Resource Hub for Strategic Communication Professionals
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100 15-Minute Communications Wins (With Free Download)
This week, as we wrap up our spring cleaning series, we’re focusing on something manageable:
15-minute fixes.
Here’s a list of 100 wins you can quickly score for your communications work, complete with a free downloadable checklist.
Meet the Messenger: Karisa Malchow
Karisa Malchow is the Vice President, Marketing of LOVB Nebraska.
Volleyball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, and League One Volleyball (LOVB, pronounced “love”), now in its second professional season, is helping lead that momentum.
Growth at this level doesn’t happen by accident. It requires thoughtful strategy and strong communications leadership. Karisa is at the center of those efforts, shaping how LOVB Nebraska connects with athletes, fans, and communities. We spoke with her about her experience in the communications industry and what she sees on the horizon for professionals in our field.
Clean Data, Clear Strategy: Spring Cleaning Your CRM
Whether you use Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, or another platform, where and how you store your data matters.
Your CRM is one of your most valuable organizational assets. These are the people who have given you a direct line to them. Whether through direct mail, phone, or email, they’ve said they want to hear from you. They are likely your strongest champions and supporters. You owe it to them to steward their information carefully.
Spring is the perfect time to audit your system.
Spring Cleaning: Dust Off Your Bio
We’re rolling up our sleeves and gearing up for spring by doing a little communications spring cleaning over the next several weeks. Another communications asset that’s likely gathering cobwebs? Your bio, along with the bios of your leadership team. Spring is the perfect time to refresh them.
Spring Cleaning Your Website
Last week, Nebraska, where The EO Report is headquartered, had some spring-like temperatures that had us jumping into spring cleaning mode. Admittedly, it was a little premature given the next day brought six inches of snow.
But that temporary sunshine did get us thinking about one spring cleaning area communicators often neglect until it becomes unwieldy and feels impossible to catch up with.
Your website.
Bauer’s Brand Protection Backfire
Recently, TikTok user @pavvythegoalie, a small creator who posts hockey gear reviews, shared a largely positive video reviewing hockey gear brand Bauer’s newest catalog. She has posted several complimentary videos about the brand before. She wasn’t a mega-influencer. She wasn’t angling for sponsorships. She just likes hockey gear.
So when the Bauer social media team reached out asking for her email to discuss a possible collaboration, she was understandably excited.
But when the highly anticipated email came through, she was instead rocked. Instead of a collaboration invitation, she received a cease-and-desist letter demanding she take down the video.
Communications Burnout Is Real. Here Are a Few Ways to Relieve the Pressure
Some EO Report articles we write for you. Some we write as a reminder to us. Communications is a hard field. We operate in a 24/7 news cycle. Our work is publicly broadcast, along with all of the typos and missteps that others get to make more privately. And in many ways, we are the keepers of our organization’s reputation.
That’s a lot of pressure. Here are a few small steps to alleviate that burden.
What 11 Seconds and Dr. Pepper Can Teach Us About Listening
It all started when TikTok creator Romeo posted a very short clip. Eleven seconds, to be exact.
“I have a theme song for Dr Pepper, and it goes like this,” Rome says before singing:
“Dr Pepper, baaabyyyy, it’s good and nice, do do do.
Just over a month later, a Dr Pepper commercial began airing on television featuring Romeo’s jingle, original vocals included, with on-screen credit to the creator.
From Unknown to Unstoppable: What Strategic Comms Leaders Can Learn from Curt Cignetti’s Culture Reset
Two years ago, almost no one beyond football insiders had heard of Curt Cignetti. He wasn’t a household name, a blue-blood coach from the Power 5, or an up-and-coming assistant coach from last year’s championship team. Instead, he was quietly winning everywhere he went — at small programs that needed exactly what he built: belief, standards, and consistency.
Unconventional (and Free) Ways to Promote Your Nonprofit
Marketing budgets at nonprofits are often tight (or nonexistent). That constraint can actually be an advantage. When you don’t have money to throw at ads or other paid channels, you’re forced to be creative, scrappy, and strategic about where you show up.
Here are a few overlooked (but effective) ways to get your organization talked about.
