The contenders in the “PR blogs” category represent an interesting group. As you know, there are a LOT of PR blogs out there. Many of them have become mainstays. Good for them! So we set out instead to find 10 PR blogs we could recommend to you that offered a unique mix of personality and...well...chutzpah! We tried to bring you a wide variety, with the interesting twists you’ve come to expect from the Pulse series.
We started with the BlogRank top 100 PR blogs and picked our favorites based on information, presentation style and verve. We then reviewed each one’s social media presence, focusing on those that are doing a great job incorporating new media techniques into both their content and community engagement. Hopefully, you find a gem you hadn’t yet discovered. We think you’ll be impressed with this group, so meet the new breed…
2. The New Breed:
10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
The contenders in the “PR blogs” category represent an interesting group. As you know,
there are a LOT of PR blogs out there. Many of them have become mainstays. Good for
them! So we set out instead to find 10 PR blogs we could recommend to you that offered a
unique mix of personality and...well...chutzpah! We tried to bring you a wide variety, with
the interesting twists you’ve come to expect from the Pulse series.
We started with the BlogRank top 100 PR blogs and picked our favorites based on
information, presentation style and verve. We then reviewed each one’s social media
presence, focusing on those that are doing a great job incorporating new media techniques
into both their content and community engagement. Hopefully, you find a gem you hadn’t
yet discovered. We think you’ll be impressed with this group, so meet the new breed…
3. 1. Peter Shankman
Adventures in Communications
Founder of HARO (Help a Reporter Out), a
skydiver and an Iron Man triathlete, Peter is
hard hitting when it comes to discussing the
challenges facing the new social marketplace
and PR. His blog site comes in at #1 in
BlogRank’s ultimate rank.
Peter is fully engaged on social—with 111K
on Twitter as himself, 40K as HARO, and a
very active Facebook fan page with 50K+.
What places him in the new breed category is
his business model. It provides crowd-
sourced, broad-reach access to information
for and from journalists. For leading the way
on making PR and media both social and
accessible, we’d jump out of a plane with
Peter.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
4. 2. PR-Squared
Sacred Cows Beware
Todd Defren’s blog, PR-Squared, comes in as a
top 20 blog on AdAge’s Power150 list and #4
on BlogRank’s ultimate rank. It focuses on the
intersection of social media, PR and common
sense. His posts are cutting, modern, fresh …
and he regularly slays the sacred cows of the
industry.
We found Todd’s forthright nature charming. He
openly lists and displays his social media
connections. He also displays how many people
have tweeted out his posts, his Feedburner stats,
and his blog ranking number. His use of
graphics throughout his work is captivating and
fun. This transparency caught our eye, and then
his refreshing writing style hooked us in.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
5. 3. Media Culpa
Next Stop: Global Domination
Named in March as the #6 blog on HubSpot’s
Hot Marketing Blogs, Swedish PR practitioner
Hans Kullin hooked us with the tagline: “Two
Swedish eyes on Media and Public Relations.”
The international focus further grabbed us, as
so many top blog lists seem U.S.-centric. Each
post features social media, PR and marketing
data for most of Europe, as well as other parts
of the world.
The site and Hans are on social media with a
decent following. But Hans’ social numbers
aren’t why Media Culpa is on this list. It’s here
in large part thanks to the social integration of
its international information. Media Culpa
shows us that Sweden has more to share with
us besides Ikea and for that, we thank Hans.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
6. 4. Solo PR Pro
Indie Spirit All the Way
Kellye Crane, host of Solo PR Pro, has been
a successful independent PR consultant for
more than 15 years. Her Twitter following is
at 10K+ and she frequently appears on the
Top 100 PR list on Twitter.
Kellye approaches blogging and
independent PR consulting very openly and
that’s why we really like her. She doesn’t shy
away from the emotional barriers that many
independents face as they build their
business. She airs the dirty laundry and
openly discusses the challenges of being a
successful freelancer in PR. That level of
honesty is very social. It’s hard to pull back
the curtain, but Kellye does it with style and
grace.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
7. 5. Next Gen Market Research
Stats, Facts and Data That’s All That
Tom Anderson’s blog ranks high on all the
lists we reviewed. His market research
focus is definitely not fuzzy. If you are the
type who needs the facts and the hard data
to be content, then welcome to your happy
place.
Some great points to note about Tom’s blog:
His social media connections are displayed
upfront and are easy to connect to without
ever leaving his blog. He does a lot of
interviews with respected industry leaders.
