7 TOP PR Publications every PR professional needs to read (or at least know about)…

When you’re first starting out as an entry-level PR practitioner, or at the bottom of the pile, it’s not always easy to know exactly what you should be reading to stay afloat of what’s happening in the industry.

Most are unaware of trade magazines, otherwise/also known as trade press, and so do not know where to access the information and how to sift through the reams of information on these sites that you may actually need.

This is exactly why this guide – to compare 7 leading industry publications – has been put together (just for you) so that the next time someone asks you to read PR Week, PR Moment or PR Examples, you are clear on what you are gaining and how YOU will benefit from the information they provide.

This week, we’re comparing the following leading industry publications:

1. Communicate Magazine
2. Corporate Comms Magazine
3. Gorkana
4. PR Examples
5. PR Moment
6. PR Week
7. The Holmes Report

 “What’s the difference?” you may ask. Aren’t you just comparing PR Week to everything else?…Well, not necessarily.

1. Communicate Magazine

Communicate Magazine describes themselves as ‘the single voice for corporate communications and stakeholder relations,’ and is an award-winning trade magazine read by 10,000 people every month in the Corporate communications community – which does include PR professionals.

When you look at their website, you get all the latest news on what’s happening in the Corporate Communications space and how organisations can interact with their stakeholders – ranging from employees, suppliers and even the press.

This is self-evident on the homepage. From a CIPR presidential nominee stepping down to a report on how video has played an instrumental role in communicating a company’s CSR (or Corporate Social Responsibility) to millennials, it is a one-stop shop for information.

Does it do its job particularly well? Absolutely. In fact, the only aspect of the site that may put entry-level practitioners off is the layout: the Times New Roman font and the lack of what? and the simplistic colour scheme and the black and white photographs – not the information. It is jam-packed with information!

Who should be reading this? Good question! Honestly, if you’re looking for razzmatazz, jazz-hands and futuristic images flying across your screen, look at another publication because you won’t get that here! PR Professionals, make note – even if it is content-heavy and information dense, read it to have an understanding of how any business with an in-house PR can engage with their stakeholders more effectively.

2. Corporate Comms Magazine

Corporate Comms Magazine is ‘the only monthly magazine’ aimed at the ‘in-house communicator’ – this statement refers to Corporate Comms dominating a niche market (a very small developing market, for those who aren’t familiar with the term).

Does it provide information for the in-house communicator very well? It depends on what they’re looking for…

They write in a lively and engaging manner, but there is a lot of information reminiscent of Communicate Magazine’s approach where content trumps everything else. The magazine offers advice in the form of their special feature - top ten tips’ on a variety of topics - and a focus on corporate rebrandings, including that of publication giant Reed Elsevier who became RELX Group.

Who would this be great for? Who would appreciate the information in this magazine enough to read it? Drum roll please… In-house PR departments! As if that’s a surprise.

3. Gorkana

Gorkana is unique because it is a ‘media intelligence’ company that has an accurate, comprehensive database of EVERY single journalist in the UK.

Gorkana can save businesses millions of pounds of research on campaigns by conducting market research spanning several decades that requires resources most companies do not have access to. This is why some of their clients, who are businesses are grateful for their services. Now, Gorkana has now garnered a reputation for helping brands manage their reputation by using this information to provide social media analysis. The objective is to understand the penetration a campaign has had on a particular audience and track how they respond.

Their expertise stretches the breadth of the stakeholder spectrum from giving free quality advice on reputation management to having the best tools in the industry for measuring the impact of a campaign.

So who should read this? Any business interested in raising their profile amongst an existing customer base or strengthening their reputation in a market they already dominate. This is also useful for a business keen on targeting a different demographic.

4. PR Examples

PR Examples is a blog that has a user-friendly website and is dedicated to celebrating the best in PR and social media marketing. It also features PR stunts, campaigns and other publicity efforts. PR Examples would be best for PR professionals who want to understand the anatomy of a successful campaign as well as brands/firms that want to create effective advertising campaigns. It focuses on PR and PR Stunts that help reader understand what worked well in the past.

5. PR Moment

The recommended audience for PR Moment would be anyone trying to delve or break into the industry or professionals trying to gain more info on the sector. This is because this site explores the evolution of PR. They also cover social media in B2B Communications.

6. PR Week

PR Week is the ultimate guide to the UK’s best PR professionals. Its site has commentaries by several different columnists and contributors who include prominent journalists. This publication is best suited to entry-level practitioners who want to find out more about the industry they’re about to get themselves into.

 7. The Holmes Report

The Holmes Report – they said that Unity PR is the World’s Best Creative PR Agency – has an international audience and provides detailed insight into the changes in the industry – an up-to-date guide on what’s happening in the industry, right now. Thus this is the stamp of approval any PR agency needs in order to show they are worth their weight in gold and are good at what they do. Who should be reading this? Any PR practitioner who wants detailed insight into the changes in the industry.