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Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.

From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.

A Guide to Creating Useful AI-Generated Images

At Communiqué PR, we’ve seen an increase in clients and publications using AI-generated images to accompany articles. This is no surprise—AI-generated images can be produced quickly and easily.

While these images are easy and efficient to create, they can come with limitations. They might fail to align with the intended tone or theme of an article, lack aesthetic appeal, or include inappropriate content.

AI-generated images might even introduce details that don’t make sense. For example, a company with all-electric equipment shouldn’t have an image of machinery that includes an exhaust pipe. It’s small details like these that can rob an image of credibility.

This is why it’s important to exercise critical judgment over AI-generated work. This blog post will explain how to effectively prompt AI tools for image generation, evaluate the outcomes and identify common pitfalls.

How to prompt an AI tool for images

When prompting an AI tool, be specific about your requirements. This means describing icons, symbols and focal points that you want in the image, as well as specifying tones, brightness levels and color schemes.

For images accompanying articles, integrate keywords from the piece into your prompt. You might even envision a caption for the image, and use that as a part of the prompt to streamline the process.

You can also direct image generators to exclude particular elements, such as certain colors or themes inconsistent with your brand. Remember, the final product often entails multiple iterations. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

AI prompt examples

Below are two prompts paired with the images they generated. My goal was to craft an image for an article centered on data and cargo shipping.

As you can see, the image from the effective prompt aligns with the article’s theme. Conversely, the ineffective prompt generates imagery too broad to suit an article on data and cargo shipping. It lacks specificity and relevance.

Example of an effective prompt for an AI-generated image:

Create an image of two co-workers brainstorming in a conference room. The co-workers are male and female and should display racial diversity. Include a presentation in the background displaying charts, imagery of cargo ships and maritime icons. Make the conference room bright and welcoming and display blue undertones. Outside the windows of the conference room, can you create a marine port with container ships? Do not make the conference room too big or empty looking.

The effective prompt generated the image above. This image contains elements I wanted and fits the branding of the company by incorporating blue undertones.

The image below is less effective. Although visually appealing, it lacks specific elements relevant to the topic. The image’s broader theme might lead to confusion about its relevance to an article on data and container shipping.

Example of an ineffective prompt for an AI-generated image:

Create an image of two people talking at work about an idea.

Questions to consider when reviewing an AI-generated image

Does this image match my article’s topic?
Does the coloring and imagery match the tone of the article?
Are there any icons or symbols that do not make sense?
Does the image make sense for the publication’s audience?
Does this image match the publication’s typical imagery?
Is this image inclusive?
Is this image appropriate?
Does the image distract from the article?
Is the image blurry or hard to view?
Is the image too overwhelming or too simplistic?
Would an audience be put off by this image?
Are you comfortable with this image being associated with your brand?

Strategies for Mitigating Copyright Infringement

It’s important to ensure that generated work avoids copyright infringement. An entire post could be written about this, and if you are concerned about an image you’ve created, I recommend you connect with an attorney. However, the strategies below are good starting points.

Verify the originality of outputs. According to legal experts, tools like Google’s Reverse Image Search or Tin Eye can help compare AI-generated images with existing artwork to ensure they don’t too closely mimic copyrighted material.

Avoid using reference images. If an AI tool allows uploading reference images, ensure those images are not copyrighted (unless you have permission to use them). This helps prevent outputs that are substantially similar to the reference images.

Don’t create art that replicates the style of a living artist. This too could lead to legal issues if the output closely mimics that artist’s original works.

Whether for a website or an article, AI-generated images offer a swift and convenient creation process. However, precise prompts are key. Be sure to articulate specific requirements and conduct a critical review of the image after it’s created.

Finally, we should acknowledge the rapidly changing nature of technology, especially the significant advancements of generative AI tools. Given this, the recommendations and insights provided here may evolve alongside the progression of AI technology.

20 Years of Teamwork: Celebrating the Heart of Communiqué PR

As Colleen wrote earlier this month, 2024 marks Communiqué PR 20^th year in business. While we commemorate this anniversary, we also want to reflect on the incredible individuals we have worked with over the years. The team has been instrumental in creating a vibrant culture at Communiqué PR, which has been so important to our success.

