Take This 8-Question Social Media PR Exam
10.16.2026 – Is your social media helping or hurting your organization’s public relations? Here’s the problem… Many brands treat social media like a virtual promotional billboard. Post the promo. Post the product. Pray nobody asks a question (because you’ve not committed resources to answer in a timely manner).
How to Pinpoint the REAL Reason a Promotional Campaign Worked
10.09.2026 – Your sales dashboard shows a spike the week your new ad ran. You believe the ad worked. Or your sales spiked after your CEO was interviewed on a local TV news segment and gave out your website address. That media coverage contributed to the new sales, right?
AI in Content Creation (Part 2)
10.01.2026 – In Part 1, I made the case for AI — and then the case against it. Since OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in 2022, generative AI has worked its way into nearly every industry. And PR, marketing and advertising are no exception. Professionals use it to brainstorm, knock out busy work, and move faster.
5 Questions to Ask Before You Say a Campaign “Worked”
09.17.2026 – “Did our promotional campaign work?” sounds like a simple yes-or-no question. But it isn’t. I recently taught my Media and You students at East Tennessee State University that researchers who study media effects for a living don’t ask that question at all.
Media Literacy Strategies for Enhancing Your PR and Marketing
09.10.2026 – Understanding media literacy, how consumers process and think about the media they consume, can help you with your PR and marketing. I recently taught my freshman Media and You students at East Tennessee State University about the conscious model vs. unconscious model, as well as meaning matching vs. meaning construction.
An Insider’s Look at What PR/Communication Students are Being Taught
09.04.2026 – Studying public relations (PR) in college has changed drastically over the years. For me, it’s been nearly 40 years since I earned my undergrad in communications, with an emphasis in public relations. Today, if you want to get a degree in public relations, you’ll be expected to learn a lot more than creating a strategic communications plan
What They Don’t Teach You in the Corner Office
08.28.2026 – Fay Vincent ran Columbia Pictures. He was an EVP at Coca-Cola and the eighth commissioner of Major League Baseball. The man has been in more corner offices than most of us will ever see from the parking lot. When he sat down years ago to write and publish 10 things he wished someone had told him at 40, before he started plowing those executive fields, it got my attention.
Why You Should NEVER Say “Go to Hell!” in a Press Conference
08.21.2026 – After pointing out the WNBA’s PR blunders last week, I thought we could move on to another topic this week. But nope — the WNBA keeps on misbehaving. Yes, its PR implosion continues.