We’ve updated our list of top PR blogs. We, once again, included Twitter chats and a forum so you can consume your PR news and insights in whichever form you prefer. And if you’re wondering what stellar podcasts we’re listening to, what blogs help us write articles, or why measuring your programs will make you better at PR, we’ve got you’ve covered there too.
As busy as PR pros are, they’ve got to stay current on the latest pr trends, tools, and best practices for the comms industry. Since everyone’s to-do list is a mile long, we’ve put together the top PR blogs to help keep your reading on point—with smart insights, do’s and don’ts, and examples of the best and worst PR campaigns in the industry. From big media properties like AdWeek to small niche agency blogs like Talking Points Blog and live Twitter Chats like #ContentChat, it’s everything a PR pro could want—and what we read on the regular.
Top PR Blogs:
Ragan’s PR Daily
PRSay Content Connection
Influence and Co.
Edelman PR
L2 Digital IQ Index - Gartner
PR Week blog
Social Pro Daily – Adweek
Stratechery
PR Couture
PRovoke
SpinSucks
ACH Communications: Talking Points Blog
Ragan’s PR Daily
@PRDaily followers: 114k
Ragan’s PR Daily bills itself as a “one-stop shop for news on PR, marketing, social media & more.” The site serves as an industry hub with content that runs the gamut of how-tos, videos, ebooks, career development, and think pieces. Recent posts include: How to use chatbots to expand your Facebook following and a study about PR pros optimism about the future. Carlin Twedt, who runs comms for Ragan, also hosts a weekly Twitter chat on Tuesday at #RaganChat on hot topics in PR.
PRSay Content Connection
@prsa followers: 106k
PRSA, the largest PR organization in the US, publishes PRSay, subtitled “The Voice of Public Relations.” The blog’s goal provides professional development for those looking to succeed in the field. We like PRSA so much, we never miss their annual international conference.
Influence and Co.
@InfluenceandCo followers: 96.3K
Influence and Co. have bridged the gulf that often exists between PR and content marketing. Known for their PR work, they’ve shifted gears are now a Content Marketing agency that also does PR. Their posts reflect this new strategy and now focus on SEO, content for the sales team, and Content Marketing ROI. Since their strategic reframing (from PR-focused to Content Marketing), we think this may be a harbinger of the shifting public relations industry to come. If you’re interested in how the canary in the coal mine is doing, keep updated by reading what they’re writing on a near-daily basis.
Edelman PR
@EdelmanPR followers: 91.3k
This international award-winning agency shares their experience steering the world’s top brands to communications glory. They invest considerable resources to uncover the trends shaping the industry. For instance, the recent 2018 Edelman Earned Brand report shows that the market is being transformed by the rise of the “belief-driven buyer” and provides pointers on how to leverage this trend in future campaigns. They also offer great insights on building a comms career plus behind-the-scenes observations on what it takes to run a global agency.
L2 Digital IQ Index - Gartner
@Gartner followers: 403.5k
Gartner L2 Digital IQ Index covers PR by highlighting news on specific brands and their PR campaigns. Punchy titles like Snap and Tesla Are Losers and Luxury Goes to the Street Side tee up PR lessons we can all learn from. Content particularly shines when the editors compare consumer campaigns and assess the success and failure with verifiable data. The biting tone and well-researched posts make this an essential read for comms pros hoping to up their game.
PR Week blog
@PRWeekUS followers: 80.6k
The PR Week blog covers breaking news, crises, memes, and their take on the success of current PR and marketing campaigns. Since they’re two decades old, they have a long tail vision of the PR industry and a good eye for the developments you’ve got to stay on top of. They recently covered the crisis timeline of the Elon Musk tweet: “Social media outbursts from Tesla CEO Elon Musk have cost the company in terms of fines, market value, and executive Twitter privileges.” To read PR Week is to understand the comms ecosystem.
Social Pro Daily – Adweek
@SocialProDaily followers: 66.3K
Social Pro Daily covers the ins-and-outs of social media. Since the editors are on top of feature announcements, keeping an eye on their updates might be all you need to do. They post 3 new articles per day and cover practical topics such as Instagram: Instagram Rolled Out Nametag: Customizable, Scannable Codes That Lead to Users’ Profiles, Twitter’s Data Saver Feature Was Added to Its iOS, Android Apps, and WhatsApp: Here’s How to Delete a Message. After all these years, they’ve proven to still be the best coverage of the social media channels we use every day.
