By Gini Dietrich
On the ninth day of Christmas, Spin Sucks gave to you… nine PR blogs to read, eight PR up-and-comers, seven must-listen podcasts, six communicator gifts, five communications trends, four free webinars, three strategy games, two Crazies secrets, and the PR win of 2014.
I have to say, I love this series we’re doing, but the lists are getting me in trouble!
There are only so many I can include because I’m hindered by the actual number for the day we’re on.
So, while there are only nine PR blogs mentioned here, the list is actually much larger. I’m writing this at 4:00 in the morning so I’m also hampered by sleepiness.
That said, if you have a PR blog you’d like to recommend, please do so (and don’t be afraid to self-nominate)! We’ll eventually compile all of the recommendations into something larger.
PR Blogs to Read
Without further ado, here are the nine PR blogs you should read.
- AirPR. I really love the way Rebekah Iliff approaches trends in our industry, and she has a fabulous sense of humor. She only publishes once or twice a week so it’s easy to keep up with…and you’ll find it an entertaining read.
- Bad Pitch Blog. At least 100 years ago, my team became fascinated with Bad Pitch Blog and their, um, ways at embarrassing those in our industry who don’t do their research before pitching. It became the law that if anyone turned up on this blog, they’d immediately lose their job, no questions asked (no one has…so far). Since then, Kevin Dugan and Richard Laermer have produced useful content, as well.
- Deirdre Breakenridge. I’m fairly certain there is no one nicer than Deirdre Breakenridge. But she’s not just nice, she’s smart, too. And her blog is thought-provoking and interesting. Plus she’s molding the next generation’s minds so it’s good to see what topics are of interest to them.
- Ishmael’s Corner. Lou Hoffman is probably the wittiest of the lot of us. I always look forward to his annual predictions post because he has fun with it and most of it is very tongue-in-cheek. I love a pro who doesn’t take himself too seriously.
- PR Daily. If you check PR Daily right this very second, you’ll see someone familiar in the very top content spot (with the must-listen podcasts), but it won’t be that way forever so go check it out! Pretty much anything you need to know about the industry is covered in this blog. They do a nice job with news reporting and syndication. The only thing I don’t like is the people who comment there are not nice. They’re the reason you don’t read the comments.
- PRNewser. I feel like these guys kind of came out of nowhere and I am glad! Patrick Coffee and his team serve up all the latest on the industry (I sometimes read their stuff and think, “How the heck did they find that out?”) and they’re tough on some of the traditional ways our peers tend to still want to do things. This is also where I found out that Kim Kardashian’s rider requires four First Class tickets and one Coach…which begs the question, “Who has to sit in Coach?”
- PRTini. One of my favorite Heather Whaling writing stories (I have in-person stories, too!) is when Spin Sucks came out earlier this year, she wrote a blog post about it…and apologized to her mom for saying the word “sucks” in it. And her mom commented that it was okay. As if I didn’t love her enough, that made me love her more. She gives you the skinny on all things related to communications through fun and colorful content.
- SHIFT Communications. I love everything that SHIFT does and their blog is no exception. Pay particularly close attention to what Christopher Penn (who was just named PR Professional of the Year) writes. He’s one smart cookie.
- Waxing Unlyrical. Though her gorgeous lilt does not come through in her writing, Shonali Burke doesn’t mash words. If you want the real scoop on industry practices, which organizations are winning, and which are failing (and why), check out Waxing Unlyrical.
It should go without saying, but just in case: Clearly everyone should be reading Spin Sucks. Right? Right.
Now it’s your turn. Keep your recommendations to PR blogs only (no marketing, social media, content, or the like), pretty please.
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