Comms Bestie Group Chat Wrapped 🎁

Let’s wrap up 2025 like the best of them with our own version of the Comms Bestie Group Chat Wrapped. ✨ 

Here are the top links you clicked this year, measured by the percentage of readers who clicked.

Let's go! 👇

#10. Parry Headrick’s Crackle PR AI-Optimized Press Release Template

No surprise to see AI make this list. The press release had a glow up in 2025 (let's be real and call them what they are: AI notices). Crackle PR dropped a free, ungated template for us all to take a crack at influencing the bots. Click rate: 7.9%

🤖 Bot Release: Friend of Off the Record and LinkedIn legend Parry Headrick dropped a free template for optimizing your releases for AI. Side note: We hear Globe Newswire Online Only is $250/pop and is the best for AI pickup. This is the (new) way.

From our Oct. 31 edition

#9. Jennifer George’s “Fourth Lane” for crisis response

I think it's time we stop saying "whoa this year's been crazy." We live in an internet-fueled AI slop factory of mis and disinformation and have chosen careers fighting the front line. It’s never going to stop being crazy. At least it gives us a chance to shape the response, as Jennifer George so brilliantly highlights. Click rate: 8.0%

👖Gap’s bridge comms: Jennifer George shows how Gap carved a “fourth lane” in their response to the Charlie Kirk assassination attempt. Makes you wonder: do we need more bias-checking in our own comms advice to avoid falling into silence, spin, or partisanship.

From our Sept. 19 edition

#8. Kimanzi Constable Speaking Truth

Ah, the art of pitching. It will always and forever be a topic comms pros debate, relitigate, and give up on… until a shiny beautiful hit brings back the dopamine and starts the process all over again. Bless the press who tell it to us straight. Click rate: 8.7%

📣 Straight from a journalist’s inbox: Always love when a reporter spells it out: what freelance journalist Kimanzi Constable actually reads and what goes straight to trash (spoiler alert: press releases).

From our July 25 edition

#7. A TA expert’s thoughts on the “Open to Work” Banner

After a year of nonstop layoffs, it's no surprise job hunting content made it into our top 10 twice. First up: what a talent acquisition pro thinks when they see the green "Open to Work" banner. (TL;DR: skip it.) Click rate: 8.8%

💬 Open to Debate: The “Open to Work” banner debate sparked a lot of opinions on my post this week. Thanks to talent acquisition pro Kyle Gatlin who chimed in with a thoughtful take on why it may hurt more than help in some cases.

From our July 11 Edition

#6. That little trend called GEO

Oh did the comms people rejoice when we found out earned media (you know, that thing we all are experts at) is responsible for answers on ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc. Muck Rack jumped in with a fundamentals course to get us up to speed. Click rate: 8.9%

🎓 GEO PR Cert: Muck Rack just launched a new GEO Fundamentals course packed with actionable insights and a fun completion certificate!

From our Oct. 3 Edition

#5. Comms value = business value.

Tying comms to business results is a hill I will die on. And luckily for us, the data exists to back it up. This time: strong employer brands equate to higher stock prices. Cha-ching! Click rate: 10.0%

#4. When even Rupert Murdoch can’t kill a story

In a year where a sitting president files multi-billion dollar lawsuits against publications all while asking press to sign NDAs, this one tracks. Click rate: 11.3%

🗞️ Add to Your Media Training: WSJ’s David Benoit just casually dropped a mini-masterclass on how to handle CEOs who want stories killed. Save this one.

From our Aug. 1 Edition

#3. Leah Rosenfeld’s Job List

Our second job hunting post in the top 10 was LinkedIn Leah Jobs List which showed promise for hiring in the industry. (Psst… follow Leah for more). Click rate: 12.4%

💼 Job market heats up: Leah’s latest comms jobs list has 110+ fresh openings. Add in a handful of OTR members landing new gigs, and I’m (cautiously) optimistic about comms hiring.

From our Sept. 5 Edition

#2. We love a good recommendations list

Is it just me or was this a marquee year for great comms content? I loved this one from OTR member and comms bestie to all Cori Kendrick who shared her go-to media recs that keep her fresh. Click rate: 13.4%

#1. Exec social mic drop… straight from a CEO

And in the top spot for highest click rate is Hootsuite’s CEO giving us the only post we need to approve our exec social strategy. Click rate: 16.3%

👩‍💼 Send this to your CEO: Internal comms besties… struggling to amplify your impact or get your leadership team on board with LinkedIn? Send them this post from Hootsuite’s CEO.

From our July 25 edition

What was your favorite Comms Bestie Group Chat link this year?

Chat soon,
Gab Ferree
Founder & Your Comms BFF, Off the Record

PS: Last week’s most-clicked was my spicy post about why a CCO got axed.
PPS: The next Comms Bestie Group Chat will drop on Friday, Jan. 9. Enjoy the break and happy holidaying! 🎄