37 Twitter accounts every PR pro needs to follow
It's no secret that Twitter is being used by millennials far and wide as a real-time news platform. Twitter's fast-paced nature allows its users to read and engage with massive amounts of information in an instant. Public relations and marketing professionals have flocked to these platforms to use for both professional and personal purposes. It's as hard to find a company or brand that does not have a social media account as it is a public relations professional. Before following an account, I consider the type of content that they post and how frequently they post. I like seeing Twitter accounts that interact with followers, tweet regularly (if not religiously) and post shared and original content. In this vast sea of self-promoting brands and "experts," here are 37 accounts I recommend PR professionals follow (in no particular order).
1. PR Daily (@PRDaily) - This one should pretty much be common sense. PR Daily is unrivaled in its relevant PR content. This is about the best way to stay in touch with this publication, only short of an RSS feed.
2. Adweek (@Adweek) - In a world in which PR, marketing and advertising are integrating, Adweek is an account that PR pros need to follow. This account tweets out news and commentaries on the latest commercials and advertisements.
3. PRSA National (@PRSA) - The Public Relations Society of America is the world's leading professional PR organization. Not only should you follow them on Twitter, you should be a paid member.
4. PRSSA National (@PRSSANational) - The Public Relations Student Society of America is the world's leading pre-professional PR organization. Whether you're in PRSA, PRSSA, or just PR, you should follow (and support) PRSSA.
5. Wall Street Journal (or your favorite news source) (@WSJ) - My favorite news source is, by far, Wall Street Journal. The Journal covers an incredibly wide variety of news and does so through, what I will call, an "above-average" approach. Whatever your favorite news source is, follow them.
6. Jeff Shore (@JeffShore) - Jeff Shore is a speaker, author, and contributor (most notably for Entrepreneur Magazine). He frequently tweets insightful articles and original content on topics ranging from business to marketing to sales.
7. Brett Relander (@BrettRelander) - Brett Relander is a social media influencer, the founder and chief strategy officer for Launch and Hustle and is currently a contributor for Huffington Post and Entrepreneur Magazine. He posts regularly on content creation, social media, and entrepreneurship.
8. Dr. Rick Goodman (@DrRickGoodman) - Dr. Rick Goodman is an author, keynote speaker and team building and leadership expert, and tweets regularly on these topics.
9. Krista Neher (@KristaNeher) - Krista Neher is the CEO of Boot Camp Digital, a social media training program. She shares tweets on social and digital media.
10. Jed Record (@JedRecord) - Jed Record is a social media expert, entrepreneur and public speaker. He tweets regularly on topics from content creation and social media to leadership and workplace culture.
11. Dr. Tina McCorkindale (@tmccorkindale) - Dr. Tina McCorkindale is the current CEO and president of the Institute for PR and is serving as a PRSA National Faculty Advisor. Her extensive experience in PR and research makes her an invaluable person to connect with on social media.
12. Society of Professional Journalists (@spj_tweets) - This is a shout out to our friends in journalism. SPJ tweets regularly on journalism and social issues.
13. Columbia Journalism Review (@CJR) - Another shoutout to journalists, CJR tweets regularly on issues ranging from media to journalism.
14. Steve Radick (@sradick) - Steve Radick is currently the Director of Public Relations at Brunner Works in Pittsburgh, Penn., and serves as the President-Elect of PRSA Pittsburgh. He shares content on social media and public relations.
15. Ron Culp (@Culpwrit) - Ron Culp has an extensive background in PR, serving in agencies and corporations including Ketchum, SVC, Sears and others. He is currently an independent consultant and the professional director for DePaul's graduate PR and advertising program. He tweets regularly on topics ranging from communications to career development.
16. The Plank Center (@PlankCenterPR) - Named after Betsy Plank, The Plank Center is both an authority and resource in the field of PR. Follow this account to stay up-to-date on their latest content.
17. Lee Odden (@leeodden) - Lee Odden is an author, speaker, consultant, social media and marketing expert and the current CEO of TopRank Online Marketing. He tweets regularly on topics ranging from marketing to business.
18. Bob Pickard (@BobPickard) - Bob Pickard specializes in public relations and communications. His tweets usually pertain to public relations, social media and business.
19. Christine Perkett (@missusP) - Christine Perkett is the founder and CEO of See Depth Inc., a measurement and analytics software company. Her tweets revolve around public relations and analytics.
20. John Sparks (@IAmJohnSparks) - John Sparks is an author and passionate social media influencer. He interacts with his followers on a daily basis.
21. Jeff Domansky (@ThePRCoach) - Jeff Domansky is the current CEO for Peak Communications and runs a PR website/blog under the name "The PR Coach." He tweets on topics ranging from crisis communications to content marketing.
22. Heather Whaling (@prtini) - Heather Whaling in the current CEO of Geben Communication. Her PR skills and her advocacy for women professionals make her a desirable Twitter personality.
23. Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) - Scott Monty is a strategic communications expert and public speaker.
24. Kellye Crane (@KellyeCrane) - Kellye Crane is a PR and social media consultant. She creates a lot of original content.
25. Shonali Burke (@shonali) - Shonali Burke is an award-winning PR strategist who owns her own consulting business. Her expertise are her well-known, and she shares original and shared content.
25. Deirdre Breakenridge (@dbreakenridge) - Deirdre Breakenridge is the CEO of Pure Performance Communications. Her 25+ years in the PR industry have made her an expert in communications and media relations.
26. Jay Baer (@jaybaer) - Jay Baer is a New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker and entrepreneur. He tweets his wisdom out regularly, and a lot of his content is visually engaging.
27. David Kirk (@davidtheprguy) - David Kirk (known as davidtheprguy online) is a PR professional with over 30 years in experience.
28. Mickie Kennedy (@ereleases) - Mickie Kennedy is the founder of eReleases and is an online leader in affordable press release distribution. He specializes in content creation.
29. Peter Himler (@PeterHimler) - Peter Himler is the founder of Flatiron Communications, a contributor for Forbes, and editor on Medium.
30. Arik Hanson (@arikhanson) - Arik Hanson is an award-winning strategist, writer and marketing professional with more than 20 years of experience.
31. Steve Farnsworth (@Steveology) - Steve Farnsworth is a top social media influencer and chief marketing officer at The @Steveology Group. His expertise reside in social media and B2B marketing.
32. Sally Falkow (@sallyfalkow) - Sally Falkow is an award-winning PR strategist. She has trained over 2500 executives in companies like Time Warner Cable and Proctor & Gamble.
33. David Landis (@david_landis) - David Landis is the president of Landis Communications. He shares content on public relations, engagement, and everything San Francisco.
34. Gary Vaynerchuck (@garyvee) - Gary Vaynerchuck is the CEO of Vayner Media, a speaker, an author and social media expert. He is incredibly active on social media, creates original content on a regular basis (including a web-based video series) and engages with his followers consistently.
35. Mike Koehler (@mkokc) - Mike Koehler is a social media expert, entrepreneur and the president and chief strategist at Smirk New Media. He specializes in content creation and digital communications.
36. David Gallagher (@TBoneGallagher) - David Gallagher is the current CEO of Ketchum PR Europe. He has over over 20 years in the PR industry and currently advises some of the world's leading brands.
37. Christopher Mims (@mims) - Christopher Mims is a technology columnist for Wall Street Journal. Though not involved in PR, he is a just a joy to follow.
Social media has enabled an unprecedented level of interaction and connectedness. As public relations professionals, this medium should be taken advantage of. Make it a point to connect with industry influencers.