Stratechery
@stratechery followers: 63.1k
Ben Thompson pedigree includes Apple, Microsoft, and Automattic. Not too shabby as brand names go. He now writes Stratechery, offering jam-packed analytical posts and daily updates (delivered via emails) that will make you the smartest person both at the water cooler AND happy hour. Check out his recent post about Instagram’s founders, the evolution of the platform, and how they beat Snapchat with Facebook’s backing. He explains: “Probably the pinnacle of Systrom and Zuckerberg’s collaboration — extraordinary product leader and ruthless CEO — was Instagram Stories. Systrom freely admitted that the concept was copied from Snapchat; as I noted at the time, that would certainly be good enough given Instagram’s larger network.”
PR Couture
@prcouture followers: 43.7K
PR Couture aims to be a resource for fashion and lifestyle communicators, no matter where they are in their career trajectory. The site reports daily on news, PR strategies, career opportunities, and noteworthy community members. In their own words: “PR Couture is the industry-leading platform and sourcebook for fashion and lifestyle communication professionals.” Recent posts include “10 Pitch Angles and Social Media Content for October” and “Solo Publicist Tips for Success.”
PRovoke
@provoke_news followers: 27.3K
Formally know at The Holmes Report, PRovoke features long-form articles, interviews, podcasts, videos, and reports, such as The Global Communications Report with “…unique research into the trends, opportunities, and challenges that define the global PR industry.” Their Agency Playbook is the PR industry’s most comprehensive listing of firms from every region and speciality; it’s an invaluable guide for keeping up on partnerships and researching PR verticals.
SpinSucks
@SpinSucks followers: 16.7k
SpinSucks is for an audience of both PR students and professionals. The majority of posts are penned by Gini Dietrich, founder, and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communications firm. There are also posts from guest bloggers, who share perspectives on topics such as using hashtags, social media, or competition within the PR space. Spin Sucks wins awards due to fun sections like Gin and Topics with the weekly meme-able videos from around the Internet; and the Spin Sucks Inquisition, which interviews marketing and PR professionals from across the industry.
ACH Communications: Talking Points Blog
@arikhanson followers: 15.9k
Arik Hanson of ACH Communications writes this engaging and frequently updated blog about PR-related current events, adding his own brand of secret spice to the takeaways. For example, he recently pondered how comms teams are trying brand-humanizing tactics that aren’t scalable and seem a bit off. “I’ve long felt that ‘surprise and delight’ tactics have been vastly overblown. The majority of brands purely do them to drum up the hype machine…” Since he posts at a fast clip, there is always something new to read. If you’re looking for a hot take on a recent social or PR-phenom, you’ll be able to find it here.
Insights from Unexpected Places
Entrepreneur
@entrepreneur followers: 3.39m
Sure, it’s a magazine you remember from Airport lounges, but have you taken a peek at the digital version? Well-written articles showcase how brands can increase their impact on the modern business landscape. Given that it’s written for the C-Suite, takeaways are meant to be high-level and immediately actionable. Recent articles include Nike Made $6 Billion from That Colin Kaepernick Ad. Here’s What All Brands Can Learn and Nothing to See Here? Social Media Marketing for Businesses That Aren’t Photogenic. Beyond the written word, you’ll find videos, podcasts, and for those looking for deeper insights, books on entrepreneurship.
Public Relations on Reddit
@reddit followers: 576k
This subreddit is dedicated to questions about the PR industry. Submissions consist of software recommendations and shifting best practices to questions about breaking into the industry or connecting with practitioners. While there’s a no self-promotion rule, it’s a solid resource for solo pros or those starting out in their careers. This public forum is the best crowdsourced PR advice from an online community. Recent topics include: Student looking for a Public Relations Practitioner to Answer a Few Questions About the Business, Tools to Evaluate Influencers and Is Pitching Contributed Content Still Relevant in 2018?
ContentChat
@SFerika followers: 10.6k
Erika Heald, former Head of Content at Anaplan and Highwire PR, holds her weekly Twitter #ContentChat On Mondays at 12noon PT. Recent topics have included: overcoming the perils of ghostwriting and ways to organize and share curated content. Heald stacks the decks by having PR and marketing industry insiders on hand to take part in the conversation. You might recognize names such as Jason Schemmel at @JasonSchemmel and Michelle Garrett at @PRisUS. Heald is herself an award-winning content marketer, community builder, and Gluten Free social media influencer.
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