university of applied sciences in 24 hours.
Diving straight into the process of how we got the ball rolling on our internship program, here's the real, actionable approach we took, without any embellishments.
Once the idea sparked, I turned to where I knew we could generate interest quickly: LinkedIn, professional Facebook groups, and Slack communities. These platforms are where our audience lives—people who are passionate about making a real impact, open to exploring innovative ways of working, and most likely have business problems to solve as well.
Marketing
I drafted the posts quickly by writing the Finnish version myself and translating it to English on ChatGPT.
Here are the posts:
Hei kasvuhakuinen yritys, jolla on jonkinlainen testaamista kaipaava kasvupullonkaula!
Hyväntekeväisyysyhdistykseni Herizon starttaa kasvuhakkerointiharjoitteluohjelman korkeakouluyhteistyöpilotin tänä keväänä.
Etsin kohdeyhtiöitä ilmaiseen 2-3kk kasvuhakkerointitestaukseen.
Opiskelijat ovat kv-taustaisia opintojensa loppusuoralla olevia tradenomiopiskelijoita, jotka suorittavat puolet työharjoittelusta legendaarisessa kasvuhakkerointiharjoitteluohjelmassa.
Ohjelmassa testataan 2-3kk ajan kerran viikossa jotakin yrityksesi kasvua edistävää asiaa projektipäällikköni valvonnassa ja siihen sisältyy myös sparrailu tavoitteistasi. Prosessi on hyvin läpinäkyvä ja sillä on saatu aikaan merkittäviä kasvulukuja. Testit soveltuu erityisen hyvin markkinoinnin ja myynnin kehitykseen.
Projektin tavoitteena on edistää kv-taustaisten opiskelijoiden työllistymistä. Priorisoimme yhtiöitä jotka voivat palkata harjoittelijan mikäli harjoittelu menee hyvin, mutta muutkin keissit käy. Harjoitteluun kuuluu LinkedInin aktiivinen käyttö, joten tekeminen edistää yleensä työllistymistä joka tapauksessa.
Ensimmäisistä 100 koulutetusta työllistyi heti 94% 2020-2021.
Haluatko mukaan? Ohjelma on firmoille ilmainen, soppari tehdään vain Herizonin kanssa ja meiltä tulee tuki onnistumiseen. Mahdollisimman helppoa siis just sulle. Laita YV!
Hello, a growth-oriented company facing a growth bottleneck in need of testing how to get rid of it!
My NGO Herizon, is launching a growth hacking training program as a university of applied sciences collaboration pilot this spring.
I am looking for target companies for a free 2-3 month growth hacking testing period.
The students are international business students nearing the end of their studies and will spend half of their internship in our legendary growth hacking training program.
In the program, under the supervision of my project manager, something that improves your company's growth will be tested weekly for 2-3 months. This includes an OKR session about your goals. The process is very transparent and has achieved significant growth figures. The tests are particularly suited for marketing and sales development.
The project aims to improve the employment of students with an international background. We give priority to companies that might hire the intern if the internship goes well, but we are open to other cases as well. Active use of LinkedIn is part of the internship, so the activities generally promote employment regardless.
94% of the first 100 trained were employed immediately in 2020-2021.
Interested in joining? The program is free for companies, with a contract made only with Herizon, and we provide support for success. So, it's made to be as easy as possible for you. Please send a DM!
Let's dive into the anatomy of the post a bit:
Hello, a growth-oriented company facing a growth bottleneck in need of testing how to get rid of it!
Target audience identification: The post is directed at growth-oriented companies experiencing stagnation, making it easier for the right companies to see the value and respond.
Value proposition: Outlining what companies stand to gain by participating in the program—help in overcoming growth bottlenecks through tested growth hacking strategies.
My NGO Herizon, is launching a growth hacking training program as a university of applied sciences collaboration pilot this spring.
I am looking for target companies for a free 2-3 month growth hacking testing period.
The students are international business students nearing the end of their studies and will spend half of their internship in our legendary growth hacking training program.
In the program, under the supervision of my project manager, something that improves your company's growth will be tested weekly for 2-3 months. This includes an OKR session about your goals. The process is very transparent and has achieved significant growth figures. The tests are particularly suited for marketing and sales development.
Program details: The description of the program is comprehensive, detailing the duration, the structure (including an OKR session), and the supervisory role of the project manager. This transparency helps build trust and sets clear expectations.