When Colleen and I began the business in 2004, it was just the two of us working in our home offices. Today, our dynamic team has grown to encompass over 20 dedicated members, including a blend of full-time employees, skilled freelancers, and dedicated contractors.

Throughout the years, we’ve also had the privilege of collaborating with numerous individuals, many of whom have gone on to do amazing things at Amazon, Edelman, Grammarly, Microsoft, Seattle Children’s, Smartsheet, Splunk, Starbucks, Sumo Logic, WE Communications and the University of Washington.

These colleagues have enriched our journey and broadened our expertise. They’ve worked tirelessly to drive the right results for our clients, mentored one another, helped Colleen and me grow as leaders, and have been instrumental in the success of Communiqué.

Thanks to their unwavering support, our business not only weathered the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and the COVID pandemic but also thrived. By collaborating effectively as a team to navigate the challenges presented by each crisis, we continued to deliver exceptional value to our clients, contributing to our collective success.

Our team are also the ones that have helped us build and shape our culture – one characterized by a commitment to excellence, teamwork, openness and transparency, continual growth and empathy.

From spirited brainstorming sessions to staffing press tours and client events, our team’s dedication has been a driving force behind our accomplishments. Let me share a few other examples of the contributions that have had a lasting impact on our culture.

Leading by example. My colleagues consistently demonstrate the behavior, attitudes and ethical standards that they expect from one another. This is evident in many of their daily activities. As one example, many of my coworkers prioritize work-life balance and encourage their colleagues to take time off. To ensure this doesn’t impact client service, we have multiple people on account teams who can cover for them – another practice suggested by the team.
Mentoring and support. Our team is also excellent at helping one another develop new skillsets. They hold weekly or biweekly one-on-one meetings with direct reports to help them assess their skills, set short- and long-term goals, provide coaching and to help identify best practices for specific assignments. As such, they’ve helped the firm develop a strong track record of career advancement and promotions. Some of our most senior employees began with us as interns or in entry-level positions.
Innovation and initiative. If people see something they feel can be improved, they speak up and make suggestions. This empowerment means fostering a culture of continuous improvement and nurturing a sense of ownership among team members. Ideas have included small suggestions like setting up email aliases for account teams to make it easier for clients to connect, to more significant suggestions like investing in training programs, to adopting an enterprise version of ChatGPT.
Open communication. Our commitment to open and transparent communication is a cornerstone of our company’s culture. This practice is fundamental to fostering trust and alignment within our team and our clients. Every morning, we have a brief meeting where folks provide an update on their projects and communicate how they’re doing. This allows us to connect and check in with one another, share information and troubleshoot issues as they arise.

We also set clear revenue goals at the beginning of each year and diligently share our progress in monthly meetings. Additionally, to further align our team’s efforts with our financial objectives, we’ve instituted an annual bonus program directly linked to achieving these revenue targets. This approach ensures everyone is informed, motivated, and working cohesively towards our common goals.

These are just a few examples of how our team has shaped the culture and ongoing success of our firm. We wouldn’t have a growing business without the dedication of our amazing colleagues.

I can’t wait for the next twenty years to see what the future holds for Communiqué PR. As we look ahead, we remain committed to nurturing the relationships that have been the foundation of our success while also forging new partnerships and exploring innovative strategies to continue our growth.

Our journey has been marked by resilience, adaptability, and a pursuit of excellence, values that will continue to guide us in the future.

In closing, this milestone is a celebration of what we’ve achieved and a commitment to our future. We are profoundly grateful to our team, clients, and partners who have shared this journey. Your trust, support, and collaboration have been integral to our story.

Here’s to continuing to create impactful work together, setting new benchmarks for success, and making the next 20 years even more remarkable than the last.

Two Decades Driving Client Success: Communiqué PR at 20

Over the past twenty years, we’ve witnessed extraordinary change.

The emergence of the iPhone in 2007, the rise of social media, and the creation of influencer culture have reshaped how we communicate, creating an increasingly digital and interconnected world.

