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Each year, PR News benchmarks the top established PR professionals over the last year, as well as naming a shortlist of rising luminaries in the field. These accomplished communicators are celebrated at PR News’ PR People luncheon, which this year will be held Dec. 4 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. So what does it take to bring home a PR People or Rising Star award?

After a massive cybersecurity incident, Equifax realized that many people didn’t actually understand how a consumer credit reporting agency works, or why they matter in the first place. The brand then realized that the best thing it could do was educate people about personal finance, cybersecurity, and Equifax’s role in our economy. This was not just an effort to repair trust, but to make sure that its brand values were understood.

The practice of news-jacking, or posting about current events, has been in vogue for some years now, but festively themed posts have reached new heights—Presidential turkey pardon, anyone?—as brands race for the highest engagement around the fall and winter holidays. So who’s doing the best job on Twitter this Turkey Day? PR News took a look at some of the top Thanksgiving posts this holiday season in different industries—and what made them resonate with audiences on social media.

We caught up with Muck Rack COO Natan Edelsburg ahead of his panel appearance at PR News’ Media Relations Conference, going down Dec. 6 at D.C.’s National Press Club, to hear what communicators can learn to better interact with journalists on social.

You’ll have plenty of opportunities to devour stuffing on Thanksgiving. When it comes to SEO and content marketing, it’s best to avoid keyword stuffing, writes 5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian. He offers this tip and other pitfalls to avoid in an effort to make your content marketing successful.

B2B influencer programs rely more on good old-fashioned relationship building than many of the mass influencer marketing programs B2C brands use. As such, working with B2B influencers falls squarely into PR’s purview—it’s all about identifying and building relationships with trusted experts who can help you amplify your message. This is similar to the “traditional” PR practice of connecting with media influencers (a.k.a. journalists), applied to industry and other micro-influencers, who play just as important a role in expanding the reach of your brand.

Some communicators believe that a brand should always keep its head down during a crisis, focusing on containing any issues internally and speaking to as few members of the media as possible. This is not always the best course of action, though. A sound media relations strategy can not only mitigate your crisis once it becomes external, but also help educate your audience and retain brand trust.

Just in time for the holiday season, Instagram has expanded its offerings for brands handling their e-commerce through the platform, while also giving users the ability to track how much time they spend scrolling through their feed and Stories. New shopping features include the rollout of clickable video tags, collections and a special “Shop” section for businesses selling on the platform. Meanwhile, a “Your Activity” dashboard helps users track how much time they spend perusing their friend’s posts and favorite fashion brands.

Engagement isn’t just for social media anymore. It can be one of the most critical parts of a brand’s ability to recruit and retain the most-talented employees, argues APCO Worldwide’s Kimberly Gardiner. And with budgets tightening, improving employee engagement is a cost-effective way to bolster your employment strategy.

It’s unclear how accurate the NY Times’ account of how Facebook responded to two PR crises is; Facebook says it contains many inaccuracies. The Times says it stands behind its 5,600-word story that took more than one month to craft. As a case study for students and practitioners of PR, however, it’s loaded with important lessons.