On the fourth day of Christmas, Spin Sucks gave to you four PR pro gifts, three PR trends, two PR books, and one habit to change in 2018.
We are already at the end of week one of our 12 Days of Christmas series.
(This means we have only two working weeks left in the year, which I’m trying not to panic over. Do not panic. Do not panic. I will not panic.)
Today we’re going to talk about the PR pro gifts that will bring joy.
If you are a PR pro, send this list to your friends and family.
If you have a PR pro in your life, this will make your shopping easier.
PR Pro Gifts: Software
We talked a bit yesterday about Iris for media relations and Albert for search engine marketing and social media advertising.
If you’re so inclined, they both would make great PR pro gifts.
But there also is software that is necessary, not just a nice-to-have.
It includes:
- ActiveCampaign for email drip campaigns and customer relationship management. (We also really like Mailchimp, if you have less than 10,000 email addresses.)
- Basecamp for project management.
- Buzzsumo for influencer relations, social media stats, and content creation.
- Canva for all the graphics your heart desires.
- CoSchedule or DivvyHQ for editorial calendar management.
- Lumen5 for quick, easy, and beautiful videos.
- MuckRack for media list development and monitoring.
- Sanebox for inbox management.
- Slack for instant communication (we are in love with Slack).
- SocialBee or Hootsuite for social media management and scheduling.
- Wunderlist for task management and to-do lists.
- Zencastr for audio recordings.
- Zoom for video chats, meetings, and video recordings.
The list is not a short one, but all of these things make us much more efficient.
Buy one subscription for the PR pro in your life.
PR Pro Gifts: Books
On the second day of Christmas, we talked about The Conversion Code and Answers for Modern Communicators.
Both of those should be on your PR pro gifts list.
Our readers also suggested:
- Finish, which was recommended by Lara Wellman as a book anyone who wants to get things, well, finished should read.
- Content Chemistry, which Mike Connell reminded us is chock full of useful information. I actually keep a copy of this on my desk as a reference guide, so I agree!
- Mandy Pennington recommended three: Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki, Platform by Michael Hyatt, and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini. As to the last one, I always say we’re in the psychology business so I definitely recommend anything that helps us better understand how people act and think.
- And Sue Duris, clearly the A+ student, recommends the following: The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott. Although a few years old now, it is still very relevant. Outside In by Kerry Bodine is not necessarily a PR book but a necessary resource for communicators. They need to understand how vital their role is in customer experience and this book sets the framework. And Spin Sucks is a must. It’s a great reference book that I have dog-eared, highlighted, and underlined.
- Kevin Kermes recommended Rocket Fuel, which I am going to make Laura Petrolino read with me during our holiday break.
And last, but certainly not least, you can pre-order the 30-Day Communications Challenge eBook from us.
It will be available on January 3 and provides you the framework to create a PESO model communications plan.
Along with video tutorials, step-by-step instruction, extra support from Buzzsumo, and a contest complete with prizes, the eBook is a great support to our free 30-Day Communications Challenge that begins next month.
Lots of options if your PR pro gifts list includes books.
PR Pro Gifts: Professional Development
Alright, I’m going to be a bit selfish about this one.
I mean, you are reading Spin Sucks and it is our blog, which we do have to make money on so we can continue bringing you professional development in all forms (free and paid).
To that end, I can truly think of no better gift for the PR pros in your life than the PR Dream Team.
I realize I’m biased, but it is hands-down, the best community on the internet.
Think about it this way: you can have immediate access to more than 100 brains.
These brains help with idea generation, challenges and solutions, best practices, templates, and more.
They’re all on your side because they don’t have any skin in the game—they just want to see you succeed.
Not to mention, members receive free content not available to anyone else.
For instance, last month Andy Crestodina spent an hour with me on Zoom and we dug deep into advanced content marketing.
You will not find that information anywhere else—and I am of the opinion that it is some of the most valuable information out there.
(Plus, he’s just really smart and you can absorb some of that through osmosis.)
It’s just $59 a month and would make a perfect gift for the PR pro in your life.
(On the sixth day of Christmas, we have more professional development opportunities that aren’t self-serving.)
PR Pro Gifts: Fun Tools and Toys
Not everyone wants to be business all the time so some PR pro gifts you might consider include fun tools and toys.
For instance:
- Beats wireless earbuds
- A Spin Sucks iPhone cover
- An Echo Dot
- A bullet journal
- Apple TV or an Amazon Fire Stick
- A Birchbox subscription (for men, too!)
- A Netflix or Hulu subscription
- The Airhook for travel
- A mini travel surge protector
I’m sure there are tons more ideas, which I’d love to hear.
What are some great PR pro gifts or what do you have on your list that you’re dying to receive?
The 30-Day Communications Challenge begins on January 3. Are you subscribed?