We’ve also seen dramatic shifts fueled by the advent of cloud computing, a global financial crisis, the ascent of e-commerce, rapid advancements of AI, challenges posed by fake news, and a global pandemic. Strategic communications and public relations have evolved amidst these shifts, and so have we.

This year, the Communiqué PR team celebrates its 20th anniversary. This milestone presents a time for reflection on the evolution of technology, changes across the media landscape, and the success and growth of our colleagues and clients. We didn’t merely witness transformative changes; we navigated them with purpose and adaptability. Embracing the dynamic landscape, our team took the helm, steering through the challenges and capitalizing on new opportunities to help our clients achieve their most important business goals.

To commemorate our 20th anniversary, we want to spotlight the remarkable success of our clients, and the stories we have developed and shared on their behalf over the years.

Our clients are not just business associates; they are partners on a shared journey. The trust they’ve bestowed upon us has been the driving force behind our commitment to excellence, continuous improvement, and staying at the forefront of industry trends.

From early-stage companies that blossomed into industry leaders to established enterprises that underwent transformative journeys, each success story is a testament to our clients’ trust. Here are a few of the highlights from the past 20 years:

Collaborated with teams to prepare for successful exits – more than 20 through acquisitions or IPOs.
Launched hundreds of new products, ranging from Darigold’s White Cheddar Cheese to B2B software from BitTitan, Mosaicx, Tideworks Technology, and more.
Managed and participated in media relations events such as a cocktail party in Barcelona, a media gathering at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, WSDOT’s opening of the new SR-99 designed by HNTB, Facebook’s office opening in Seattle, and a press conference for Bank of America.
Capitalized on changes within the technology landscape with newsjacking for Amperity around Google’s deprecation of third-party cookies and what it means for advertisers; introduced Kymeta’s scalable satellite solution for continuous, high-quality broadband access anywhere in the world; and demonstrated how Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder is disrupting the agriculture industry.
Announced hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding for clients, including Big Fish Games, Carbon Robotics, Revel Systems, Smartsheet, and Spaceflight, among others.
Helped teams prepare for and navigate through crisis situations, including the destruction of rockets, labor disputes, accidents, fire, and criminal acts. In business, challenges are inevitable, and we are committed to helping our clients successfully navigate them.
Accompanied executives on media and analyst tours, visiting the offices of the New York Times, Tech Target, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Dow Jones Newswire, Inc., Seattle Times, InStyle.com, Family Circle, Reuters, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, San Francisco Chronicle, Red Herring, and San Jose Mercury News, among others.
Celebrated our clients’ milestones and impressive growth, including HNTB’s 100^th anniversary; Delta-Q Technologies’ 20^th anniversary, its new headquarter offices, exceptional revenue performance, and global expansion with ZAPI GROUP; Spaceflight’s new offices; LeoStella’s new manufacturing facility; Darigold’s 100^th anniversary; and Tideworks’ 20^th

As many of you know, running a business is no easy feat. We were reminded of this when we started Communiqué PR, facing the sobering statistic that 30 percent of new enterprises falter in their first two years. According to the Small Business Administration, an average of 50 percent of new employer businesses survive at least five years, 30 percent survive at least ten years, and only 25 percent survive at least fifteen years. Our journey has not been without hurdles, but it has been one of learning, adaptation, and growth.

As we reflect on the past, we also look to the future. The next chapter of Communiqué will be marked by our continuous commitment to excellence, innovation, collaboration, and the relentless pursuit of our clients’ success. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and the prospect of writing more success stories together.

As Communiqué PR steps into its next chapter, we do so with excitement and anticipation. Here’s to the next twenty years and beyond! Thank you for joining us on this remarkable journey.

Preparing Panelists for Virtual Conferences

Virtual conferences have gained popularity in today’s remote working environment. Compared to in-person gatherings, they offer the potential to reach more attendees and save up to 75% in event production fees.

Virtual events are now a cornerstone of networking and information-sharing, especially for global organizations with a distributed workforce and international customer base. Virtual gatherings remove geographical barriers, enabling professionals from diverse locations to share expertise and engage in meaningful discussions.

