Stories by Seth Arenstein

It was a fitting message for the final speech of The Social Shake-Up. Though attendees were loaded with days of social media takeaways, they also were beginning to feel the effects of some great parties and a lot of shaking. Clad in a great suit, Ann Handley urged the crowd to slow down…strategically. Well received, Handley’s message was loaded with insightful tips about improving content creation.

In each edition of PRNEWS we highlight takeaways from select articles as well as important notes for subscribers. Remember, PRNEWS subscribers are entitled to a 33 percent discount on all PRNEWS events and webinars.

Our regular roundtable feature includes honorees from the 2018 PRNEWS Platinum PR awards and speakers from The Social Shake-Up. Among the questions we put to them: What qualities does a successful communicator need? With the onslaught of technology, how can brands ensure customers have a human experience? And what social media trends are you eager to learn more about during the Social Shake-Up?

The disparity between the number of communicators and reporters is widening. The ratio stands at 6:1, meaning that journalists may feel even more besieged. This puts an emphasis on knowing how to do media pitching in the most successful ways. PRNEWS asked ClarityPR to survey journalists about what turns them on or off about PR pitches. We also asked how many journalists have Twitter shamed communicators. Their response was unfortunate.

Our regular Stealable Slide feature looks at a slide Kevin Elliott of Hill + Knowlton Strategies presented during PRNEWS’ Crisis Management Summit in Miami Beach last March. Interestingly, Elliott says the key lesson the slide illustrates is not seen on the slide itself.

Diversity is both good to do and good for business. That concept should apply to media in its use of sources. Unfortunately, data show media sourcing in western media favoring men 3 to 1 over women. Preliminary findings indicate media with a more representative source base may reap financial and other benefits. PR pros can help media by curating and promoting a diverse source base.

The opioid epidemic has touched one in three Americans, a new survey from NPR and Ipsos shows. In addition, pharma’s narrative about its role in the epidemic has failed to resonate with a significant majority of the American public. What steps should industry communicators take to rehabilitate pharma’s reputation with the public? Crisis communications provides a possible option.

The media often points to examples of large brands failing to observe crisis-response best practices. The incident at the Topeka Zoo on Saturday (April 20) showed a small nonprofit conducting crisis PR at very high levels. The Zoo not only communicated quickly and transparently, it did so with sensitivity. Some large brands and organizations should take note.

Go big or go home does’t necessarily apply to innovation, says Scott Steinberg, author and business consultant. Armed with knowledge about their customers, communicators can advocate for brands to make small, tactical changes to products and services that can yield significant results. Steinberg discussed his ideas about thinking small to go big during PRNEWS’ Measurement Conference in Washington, DC.

Adidas and Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) used Apple’s AirDrop to distribute free sneakers at Coachella. To those who accepted Glover’s AirDrop invitation, it was a highly personalized experience that ended with free Adidas. For others, it was a creepy use of an app designed for people who actually know each other.