He speaks in person at numerous events,
all listed on his site. He is doing a
tremendous job bridging the virtual world
and the “real life” one and for that, he
deserves a nod.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
8. 6. India PR Blog
Emergence with Urgency
Palin Ningthoujam, who currently works as a
digital strategist at Genesis Burson-Marsteller,
launched India PR Blog in 2006. This blog
boasts that it features marketing, branding,
public relations, and social media news,
trends, opinions, resources and reviews. The
boast is not bluster, either—as these features
are exactly what you’ll find there, for India
and beyond.
India PR Blog caught our attention due in part
to its placement on multiple ranking lists (#13
top blog by RSS subscription levels, with
2,500+), its Twitter following (8,300+), its
email subscribers (2,700+), and its overall
social presence across all channels. We don’t
normally fall for impressive numbers, but this
one is among the worthwhile exceptions in
this list.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
9. 7. Influential Marketing Blog
Professor with Personality
Here’s another exception. This blog can give
you a case of marketing envy with its 21,000
Twitter followers, 16,000 blog subscribers,
2,400 Facebook fans and #31 ranking on the
AdAge Power150. Reading the blog will
convince you that these numbers are well
earned. The information is rich, deep and
helpful. It’s like sitting with a marketing pro at
your local café, sharing his insights, his
creativity, and his genius.
Influential Marketing Blog is written by Rohit
Bhargava. He is the SVP of global strategy and
marketing at Ogilvy, an adjunct professor of
global marketing at Georgetown University, a
published author and a popular speaker.
Great social media numbers aside, we picked
this on the quality of the work – ‘nuff said.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
10. 8. The Bad Pitch Blog
Punch Meets Panache
High blog ranking? Check. Social media
reach? Check. Snarky PR advice? Yep, check
for that, too. We confess a love for “tell it
like it is” instigators and The Bad Pitch Blog
is home to two of them.
Founded by Richard Laermer and Kevin
Dugan, the blog features this telling snippet
on Richard’s bio: “A supposed authority on
media culture and hype ... Richard Laermer
is a former magazine and newspaper
journalist, the guy behind five bestselling
books, and CEO of acclaimed PR agency
RLM (www.RLMpr.com).” We fell in love
with this personality-fueled, hard-hitting,
fun approach. Featuring a refreshing blend
of personality with punch and panache, the
blog works for us and we think you’ll like it
too.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
11. 9. Marketing Conversation
You Talking to Me?
Another big winner in social media outreach
and blog ranking, Marketing Conversation
dares address the polarizing conversation
surrounding “new media.” It clearly draws
the distinction between approaching online
PR as online PR, instead of as a nothing more
than a traditional PR add-on.
The conversation this blog engages in with
its readership is raw, argumentative and often
controversial. It doesn’t pull any punches.
Written by many members of a 27-person
team, you get a subtle variety of voices with
a consistent theme here – namely that online
PR is not your grandparents’ PR. This theme
is one we subscribe to and are glad that
Marketing Conversation is saying what we’re
thinking. Kudos!
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
12. 10. Pierce Mattie Public Relations
Beauty Is in the Eye of the...Client
Pierce Mattie PR is a New York based agency
that specializes in beauty, fashion, lifestyle,
jewelry and home furnishings PR. Its blog
ranks high on all the lists and its social media
numbers are strong for good reason – the
firm’s team members are expert niche
promoters. They have not forgotten one of
the reasons that a PR blog might exist: to
help gain visibility for clients.
This blog is interesting because it turns the
news into teachable moments. It also features
the firm’s clients. The blog is visually
appealing, fun, feels personal, and it doesn’t
forget its purpose. We live at the intersection
of commerce and social and we like how
Pierce Mattie navigates that intersection.
The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
13. The New Breed:
10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
Off the Beaten Path...
We could have featured the usual suspects in the PR world. You know them. You love them.
You probably already subscribe to their blogs. What we wanted to do instead was to show
you some new ideas, some fresh concepts, and some innovators who are garnering
numbers and leading the way.
The PR world is changing fast. With edgy experts like these sharing their insights, it’s easy
to see that PR will survive, and even thrive, as the online marketing communications
environment evolves. If you want to stay ahead of the curve and are looking for insights to
help you navigate the changes ahead, join us while we browse and subscribe to some of
our favorites featured here…
14. The New Breed:
10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!
Next on “The Pulse”:
"Show Me the Money: 10 Leading Cities for PR Jobs and
Salaries”
We’ll feature our picks of best cities for PR and communications jobs and
compensation.
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