The project aims to improve the employment of students with an international background. We give priority to companies that might hire the intern if the internship goes well, but we are open to other cases as well. Active use of LinkedIn is part of the internship, so the activities generally promote employment regardless.
Benefits for both parties: The post emphasizes the mutual benefits—the companies receive fresh growth hacking insights, while the students gain real-world experience. Highlighting the potential for companies to hire interns adds a long-term benefit to participating.
94% of the first 100 trained were employed immediately in 2020-2021.
Success rate: Mentioning the 94% employment rate of previously trained students serves as a strong signal to the program's effectiveness, potentially increasing the program's attractiveness to companies.
Interested in joining? The program is free for companies, with a contract made only with Herizon, and we provide support for success. So, it's made to be as easy as possible for you. Please send a DM!
Simplified participation: Stating that the program is free and that a contract is made only with Herizon simplifies the decision-making process for companies. The invitation to send a DM is a clear and easy call to action.
Areas to improve to next iterations:
- Engagement enhancement: While the post is informative, incorporating engaging elements such as questions could foster interaction. For example, asking companies to share their biggest growth challenge in the comments could initiate a conversation and increase engagement.
- Visuals: Including visual elements like images or graphics related to growth hacking or the program itself could make the post more engaging, thereby increasing its visibility and shareability.
- Success stories: While the success rate of the past program is impressive, incorporating specific success stories or testimonials from fresh participants (companies or students) could add a personal touch and further validate the program's effectiveness today (to be seen after the pilot).
- Scalable follow-up mechanism: Besides encouraging DMs, providing an alternative follow-up mechanism, such as a sign-up link or a landing page for the program, could capture the interest of companies that prefer not to initiate contact through DM.
- Highlighting the program's uniqueness: Though the program's benefits are clear, further emphasizing what sets it apart from other growth hacking training programs or internships could enhance its appeal. This could include unique methodologies (my operating system), the caliber of students (50 for the pilot), or specific success metrics achieved in past iterations.
Response and followup
After posting, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I engaged in brief discussions with interested parties, answering their questions and gathering their contact information. To keep everything organized, I used a Google Spreadsheet where I logged their emails and goals for the internship.
For me, it's impossible to be able to manage multiple initiatives and large projects without proper documentation so everything is documented on Herizon's Google Spreadsheet Data Room.
Here's the sheet for this project:
Once we had a substantial list of interested companies, we communicated the launch date, April 15, and outlined the next steps for building out the program.
The plan included drafting a basic contract to formalize the partnership (even though the service is free), crafting a straightforward onboarding email, inviting company representatives to our Slack for direct communication, and collecting detailed information about each company's activities, target audiences, benefits, and goals.
Learnings
- Building a professional network pays off: A large follower base on LinkedIn and access to professional communities are invaluable. They propel your ideas forward and open doors to new opportunities.
- Act on your ideas: If an idea strikes, don’t sit on it. Push it into action immediately. The response from the community can be surprisingly open and enthusiastic.
- Start before you're ready: You don't need to have everything polished and perfected to begin. If your idea gains traction, that's your cue to build and refine as you go. This approach keeps the momentum going and allows you to adapt based on real feedback.
- Test and learn: The only way to truly know the value and impact of your initiative is to launch it. We don't yet know if the students will land jobs or the exact benefits for the companies, but by trying, we’re opening the door to discover and learn.
- Flexibility and adaption: Be prepared to tweak and adjust your approach based on feedback and observations. What works in theory doesn't always pan out in practice, and being adaptable is key to finding the best path forward.
This journey into launching an internship program has been a powerful reminder that action breeds opportunity. We’re excited to see where this path leads, not only for the students and companies involved but for the broader community we aim to serve.
Next steps
- On the other track, I've also reached out to 6 other universities, but we're still middle of identifying a perfect decision-maker as it seems to vary.
- We don't know yet who can pay for this. For the pilot, we're gathering resources from our other initiatives to make it possible to try it out. Usually, if you manage to provide value, someone will pay for it so hoping for the best. On another track, I'm contacting various stakeholders to identify potential financial partners.
- A bunch of materials need to be done to be able to launch the program - mainly related to onboarding and offboarding of all the parties. Luckily that's only matter of execution.
