3 ways brands can support mental health; How to engage the black community; Embracing multimedia storytelling; and more

DAILY SCOOP

United Airlines to furlough 16,000 employees, Walmart creates virtual toy focus groups, and Facebook to block political ads the week before presidential elections

Also: Venice Film Festival holds first industry event in six months, 49% of employees say their organizations excel at COVID-19 safety measures, Unilever’s sustainability pledge, and more.

SOCIAL MEDIA

How to choose between Instagram’s ‘Reels’ and TikTok

With the Facebook-owned platform copying the format from the upstart video-sharing app, here’s how brands should think about the difference between the two products.

HEALTH CARE

How health care organizations can streamline, refresh and maximize communication

A new report provides practical answers to common industry challenges—and offers lessons from applicable case studies.

COVID-19

5 ways to be a great PR pro during the weirdest year ever

Here are some tips for having an impact in challenging times—and some key mistakes to avoid.

BRAND JOURNALISM

5 tactics for successful survey research in times of uncertainty

With the shelf life for your research data getting shorter and shorter, here are some tactics to make sure your project shows results—even if journalists don’t jump at your pitch.

DAILY SCOOP

Ben & Jerry’s debuts podcast about racism, Uber to require passengers to take ‘mask selfies,’ and Twitter adds context to trends

Also: Alaska Airlines waves change fees, the Joe Biden presidential campaign turns to Animal Crossing, 70% of consumers feel social media encourages brand transparency, and more.

RESEARCH

Report: 36% of employees would take a huge paycut for better work/life balance

New data reaffirms that cash is just a slice in the worker well-being pie.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

How Katharina Plath sees opportunity with virtual events

The pandemic has forced us to innovate and adapt—which provides an opening for enterprising communicators to engage and reach new audiences.

PR INDUSTRY

9 ways to climb a shaky career ladder

Career path looking bumpy during the pandemic? Here’s how to take control of yours in uncertain times—and beyond.

DAILY SCOOP

Ford to cut 1,000 jobs, Verizon to hire nearly 1,000 WFH employees, and Twitter rolls out ‘Quote Tweet’ feature

Also: HBO Max reunites the cast of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ MTV’s Video Music Awards show nabs 6.4M viewers, Facebook might block news sharing in Australia, and more.

STORYTELLING

Why and how to embrace multimedia storytelling

If a picture is worth a thousand words, why aren’t you using them to get your message essential media coverage? It’s crucial to be clever—and make yourself a critical resource for outlets.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Simple steps everyone can take to begin engaging the black community

Make it more than a moment—make it a movement.

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

10 imminent changes and challenges for communicators to anticipate

To stay relevant, prepare your company or client for the new era of cyber breaches, risk management, and bold political stands.

PR INDUSTRY

Why ‘connections’ are important now more than ever

Ahead of Communications Week 2020, founder Tiffany Guarnaccia breaks down the theme of ‘connections’ and how modern pros are adapting to a radically new environment.