PRNEWS

47% of Americans hold brands responsible for toxic or spammy comments on their own social media posts. That stat alone should be enough to put comment moderation on every comms team's agenda. But Erik Swain, CEO of Respondology, makes an even more pressing case in his latest PRNEWS piece: unmonitored comment sections aren't just a reputation problem with humans anymore. They're shaping how AI answers questions about your brand. The data behind this one is eye-opening. Worth a read before your next paid social campaign goes live. 👉 https://buff.ly/DmoknPV

Threads just hit 500 million monthly users—matching X—but is it actually working for brands? This week's PR Roundup digs into that question, plus what record World Cup viewership (42 million for the U.S.-Belgium match alone) signals for brand investment in soccer's future. And new research showing that as local newspapers disappear, corporate accountability may be quietly going with them. 👉 https://buff.ly/jzwjJG3

What separates the agencies clients seek out from the ones they scroll past? For 120 firms each year, part of the answer is the PRNEWS Agency Elite Top 120 — the industry's most respected agency roster. Here's what making the list does for the agencies on it: ✅ 12 months of visibility on the Agency Elite PR Partner Portal ✅ Third-party credibility that AI discovery platforms actually reference ✅ A night of celebration at the PRNEWS Platinum Awards Gala in NYC ✅ Recognition that resonates with clients, prospects, and your own team Hundreds will enter. Only 120 will make it. Apply Now: https://lnkd.in/eXPCcvq2 📅 Application Deadline: July 17, 2026 #PRAgency #AgencyElite #Communications #PRNEWSAwards

"By 2028, we'll double profits and halve the people." That quote from a global holding company CEO says everything about where the consolidation era is heading — and why independent PR is having its moment. Jennifer Risi, who bet on the independent model back in 2019 with her agency, The Sway Effect, makes the case in her latest PRNEWS piece that the future of PR looks a lot like its past: relationships, accountability and partners who actually pick up the phone. The macro data is backing her up. Worth a read before the holding company headlines keep coming. 👉 https://buff.ly/ue5Tc69

120 agencies. Endless influence. Is yours one of them?   The PRNEWS Agency Elite Top 120 is now open for entries — and only the best will make the cut. Earn 12 months on the industry's most respected agency roster, get discovered by thousands of brand-side decision-makers, and celebrate in October at the PRNEWS Platinum Awards Gala in NYC. 🔗Apply now → https://lnkd.in/eXPCcvq2  📅Application Deadline: July 17, 2026

By the time your brand gets legal approval to join a trending moment, the internet has already moved on. Sound familiar? Daniella Sampson, Head of Marketing at Pendulum, calls it Fandom FOMO — and she uses a delightful example from the 2026 FIFA World Cup to make the case for why PR teams need smarter social intelligence, not just faster reaction times. Hint: it involves a duck named Merlin. 👉 https://buff.ly/SWy6QC0

Today marks the final day of Pride Month — a fitting moment to revisit a question every communicator working in this space has to answer: how do you balance urgent crisis work with celebrating joy, without one undercutting the other? For Kevin Wong, Chief Communications Officer at The Trevor Project, the answer is that they're not in tension at all. "Queer joy is what we would call, in the mental health space, a protective factor for LGBTQ+ young people," Wong explains in this clip from our "Five Questions With..." series. Watch the full interview to hear how Wong is keeping The Trevor Project's mission visible as corporate Pride support grows more uncertain. 👉 [Link in comments]

When the stakes are high, how you communicate matters as much as what you say. This week's PR Roundup unpacks three timely case studies: 🍎 Apple's carefully framed response to significant price increases — and what every brand communicator can learn from it. 🌪️ New Sprout Social, Inc. data confirming that 64% of consumers now expect brands to respond to crises publicly on social media, not via press release. 🥤 And Starbucks formalizing its employee creator program — with a key reminder that authenticity can't be manufactured. 👉 https://buff.ly/wKQkcy8

"The best media relations is done when you don't need something from a reporter." That's the foundation of Michelle Ciciyasvili's approach—and it's how the Senior Director of Communications at Betches Media spent three years quietly building a relationship that eventually landed her CEO on Variety's editor-in-chief podcast and a feature story to match. Watch the clip, then read the full PRNEWS interview for the long game media relations strategy behind it. 👉 [Link in comments]

The PRNEWS Platinum Awards have recognized the best campaigns and teams in PR and communications for nearly 30 years. In that time, winning has meant something different for every winner—a career milestone, a credential, a moment that reminded a team why the work matters. The best way to understand what a Platinum Award means is to hear it from the people who have won one. Swipe through to see it in their own words. Your work could be recognized next. Enter Now: https://lnkd.in/gJDshcew Extended Deadline: June 26, 2026 #PRNEWSAwards #PlatinumAwards #PRExcellence