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A new year is upon us, bringing with it new opportunities, new challenges and a new list of accomplishments for our Chapter. While many of us want to wash away 2020, let’s not forget that it showed us how strong and resilient we are. 2020 taught us to embrace our mental and physical health, the value of gratitude, the importance of personal accountability and the power of relationships. My goals for the new year are to ensure you know your membership is valued, and continue to be a resource to our members. 

I’m humbled and honored to be your next …

The Public Relations Society of America San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (PRSA-SF), one of the five founding PRSA Chapters, has announced its 2021 Board of Directors. The latest board members are leaders in their fields and comprise a distinguished group of directors committed to supporting the public relations industry during the many new challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. Committed to advocacy, mentorship, diversity and inclusion they are ready to give back to the industry in their volunteer roles. 

The 2021 directors bring with them years of experience and multiple members have accreditation in public relations. They …

It is indisputable that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape of nearly every job in the country. Public relations is no exception to this rule. In fact, the field of public relations has had to be incredibly adaptable in a world of crisis and constant breaking news. This is particularly noticed among our PR colleagues who navigate the realm of media relations. Those colleagues who previously had to think creatively to grab the attention of always-busy and on-the-go reporters now must be even more dynamic and innovative to stand out to reporters whose inboxes are overflowing. What is more, …

We recently celebrated our 2020 Foggies Award winners and now we're taking you deeper inside our chapter award program, to learn more about them – what makes them tick, how their winning entry came about, how much work went into it, and more. Please meet 2020 D&I Campaign of the Year AND Standout Tactic of the Year winner, Landis Communications. We sat down with Polly Winograd Ikonen, Senior Counselor to learn more.

Congratulations on your Foggies win, two years now!

Tell us more about yourself.

I’m a longtime MarComm professional, with many years spent in-house at major nonprofit organizations on …

San Francisco, November 19, 2020 – The Public Relations Society of America San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (PRSA-SF), one of the five founding PRSA chapters, announced the winners of its second annual awards program, The Foggies. The chapter held a virtual awards ceremony on November 18, where it recognized the San Francisco Bay Area’s best public relations and communications programs and the brightest professionals who bring them to life. 

The prestigious program was open to public relations and communications professionals from agencies, in-house teams, and nonprofits. The virtual ceremony was emceed by KTVU Meteorologist Rosemary Orozco with a special …

By Angela Baldwin, Director of Special Events, PRSA-SF

In honor of the recent Mental Health Day (October 10), we wanted to share some mental health tips for PR people -- beyond the usual “stop checking your phone so much” song we always (used to) hear at dinner parties. 

As most of you work in high-stress environments or are in the newfound COVID job search situation, taking care of yourself mentally is incredibly important. From creating a routine to designing boundaries, it’s up to you to draw the line. It will make you a mentally healthier colleague, and …

By Mitchell Friedman, EdD, APR

It’s September. That means it’s ethics month in PRSA, and an appropriate time for every PRSA member to ask themselves: what does it mean to be an ethical public relations practitioner in 2020?

I believe developments in the past nine months have fundamentally changed how we need to think about our responses to this question. The pandemic and heightened attention to racial injustice in the U.S., among other events, have raised myriad complex, emotionally charged issues. We can no longer avoid these issues; social media stokes the flames so we have to make …

By Katina Tinka Bush, PRSA-SF Awards Director

In these uncertain times, we are excited to continue our awards program this year and provide an opportunity for Bay Area public relations professionals to celebrate their successes over the past year. We could all use something to celebrate, right?

As you know, the PRSA San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Awards Program (The Foggies) recognize the Bay Area’s best public relations programs and the brightest professionals who bring them to life. As you prepare your submissions, we wanted to share some helpful hints and answers to your most asked …

By Christophe Abiragi, Report Mule Founder

It’s called the custom search engine (CSE). Rather than getting lost in the noise of searching the entire internet, you can create your own search engine with just the publications that are most important.

To give you an idea of how it looks, here’s a CSE that only includes sites that publish press releases (PR Newswire, BusinessWire, Marketwatch, and PR Web). If you’re writing a press release and want to see what competitors or others in the same industry have put out recently a quick search here will get you what you need. …

Guest post by Andrea Holland, Founder of RemotePRJobs.com

When I started remote working in 2014, I was a mess. I would literally roll out of bed, make a cup of coffee, open up my laptop and….all of a sudden it was 4:30pm. I hadn’t moved. I had gotten up a few times to grab some food (which I then brought back to my computer), walked around the apartment a couple times when I needed a stretch break, but that was it. The day was nearly over, and I was still in my pajamas from the night before and hadn’t even …