Gini Dietrich, the PR pro behind Arment Dietrich, Spin Sucks and Spin Sucks Pro, recently released “Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age,” a textbook of sorts for PR and marketing professionals.
Filled with case studies, real-life examples and survey results, it feels more like a compilation of easy-to-read blog posts than a book. You can choose to read one or two chapters at a time or spend a lazy weekend soaking up the tips she offers to perfect your digital strategy (if you’re dedicated, you can easily get through it in an afternoon).
“Spin Sucks” is a great introduction for PR and marketing newbies and a thorough refresher for veterans. Gini outlines everything from the changes in search engine ranking to establishing an SEO widget in your blog’s dashboard to managing even the worst PR crisis. Further, she discusses in detail the shift in digital communication, how it’s affecting the media industry today and, more importantly, what it means for the future. Here’s an excerpt:
“The truth of the matter is, while media relations is an important part of the communications program, there are many other tactics used in a cohesive strategy: content, email marketing, social media, crisis and reputation management, events, social advertising, investor relations, lobbying and regulatory work, and more.
That’s why this book is called Spin Sucks. An offshoot of the number one (or number three, depending on which list you look at) public relations blog in the world, this book is written for business leaders who need to better understand how the industry is changing, what to expect from the PR professionals you hire, and what kind of return you’ll have for the time and money spent by hiring PR pros.”
It’s not just business leaders who will benefit from reading “Spin Sucks.” It’s a great resource for young marketers to keep handy, and it can also be a valuable tool to convince an unsure boss that adopting a new integrated PR and marketing strategy is worth the effort. You can get a copy of "Spin Sucks" on Amazon.
Update: Watch our June 2018 video interview with Gini.
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