Happy Friday! Read your Daily PR Brief - January 16, 2026
Why not everyone should be a podcaster; Comms lessons from 28 years of therapy; How brands can turn a PR crisis into an opportunity; more!
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Read some of today's best PR and Comms industry news clips:
Strong reputations deliver real financial gains, new report says (Axios - January 15, 2026)
Join the Chaos, Don't Hide From It (O'Dwyer's - January 16, 2026)
Citi CEO gets blunt in performance memo; Dell cautions ahead of major workflow change (Ragan Communications - January 16, 2026)
How Brands Can Turn A PR Crisis Into An Opportunity (Forbes - January 16, 2026)
Certified Yappers: Why Everyone Should Not be a Podcaster (PRNEWS - January 14, 2026)
Everyone Wants Virality. No One Wants Consistency. (Spin Sucks - January 15, 2026)
How AI Transforms Thought Leadership Without Sacrificing Authority (5W Public Relations - January 16, 2026)
Good and Bad PR: Mandy gets Stinged! And it's a mixed week for mushrooms... (PRmoment (UK) - January 15, 2026)
Beyond keywords: How PR delivers context, credibility, and coverage in AI search (Axia Public Relations - January 16, 2026)
Al Slop, Shadow Content and Digital Safety (CommPRO - January 15, 2026)
January Social Media Updates: Under-16 Bans, the Death of Hashtag Stuffing, and LinkedIn's 2026 Playbook (FINN Partners - January 16, 2026)
How an Edelman EVP approaches trust repair in crises (PR Daily - January 16, 2026)
2025 Review: The Year's Biggest News (PRovoke Media - January 15, 2026)
10 Communication Lessons From 28 Years Of Therapy (Forbes - January 16, 2026)
Summary Section:
Strong reputations deliver real financial gains, new report says
By Eleanor Hawkins
Axios - January 15, 2026
Placing a dollar value on reputation underscores how communications can affect business performance, proving that public perception is more than just a soft metric.
Join the Chaos, Don't Hide From It
By Sasha Boghosian, Ryan Colaianni
O'Dwyer's - January 16, 2026
For brands, the world has turned dark and unpredictable. The ability to plan or anticipate has evaporated. No one knows what to expect next. Stability and accepted norms have given way to a brutal, fast-moving and profoundly chaotic environment.
Citi CEO gets blunt in performance memo; Dell cautions ahead of major workflow change
By Sean Devlin
Ragan Communications - January 16, 2026
Citi CEO gets blunt in performance memo; Dell cautions ahead of major workflow change; plus, examining a comms misstep by Hawaiian Airlines.
How Brands Can Turn A PR Crisis Into An Opportunity
By Meghan Tisinger, Managing Director and Global Head of Practices of Leidar
Forbes - January 16, 2026
When handled strategically, controversy can amplify visibility, mobilize supporters and even strengthen commercial performance.
Certified Yappers: Why Everyone Should Not be a Podcaster
By Haley Kinney
PRNEWS - January 14, 2026
It's not surprising that professionals are turning to podcasting as a tool for business growth—according to Riverside, an average of 27,000 new podcasts launch daily. However, success may be harder to achieve than many would think, as an Amplifi Media study found 92% of podcasts do not make it past 10 episodes.
Everyone Wants Virality. No One Wants Consistency.
By Travis Claytor
Spin Sucks - January 15, 2026
Despite everything we know about how content spreads, how platforms work, and how audiences behave, the mirage of virality continues to captivate brands and marketing teams.
How AI Transforms Thought Leadership Without Sacrificing Authority
5W Public Relations - January 16, 2026
Learn how AI transforms thought leadership by scaling expert content without losing authority through smart workflows, verification, and voice preservation.
Good and Bad PR: Mandy gets Stinged! And it's a mixed week for mushrooms...
By Andy Barr, Season One Communications
PRmoment (UK) - January 15, 2026
No time for small talk or wishing some Happy New whatever's, let's get to it. There is a lot to get through.
Beyond keywords: How PR delivers context, credibility, and coverage in AI search
Axia Public Relations - January 16, 2026
Learn how SEO for PR boosts your visibility by signaling credibility, authority, and context across AI-powered search platforms.
Al Slop, Shadow Content and Digital Safety
By Simon Erskine Locke
CommPRO - January 15, 2026
As generative AI accelerates the scale of fake and manipulated content, the distinction between harmless "slop" and high-risk shadow content becomes a critical business issue for communications.
January Social Media Updates: Under-16 Bans, the Death of Hashtag Stuffing, and LinkedIn's 2026 Playbook
By Emily Kemp, Justin Buchbinder
FINN Partners - January 16, 2026
LinkedIn's 2026 tips are out, TikTok launches Nearby feeds in Europe, and Instagram kills hashtag stuffing. Get the top social media updates for Jan 2026.
How an Edelman EVP approaches trust repair in crises
By Isis Simpson-Mersha
PR Daily - January 16, 2026
As U.S. head of brand purpose and impact at Edelman, Gerry Rodriguez leads the firm's North American advisory practice, helping organizations embed sustainability, equity and social impact into their business operations.
2025 Review: The Year's Biggest News
By Diana Marszalek
PRovoke Media - January 15, 2026
The year's biggest stories reflected a profession navigating political pressure, technological change and a shifting agency landscape.
10 Communication Lessons From 28 Years Of Therapy
By Marie O'Riordan, Senior Partner at The Croí Initiative
Forbes - January 16, 2026
Here are 10 lessons about communication that continue to guide me in life and in my professional career.
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