Summer Reading List for PR Pros

Ah, summer!

Whether your business explodes or slows down during the warm months, this season is always a good time to catch up on essential reading.

Below are my recommended books for PR professionals, listed in no particular order. Most of them are fairly new, although I’ve added a handful of “classics” in marketing, PR and entrepreneurship.

10 Recommended Books for PR Practitioners

Social Media and Public Relations, Deirdre K. Breakenridge, 2012

Are you a traditional PR professional struggling with integrating the new social media tools with your current PR efforts? Then this book is for you. It describes the eight new PR practices you need to master.

Reputation Rules: Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset, Daniel Diermeier, 2011

What if you could distill all the knowledge and wisdom from decades of advising companies like Johnson & Johnson, the FBI, and Kraft on reputation management? That’s exactly what this book does and after reading it, one reviewer says, “you’ll feel like you completed a master’s course in reputation management.”

Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-Free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business, David Siteman Garland, 2010

If you want a doable, no-fluff roadmap for promoting your business in today’s digital age, then this is the book for you.

The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Direct, David Meerman Scott, 2011

An update on what has become a classic among marketing and PR professionals, this is another good read to get up to speed on how social media is changing how we do PR.

Be Heard Now!, Lee Glickstein, 1999

A cult classic among public speakers, “Be Heard Now” is all the more relevant now that anyone can be a “media personality.” Read this if you’re nervous about media interviews, or if you want to be the most effective public speaker you can be.

Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action, Rohit Bhargava, 2012

The thesis of this book is that likeability is the currency behind today’s business success. The author provides the Five Principles of Likeonomics so that you, too, can harness its power.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell, 2002

Ever wonder how an idea, trend or behavior catch like wildfire? That’s what this book explores, although it was written long before “viral” became a buzzword among marketers.

Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions, Guy Kawasaki, 2011

Enchantment, according to the author, is what enables us to bring about change. This is so much more than a book about PR or marketing. It’s a book for success in life.

Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator, Ryan Holiday, 2012

As of this writing, this book hasn’t been released yet. But it promises to pull back the curtain on how media really works. Written by someone who claims to exploit, control and manipulate the media for a living, this is a book I couldn’t resist including in the list.

The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, Michael E. Gerber, 1990

A classic must-read for entrepreneurs. Find out what many small business owners are doing wrong, and how you can avoid the same pitfalls.

The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun, Gretchen Rubin, 2011

Ok, this is neither a book about PR nor entrepreneurship. But this book has had such an impact in my life that I just had to include it in this list. After all, what’s the use of getting good PR or having a successful business, if we are not happy?

Well, there’s my list.

What’s On Your List?

Did you find some favorites in it? Did I miss some titles that ought to be included?

Tell me your thoughts. Write them below, or via Twitter or Facebook.

photo credit: Meg Stewart

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Elena is founder of a technology PR agency that works with startups to billion-dollar companies. She is passionate about helping marketers and small business owners with practical publicity strategies.

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