So You Have a VIP Visiting? Turn a Good Meeting Into a Memorable One
Someone important is coming to your office. Maybe it’s an elected official. Maybe it’s a funder. Maybe it’s an industry leader whose opinion carries weight.
You’ve done the basics: The calendar invite is accepted. The agenda is set. Everyone knows to show up on time.
But here’s an instance where the details really, really matter. And when handled well, small, thoughtful touches can elevate a routine visit into an impactful experience and one that people remember long after they leave your building.
Begin the Year With Thanks
The bottom line first: your handwritten thank you note will be remembered simply because you sent it.
Handwritten thank you notes have become uncommon and are easy to overlook in a digital-first world. Many send quick emails of thanks. Some people still intend to send a handwritten one. Very few actually do. In a world of quick replies, reaction emojis, and “circling back,” taking the time to write and mail a real note already sets you apart.
Holiday Content Planning
As we look ahead to 2026, many organizations are starting to sketch out their content plans for the year. This is the moment to zoom out, month by month, and flag the can’t-miss moments worth recognizing on your channels.
One content area that can trip teams up: holidays. Here’s how to navigate which days to celebrate on your official channels, and which to let go.
What’s in a Name? Why Getting It Right Matters More Than You Think
In communications, a name is never just a label.
It’s the first story you tell. It’s the shorthand people use to understand who you are. And it’s often the difference between being recognized and being understood.
That distinction matters, especially for mission-driven organizations.
Earlier this year, Clarity Channels Communications (the home of The EO Report), had the privilege of working with Connected Roots Care Center (CRCC) on a rebrand that seemed simple on the outside, but had a major impact on their identity: it gave meaning to a name that already carried trust. The project received Nebraska Public Relation Society of America’s Paper Anvil Award of Excellence in Brand/Reputation management this past week, so we thought it was a great time to highlight the learnings from the project for all communicators.
The Next Step Coin: Stories That Save Lives
At The EO Report, we believe talented communicators use their craft to tell stories that matter – stories that create change, stories that endure, and stories that serve the greater good.
Brandon Sanderson understands that responsibility deeply.
Meet the Messenger: Emily Poeschl
In honor of our 100th edition, we’re launching a new segment at The EO Report: Meet the Messenger. It’s a chance to tap into the minds of some of the most thoughtful and experienced communications professionals in the field. Each installment will share hard-earned advice, lessons from the moments that didn’t go as planned, and insights on how our craft is evolving.
We’re kicking things off with our good friend Emily Poeschl, brand communications manager at Mutual of Omaha.
In Five Minutes, It’s Possible
We are good at imagining every potential obstacle. We inflate complexity. We wait for an ideal block of time that rarely arrives. Then we quietly postpone the whole thing. Not because the task is impossible. But because our projection of it has become unrealistic.
The result is familiar to most of us. Important emails sit unsent. Hard conversations linger. Drafts stay trapped in folders. Interesting ideas go unshared. Connections wait for a “better time.” We tell ourselves we need an hour. Or an afternoon. Or a clean calendar. What we often need is five minutes.
Short Takes: The Turkey Talk-Line
Butterball, brilliantly, doesn’t just sell you a turkey: they give you all the tools to succeed from “how big of a bird should I get?” to “Why is it doing that!?”
Every year from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve, 50 trained Turkey Talk-Line experts help more than 100,000 anxious cooks get dinner across the finish line. Phone, text, email, live chat – whatever has you panicking, they’ve got a channel for helping.
The Season of Gratefulness
It’s the season of gratefulness, and the research is clear: the more time we spend noticing what’s good, the healthier we are. Not in a vague, inspirational-poster way, but the real stuff that steadies us and reminds us we’re part of something larger, something made of presence, connection, small beauties, and the kind of perspective that outlasts any to-do list or crisis moment.
So I try to pay attention. And here’s what comes to mind as I write about gratefulness.
“Can We Talk?” Reducing Anxiety for Your Team
Internal communications aren’t just about sharing information. They’re about how you make people feel while doing it.
And one of the fastest ways to spike anxiety across your team? Dropping messages with no context.
You may think it’s efficient. But your colleagues’ hearts may start beating a little faster. Here’s what to do instead.