Now is an excellent time to think about your 2019 PR reading list and start the new year with big ideas. Whether you are a communications professional on the lookout for case studies from leaders in your field, an influencer learning how to revitalise your campaign strategy or, a chief executive wanting to improve the way you communicate, there is something in my list of PR & communications books for every professional.
1. Spin Sucks: Communication & Reputation Management in the Digital Age - Gini Dietrich
Known throughout the industry for running one of the most popular PR blogs in the world, Gini Dietrich has collected all of the cutting-edge tips and tools for effective and ethical communications she has learned into an actionable guide for business leaders and PR pros. In her book, you will learn how to share your story more powerfully, humanise your organisation, create fresh content and more.
2. Contagious: Why Things Catch On - Jonah Berger
Marketing professor Jonah Berger argues that, contrary to popular belief, advertising is not what makes something popular, but rather the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission of ideas. This book provides a set of actionable techniques for helping information spread, perfect for any PR pro hoping their story will catch on.
3. The Business of Persuasion - Harold Burson
Lauded as the "must-read book on public relations," The Business of Persuasion is a business memoir of the 96-year-old founder of Burson-Marsteller. In its pages, readers will learn what public relations entails through personal and professional examples.
4. Rebranding Europe - Stavros Papagianneas
One of the most ambitious attends to date to sketch why EU communication fails and how to make it succeed. This book illustrates how Europe can be rebranded by providing critical recommendations on how to convey the added value of the EU in the daily lives of its citizens. It shows that the growing trust gap between the elites and the broader populations is a crucial challenge for the future. The author has interviewed a number of key stakeholders in European comms as well as important opinion leaders and gives original answers to communication questions.
5. Why Social Media is Ruining your Life - Catherine Ormerod
An interesting look at what social media is doing to us as a society, and how we can deconstruct the online fantasy to change our own attitudes about modern womanhood. Catherine Ormerod explores social-media-addled ideas about body image, money, relationships, motherhood, careers, politics and more, and gives readers the tools they need to control their own online lives, rather than being controlled by them. An essential book for any woman who has ever looked at her Instagram feed and thought, 'Who are these women, and how the hell do they do it?'
6. The Fixer: Secrets for Saving Your Reputation in the Age of Viral Media - Michael Sitrick
What do you do when the reputation you have built over decades is destroyed in a day ? In a fast-moving world that feeds on a 24-hour news cycle and spreads outrage like a virus, one wrong decision - or one bad tweet - can destroy a good reputation. Beloved celebrities can become pariahs. Ordinary people can become infamous. Michael Sitrick, shares some of his highly sought-after advice on how to save your reputation in today’s high-stakes media game.