Panels at virtual conferences are exciting opportunities to discuss industry trends, innovations, and challenges that impact both the industry and the company’s customers. Panelists can leverage these discussions to share their expertise, build credibility, establish thought leadership, and expand their professional network on a global scale.

Planning for panels is essential to ensure smooth and engaging sessions. Below are some best practices to set up panelists for success. These tips can be used by PR or marketing teams to help executives prepare for sessions or even conference organizers who are helping coordinate handfuls of sessions with various moderators and panelists. These steps should occur after deciding on the panel topic and appropriate panelists.

Be Proactive with Communication

Before the event, establish clear lines of communication with panelists. Share the agenda, expectations, and background materials to ensure everyone is on the same page. Be proactive in anticipating questions during prep calls. Information about conference themes, target audiences, and key discussion points helps speakers tailor their insights to the event’s goals. While it may seem like a lot of content and emails, more information ensures panelists feel prepared.

Prep the Moderator and Draft Panel Questions

After confirming the panel topic, notify the moderator and seek their input. Provide the moderator with comprehensive information about the topic and panelists. Brief the moderator on the format, time constraints, and logistics, including the pronunciation of panelists’ names. Keeping in mind the length of the panel and number of panelists, work with the moderator to develop panel questions.

Set Up & Host Pre-Event Briefing Calls

Schedule and conduct pre-session briefing calls to help panelists and the moderator build rapport and prepare for the event. After creating a list of questions, set up a briefing to discuss the agenda, format, questions, and expectations. Clarify objectives with panelists, confirming key points and takeaways for the audience. Walk through each question, gauging which panelists will lead each response and discussing time allocation for each question. Depending on the panel’s focus, holding multiple prep sessions may help the panelists deliberate talking points and secure diverse perspectives from the group. These steps will help ensure a well-rounded and inclusive discussion.

Hold Tech Rehearsals

In separate calls or during pre-briefings, allow panelists to test the meeting platform, links, audio, and video technology in advance. This helps ensure that everyone is familiar and comfortable with the platform while providing a chance to troubleshoot technical issues. Moderators can also use tech tests to explore interactive features like audience polls or Q&A break-out rooms, enhancing engagement and insights. Ensure that lighting and camera angles are optimal for each panelist.

Provide Speaker Coaching

If time allows, offer panelists public speaking strategies for engagement, including eye contact with the camera, expressive body language, interaction with other panelists, and enthusiasm when responding to audience questions.

These best practices help ensure a smooth and successful virtual conference. Thoughtful preparations transform a virtual panel session into a positive and informative experience for panelists and attendees.

Elevate Your Reach Through Social Media: Writing Tips for Engaging Posts

Reaching a social media audience isn’t easy. Millions upon millions of posts compete for our attention. Connecting with the right audience takes a thoughtful, intentional online presence.

So what are the best ways to improve your audience reach?

Whether you’re promoting products, building a personal brand, or just sharing experiences, social media engagement is fueled by effective writing. Below I’ll explore some tips to help you create impactful and memorable social media posts.

Know Your Objectives: Before creating content, clearly define your objectives. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, or promote a product or service? Your writing should align with these goals, ensuring each post contributes to your broader communications strategy.
Know Your Audience: Understanding your target audience is the foundation of effective social media communication. Consider their demographics, interests, and preferences. Engage with your audience by asking questions, responding to comments, and addressing their needs and concerns. Your social media posts should offer value to your audience. Position yourself as a resource, and your audience will be more likely to engage with and trust your content.
Keep It Concise: Brevity is key in social media. Because so many posts compete for engagement, readers’ attention spans are short. Focus on conveying your main point without unnecessary embellishments. While it depends on the platform you use, generally, posts with 50 or fewer characters tend to get the most engagement, according to BuzzSumo. Posts shorter than 80 characters receive up to 66 percent more engagement. Concise sentences make your content easily digestible.
Be Authentic: Authenticity builds trust. Whether you’re a brand or an individual, be yourself. Authenticity fosters a connection with your audience and creates more meaningful interactions. Connecting to your readers through storytelling or humor can make it more relatable and memorable for your audience.
- Campfires are now banned on all DNR-managed lands east of the Cascades due to increasing wildfire danger.
  
