Stories by Ian James Wright

When you’re developing a news release, a good quote can make all the difference in giving character and perspective to your announcement. Once you’ve laid out the what, when, where and who, a quote from a spokesperson fills in the why: why your brand is passionate about an issue, why something needed to be done, why something is significant, why the reader should care.

Star Wars is nearly unparalleled as a brand so popular that other brands (whether or not they have a cross-promotional deal) draft in its wake by paying tribute. Thus May 4 is a good day for us to observe how brands are riding the wave, and to see the fruits of some professional content calendars.

PR News celebrated some of the year’s best social media campaigns on May 2 at the Yale Club in New York City, as well as the digital leader and social media team of the year. Karen Raskopf, chief communications officer at Dunkin’ Brands, delivered a keynote address on the future of social media and how to create relevant social experiences.

When the mighty Google changes its algorithm, all of PR is pushed in the same direction by the shockwave; here’s hoping that the most recent change will nudge us into a better place. The search engine’s latest move is to demote (but not remove) pages that propagate lies, hoaxes, conspiracy theories and other junk content that more and more is collectively being labeled “fake news.”

It can be hard for someone who works in public relations or communications to admit that they’re not that great at schmoozing. It would seem that these things go hand in hand, but striking up a face-to-face conversation with a stranger is its own skill set, and we aren’t all naturals. If you’re attending a professional event, you should make the most of your time there, as with any other aspect of your working life. Being a wallflower won’t move the needle, so keep the following four things in mind and do the accompanying exercises to set yourself up for success.

If you have more money than you know what to do with, you’re luckier than most of us, and you might be unconcerned about throwing your wealth around willy-nilly. For the rest of us, we want to know that we’re getting a solid return on our investment when it comes to paid social before we commit any cash. The first step to this is knowing your brand’s audience and where you’re already engaging them. Answering these ten questions will ensure you’re targeting the right audience for your brand and using your budget effectively.

A random act of senseless violence stunned the United States April 16: In a video posted to Facebook, a man driving through the Cleveland area sees a pedestrian, stops the car, announces his intention to kill, walks over to the victim and shoots him. The victim, 74-year-old Robert Godwin, was on his way home from an Easter meal with his children.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a blog but worried about the time investment, you’re not alone. In a world where you can fire off a tweet or a snap in second, the prospect of blogging seems daunting from a time management perspective. But there are smart ways to make it work, and Jackie Allder, director, public relations & communications for The Long & Foster Companies, is familiar with many of them.

It’s probably safe to say that everyone interested in brand communications has watched the infamous Pepsi commercial that was swiftly yanked from the internet after savage criticism on social media. It was deeply bad in several ways, a perfect storm of bad decisions. You might think you’re savvy enough at PR to avoid such a confluence of mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you’re immune from making one or another of them from time to time. So let’s break down a few of the lessons we’ve learned.

When brands communicate on social media, there’s a built-in trust and understanding gap between professional communicators and a skeptical public. Finding a way to bridge that gap is crucial. Nation Hahn, digital director at Blueprint for Athletes and chief growth officer at EdNC.org, has found that for the right brand and the right campaign, a great way to make the connection is by working with third-party ambassadors to intertwine the brand’s story with the stories of real people.