Social Media for Public Relations Professionals

Understanding and using social media has become crucial for the practice of public relations and marketing communication. This course introduces the special nature of social media in this transformative context, emphasizing strategic public relations thinking and delivery. Students assess and engage with leading U.S. and global social media platforms and learn best practices of social media writing and apply it to blogging, content curation, podcasting, consumer relations, and the overall concept of storytelling to empower programs and messages. This course also covers social media listening, theory and practice, and issues affecting social media's societal impact. Throughout the course, students engage in group and individual assignments that address the fundamentals of strategic social media planning and execution.