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Get Covered: The Professional's Guide to Public Relations

Press releases, pitching, media lists, and crisis comms — the full PR toolkit for real brands and careers.

Intermediate9 hr 7 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Public relations is the discipline of shaping how audiences perceive a person, brand, or organization through earned attention rather than paid advertising. This course teaches the craft end-to-end: how to find the news hook in any story, write press materials journalists actually read, build and work a media list, pitch with confidence, and execute crisis communications under pressure. Every module is grounded in real-world practice, named frameworks, and worked examples drawn from recognizable brand situations.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Identify a compelling news hook and angle that makes a story newsworthy to target outlets

Write a press release that follows AP style conventions and passes the journalist relevance test

Build a segmented media list and personalize outreach at scale without losing authenticity

Pitch a story via email and phone using the BRIEF framework, handling objections and follow-ups

Design a crisis communications response plan covering holding statements, spokesperson protocols, and timeline management

Measure PR campaign performance using AVE alternatives, share of voice, and sentiment tracking

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Story Development and the News Hook

Before you pitch anything, you need a story worth telling. This module teaches how journalists think, how to mine your own organization for angles, and how to frame any development as genuinely newsworthy.

3 lessons

How Journalists Decide What Is NewsContent · 40 min

Preview Enabled

Finding the Angle: Mining Your Organization for Newsworthy StoriesContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Timeliness and Trend-Jacking: Attaching Your Story to the News CycleContent · 38 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Press Materials That Get Read

The press release and its supporting materials are the currency of media relations. This module teaches how to write them to the professional standard journalists expect, and how to build the media list that determines who sees them.

3 lessons

Writing the Press Release: Structure, Style, and the Inverted PyramidContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Building and Segmenting Your Media ListContent · 42 min

LMS Access

The Pitch Email and the Follow-Up: Getting a Response Without Being IgnoredContent · 48 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Crisis Communications

Every organization will face a moment when its reputation is under threat. This module teaches the principles, structures, and specific tactics of professional crisis communications — from the first hour to the recovery phase.

3 lessons

Crisis Planning Before the Crisis ArrivesContent · 50 min

LMS Access

The First 24 Hours: Holding Statements, Spokesperson Protocols, and Response SequencingContent · 52 min

LMS Access

Post-Crisis Recovery: Reputation Rebuilding After the StormContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Measuring PR and Building Long-Term Media Relationships

PR is notoriously difficult to measure but not unmeasurable. This module covers the modern alternatives to AVE, the metrics that actually predict business outcomes, and how to build the journalist relationships that make future campaigns significantly easier.

3 lessons

Measuring PR Performance: Beyond Advertising Value EquivalencyContent · 42 min

LMS Access

Building Genuine Journalist Relationships Over TimeContent · 40 min

LMS Access

Running a Full PR Campaign: From Brief to Measurement ReportContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

public relationsmedia pitchingpress releasecrisis communicationsearned mediareputation managementmedia relations