  However, you can still ask your friend Doug to wear this, sit in a fire pit, and say "crackle crackle crackle" for a few hours pic.twitter.com/f9zPEnycQq
  — Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources (@waDNR) August 7, 2023
#Hashtags: Hashtags are invaluable for increasing your content’s discoverability. Research and use relevant hashtags to expand your reach and connect with a broader audience. However, too many hashtags can make your content look spammy. In our post, LinkedIn Posting Dos and Don’ts, we reference research from Pierre-Nicolas Schwab that finds the optimal number of hashtags is around three. Creating a balanced number of hashtags enhances visibility without compromising quality.
Edit and Proofread: Typos and grammatical errors can undermine the professionalism of your social media presence. Take the time to proofread your posts before publishing. Use tools like grammar checkers to catch mistakes. Well-edited content reflects positively on your brand or personal image.
Analyze and Optimize: Regularly reviewing and analyzing how your posts perform can improve future posts. Analytics tools can help identify the types of content that resonate most with your audience. This data can help improve your social media strategy over time.
Monitor Trends and Stay Relevant: Social media is dynamic, so it’s important to stay informed about industry trends, cultural events, and relevant hashtags. Incorporating trending topics into your content shows that you are active and engaged online. For example, Communiqué will often use trends in marketing or news to establish the relevance of our client’s news and boost engagement, furthering our communication objectives.

Social media writing is a skill that can be honed with practice and attention to detail. By following these tips, you can elevate your social media game and create content that resonates with your audience. Remember, authenticity, engagement, brevity, and analytics tools will help you leave a lasting impression online.

A Year in Review: BitTitan in 2023

As we move into 2024, I decided to reflect on BitTitan‘s 2023 coverage. BitTitan is a top-tier provider of migration and managed services automation solutions, trusted by IT professionals worldwide to effectively deploy and manage cloud technologies. Its flagship product, MigrationWiz, is the go-to SaaS solution for migrating mailboxes, documents, public folders, and Microsoft Teams across platforms.

One of BitTitan’s main goals in 2023 was securing North American thought leadership opportunities. Numerous BitTitan leaders and executives shared their perspectives on current trends (migrations, the cloud, patchwork IT, mergers and acquisitions, etc.) in 2023, including:

Stacey Farrar, product marketing manager
Frank Suglia, vice president of technical support, data and developer tools
Bailey Smith, customer success engineer
Rob Reinauer, director of data products
Brad Rosairo, former director of Asia Pacific
Tosin Vaithilingam, former senior solution architect

In 2023, these executives published a total of 36 articles on North American sites, a 9% increase from 2022. These articles earned approximately 6,179,897 impressions in 2023. Some of the topics they explored included:

Modern Authentication: How Microsoft’s move from Basic Authentication to Modern Authentication impacts email migrations for IT professionals.
2023 Predictions: The trends and themes expected to emerge in 2023, including hybrid work, multi-cloud environments, automation, authentication and migration tools.
End-Of-Support for Microsoft 2013: In April, Microsoft ended support for Office 2013, causing many to migrate to Microsoft 365. The articles explored the steps IT professionals should take to ensure successful migrations.
Divestitures: The challenges that MSPs face and the best practices they should consider to ensure a smooth migration during a divestiture.
Patchwork IT: Understanding the factors that contribute to the emergence of patchwork IT and how MSPs can effectively mitigate complications.
Mergers and Acquisitions: How artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how tech assets are evaluated for mergers and acquisitions.
Free Vs. Paid Tools: What IT professionals should consider when they are evaluating free versus paid migration tools.
Microsoft Copilot: What IT professionals should know to ensure successful migrations to Microsoft 365 to take advantage of Copilot.
2024 Predictions: The trends and themes expected to emerge in 2024, including cloud migrations, AI, accelerated migrations and multi-cloud scenarios.