Social Media Strategies for Public Relations

Many PR teams still treat social media as an extra distribution channel for press releases. Accounts are managed separately from media relations, listening is informal, approval chains are too slow for real-time conversations, and when an issue breaks there is no agreed playbook. Leaders then judge social media by follower numbers, which say little about reputation, trust or influence on key stakeholders.

This programme repositions social media as part of an integrated PR strategy. It moves from listening and insight, to strategy and messaging, to content and storytelling for reputation, to engagement with journalists, influencers and communities, to issues and crisis management, and finally to measuring outcomes. Throughout, it looks at how organisations and their spokespeople communicate credibly in public.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references the PESO model of paid, earned, shared and owned media, the Barcelona Principles for communication measurement published by AMEC, established approaches to issues and crisis communication, and the privacy and disclosure principles found in data protection and advertising rules in the region and internationally.

Decisions this programme improves. Which issues and conversations the organisation should respond to and which it should monitor only; which platforms matter for which stakeholders; how much authority to give social media teams to respond in real time; when a social media issue should be escalated to a crisis; how executives should use their own profiles; and which measures to report to leadership.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: an organisation launching a public initiative that attracts both support and criticism online. Participants set up a listening plan, build a messaging framework, draft platform-specific content, handle an escalating issue in a timed simulation and prepare an evaluation report.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own channels, approval processes, spokespeople and stakeholder landscape, with attention to Arabic and English communication, and delivered to PR, media and digital teams together.

Who Should Attend

PR and communications professionals: PR officers, communications specialists and media relations staff

Communications managers: PR managers and heads of corporate communications who set strategy

Digital and social media teams: social media managers and content leads working with PR

Spokespeople and executives: managers who represent the organisation publicly

Government communications staff: media and communications officers in ministries and public entities

Objectives

Explain how social media has changed media relations, reputation management and stakeholder engagement

Design a social listening plan to monitor conversations, sentiment and emerging issues affecting the organisation

Develop a social media PR strategy aligned with communication objectives and the PESO model

Build a messaging framework and adapt key messages for different platforms and audiences

Plan content and storytelling that builds credibility and earns coverage and shares

Engage journalists, influencers and online communities in a professional and transparent way

Advise executives and spokespeople on the use of their own social media profiles

Prepare an issues and crisis response protocol for social media, including escalation and approval rules

Measure outcomes using principles consistent with the Barcelona Principles and report them to leadership

Course Outline

Social Media and Modern PR: Listening Before Speaking

How social media changed the PR landscape: speed, visibility and two-way communication
From individual PR activities to integrated online PR
Social listening: tools, keywords and monitoring routines
Sentiment, share of voice and identifying influential voices
Turning listening data into insight and early warning
Understanding stakeholder behaviour on social platforms in the region

Strategy and Messaging for Reputation

Setting PR objectives for social media
The PESO model: paid, earned, shared and owned media
Choosing platforms by stakeholder: LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and messaging apps
Messaging frameworks and narrative development
Tone of voice and cultural considerations in Arabic and English
Governance: roles, approvals and social media policy

Content, Storytelling and Engagement

Storytelling formats: video, visuals, threads, live sessions and articles
Newsroom content and social media press materials
Engaging journalists and media through social platforms
Influencer and advocate programmes: selection, transparency and disclosure
Executive and spokesperson presence on social media
Content that search engines and audiences value
Using AI tools for monitoring and drafting: benefits and risks

Issues and Crisis Management on Social Media

Issue identification and escalation thresholds
Crisis response protocols and holding statements
Responding to misinformation and rumours
Real-time approval and coordination with legal and leadership
Handling criticism, complaints and hostile comments
Recovery and rebuilding trust after a crisis

Measuring PR Impact and Improving Performance

Outputs, outcomes and organisational impact
Measurement principles from the Barcelona Principles
Metrics for reach, engagement, sentiment and message take-up
Linking social media activity to reputation and stakeholder objectives
Reporting dashboards for leadership
Action plan: strengthening social media PR in your organisation

Competencies

Social listening and issues monitoring

Social media PR strategy and the PESO model

Messaging frameworks and platform adaptation

Reputation-focused storytelling and content

Media, influencer and community engagement

Executive and spokesperson social media guidance

Social media issues and crisis response

Social media governance and policy

PR measurement and reporting

Cairo

Access Elite Academy’s complete training portfolio in Cairo. As one of the region’s largest business and institutional centers, the city provides a strong setting for organizations and professionals seeking expert-led learning, with upcoming scheduled courses and other programs available on request. Cairo is one of Elite Academy’s international training destinations and gives organizations and professionals access to our complete portfolio of training programs across all disciplines. As one of the region’s largest business and institutional centers, the city offers a professional setting for focused learning. Participants can choose from upcoming scheduled courses in Cairo or request any other program from the Elite Academy portfolio to be arranged in the city, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. Browse the upcoming schedule below or explore our training areas to identify the program that best matches your organization’s development priorities or your own professional goals.