Author: Erik Rolfsen

How Comms Teams Can Use AI Without Losing Control

The goal isn’t to use AI everywhere. It’s to use it where it adds value without undermining judgment.

The Hidden Cost of Using Spreadsheets for Media Relations

The shift from improvised tools to purpose-built platforms is not cosmetic. It changes the way communications teams operate, how they think, how they respond and how they plan.

Stop Sending Snooze-Worthy Press Releases: Tell Stories That Stick

When your next announcement lands, ensure it reads like something a person would genuinely want to read.

The Truth Won’t Sell Itself: PR’s New Reality

How PR professionals can ethically persuade audiences who process information through emotion rather than evidence.

Do Ex-Journalists Make the Best PR Professionals?

Journalism experience can be a real asset in PR, but it doesn’t guarantee success. The most effective communicators bridge insight and execution.

Demonstrating Your Team’s Value: Reporting That Tells the Full Story

Most teams report only outputs: press releases sent, articles published, quotes included—not outcomes. Here’s how to make your reporting tell a story.

Spray-and-Pray Isn’t Dead: When Casting a Wide Net Still Works in Media Relations

Media outreach today requires thoughtful targeting, strong relationships and good timing. But when the story calls for scale, there is still room for sheer volume.

How AI is Changing PR, Not Replacing It

When routine PR work is done by machines, the real value lies in the judgment and experience only people can bring.

The Pepsi Syringe Scare: How a Media Frenzy Nearly Took Down a Giant

In 1993, Pepsi faced a national panic over syringes in soda cans—but instead of apologizing, it fought back with facts and video proof. The bold strategy worked, offering key lessons in media crisis response and narrative control.

The Crisis That Changed Everything: How the Tylenol Poisoning Case Reshaped Corporate Crisis Management

A massive communications crisis hit Johnson & Johnson in 1982 after seven people in the Chicago area consumed Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide.