Public Relations and Media Intelligence Training Course

Duration 10 days 19 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Public Relations Manager, Corporate Communications Manager and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-PRC-031

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience in public relations, media relations, corporate communications, digital communications or campaign delivery.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Public relations teams are expected to show more than media coverage totals. Leaders need evidence of message pull-through, reputation movement, audience response, competitor position and emerging issues. Media intelligence provides that evidence when monitoring is designed around decisions, data is checked before analysis, and findings are converted into action. Without this discipline, teams can miss risks, overstate results or produce reports that do not answer management questions.

This course develops practical media intelligence capability for public relations professionals using Talkwalker-style monitoring workflows. Participants define decision-led intelligence requirements, construct Boolean searches, organise source and audience taxonomies, assess data quality, analyse sentiment and themes, measure share of voice, identify influential voices and track campaign performance. The course also covers crisis detection, alert design, executive reporting, PR measurement standards and communication planning based on evidence.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with realistic cases from corporate communications, financial services, government, consumer brands and NGOs. Participants work with monitoring outputs, media datasets, briefing scenarios and reporting requirements. From the first week, each participant builds a usable media intelligence work package: a monitoring brief, query library, source taxonomy, dashboard specification, reporting framework and response plan. The final capstone brings these elements together in a complete intelligence report and presentation for a senior communications audience.

The course is suited to communications practitioners who already understand the basics of media relations, campaigns or corporate communications and need a more disciplined way to monitor, interpret and report earned media. It is equally relevant to teams responsible for reputation, issues management, stakeholder communications and agency account delivery.

What you will be able to do

  • Define decision-led media intelligence requirements using stakeholder questions and reporting priorities
  • Build Boolean search queries, exclusion rules and source taxonomies for accurate monitoring
  • Configure Talkwalker-style monitoring projects, alerts and dashboards around communication objectives
  • Analyse earned media using sentiment, themes, reach, prominence and message pull-through measures
  • Calculate share of voice and competitive position using consistent category definitions
  • Apply the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework and Barcelona Principles 3.0 to PR measurement
  • Design crisis detection thresholds, escalation routes and intelligence briefings for response teams
  • Present a complete media intelligence report with findings, recommendations and action priorities

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce credible earned-media reports that answer senior management questions
  • Write more precise monitoring queries and reduce irrelevant media results
  • Identify reputational risks before they develop into larger communication issues
  • Use recognised PR measurement principles when challenging vanity metrics
  • Present evidence-based communication recommendations with greater professional authority

For your organisation

  • Improves the accuracy and relevance of media monitoring across communication teams
  • Provides earlier warning of misinformation, stakeholder concerns and reputational threats
  • Creates consistent share-of-voice and campaign-measurement methods across markets
  • Connects earned-media activity to communication objectives, outcomes and management decisions
  • Reduces time spent compiling reports that lack clear findings or recommended actions

Course modules

19 modules over 10 days

Participants can define the role of media intelligence within public relations decision-making.

  • Media intelligence roles across reputation, campaigns, issues and stakeholder communications
  • Decision-led monitoring questions linked to communication objectives and management choices
  • Earned, owned, shared and paid channels mapped through PESO
  • Intelligence cycle from requirement setting through analysis, action and review
  • Leading indicators, lagging indicators and diagnostic measures distinguished clearly
  • Common reporting failures caused by activity metrics and untested assumptions

Participants can select credible measurement approaches for public relations objectives.

  • Barcelona Principles 3.0 applied to realistic communications measurement decisions
  • AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework linking inputs, outputs, outcomes and impact
  • SMART communication objectives converted into measurable intelligence questions
  • Vanity metrics separated from measures supporting decisions and accountability
  • Outputs, outtakes and outcomes defined for public relations reporting
  • Measurement assumptions documented before collection, analysis and interpretation begin

Participants can create a media intelligence brief that addresses stakeholder priorities.

  • Stakeholder mapping identifies information needs, decisions and reporting frequency
  • Executive questions translated into measurable monitoring and analysis requirements
  • Priority issues ranked using impact, likelihood, urgency and ownership criteria
  • Geographic, language and channel scope defined against communication objectives
  • Baseline periods selected for campaigns, reputation tracking and competitor comparison
  • Intelligence brief documents audiences, measures, thresholds and delivery format

Participants can structure sources, topics and tags for consistent media analysis.

  • Source taxonomy groups national, trade, local, broadcast and social coverage
  • Tiering criteria combine relevance, authority, audience and stakeholder influence
  • Topic taxonomy separates corporate themes, products, issues and campaign messages
  • Tagging rules distinguish planned classifications from analyst judgement calls
  • Metadata fields support filtering by market, channel, source and spokesperson
  • Coding guidance improves consistency when multiple analysts classify coverage

Participants can build precise Boolean queries for brands, issues and competitors.

  • Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT control query inclusion logic
  • Quotation marks, parentheses and proximity operators refine phrase matching
  • Brand aliases, product names and misspellings captured within query structures
  • Exclusion terms remove false positives without suppressing material coverage
  • Issue queries combine triggers, affected groups, locations and policy terms
  • Query testing compares recall, precision and false-positive patterns

Participants can configure a structured monitoring project using Talkwalker-style functions.

  • Project architecture separates brand, campaign, issue and competitor monitoring streams
  • Saved searches organised through clear naming conventions and ownership fields
  • Filters apply language, market, source type and engagement criteria
  • Alert rules assign thresholds, recipients, schedules and escalation categories
  • Dashboard widgets selected for routine monitoring and leadership reporting
  • Search documentation records rationale, limitations, exclusions and review dates

Participants can assess whether monitored media data is fit for analysis.

  • Data validation checks duplicate items, irrelevant mentions and missing sources
  • Sampling methods test coding accuracy across high-volume media datasets
  • False positives diagnosed through query logic, context and entity ambiguity
  • False negatives identified from known coverage and stakeholder intelligence
  • Inter-coder reliability improves manual sentiment and theme classification
  • Audit trails record data changes, reviewer decisions and exception handling

Participants can interpret tone, themes and message presence with appropriate caution.

  • Automated sentiment outputs checked against context, irony and mixed coverage
  • Manual coding rules classify positive, neutral, negative and mixed mentions
  • Thematic analysis identifies recurring narratives, claims and stakeholder concerns
  • Message pull-through measures priority message presence, accuracy and prominence
  • Headline, quote and article-body placement assessed for message visibility
  • Qualitative excerpts selected to explain quantitative patterns to decision-makers

Participants can assess coverage quality beyond publication and mention counts.

  • Potential reach interpreted as an estimate rather than audience exposure
  • Prominence scoring assesses headline placement, visual presence and spokesperson quotes
  • Source authority evaluated using audience relevance and stakeholder credibility
  • Message accuracy distinguishes intended claims from altered media framing
  • Coverage quality index combines tone, prominence, authority and message pull-through
  • Earned-media results compared against agreed baselines and target thresholds

Participants can calculate and explain share of voice within a defined category.

  • Competitive set defined by market category, issue area and stakeholder overlap
  • Share of voice calculated from consistent mentions, reach or prominence measures
  • Share of voice versus sentiment reveals volume without assuming reputation
  • Message ownership compares brand association with priority themes and claims
  • Competitor coverage patterns identify triggers, spokespeople and source preferences
  • Category changes interpreted against seasonality, news events and campaign activity

Participants can identify relevant voices and communities from media intelligence data.

  • Audience segments defined through stakeholder interests, behaviours and information needs
  • Influencer identification combines relevance, resonance, reach and relationship risk
  • Journalist analysis tracks beat focus, source preferences and coverage patterns
  • Network mapping identifies amplifiers, connectors and recurring critical voices
  • Engagement quality separates meaningful discussion from automated or low-value activity
  • Contact priorities documented using influence, relevance, stance and accessibility

Participants can use media intelligence to plan and optimise communication campaigns.

  • Campaign measurement plan links objectives, audiences, messages and indicators
  • Pre-campaign baseline establishes current visibility, sentiment and message association
  • Content response analysis identifies formats, themes and channels gaining attention
  • Media opportunity mapping identifies receptive sources, journalists and conversation moments
  • Weekly performance reviews distinguish execution issues from external news effects
  • Optimisation decisions specify message, channel, timing and spokesperson adjustments

Participants can design early-warning monitoring and escalation for communication incidents.

  • Issue signals classified by volume, velocity, source authority and harm potential
  • Spike detection compares current mentions against defined baseline thresholds
  • Crisis alert matrices assign severity, ownership, response times and recipients
  • Rumour tracking distinguishes verified facts, claims, questions and misinformation
  • Situation reports summarise developments, affected stakeholders and recommended actions
  • Post-incident review captures query changes, missed signals and response lessons

Participants can specify dashboards suited to operational and executive reporting needs.

  • Dashboard purpose defined before selecting metrics, visuals and refresh intervals
  • Executive dashboards prioritise direction, implications, risks and recommended decisions
  • Operational dashboards show coverage flow, alerts, source patterns and workloads
  • Chart selection matches comparison, trend, composition and relationship questions
  • Annotation practices explain external events, campaign milestones and data limitations
  • Dashboard governance assigns owners, review dates and metric change controls

Participants can evaluate PR contribution without making unsupported causal claims.

  • Theory of change links communication activity to intended stakeholder outcomes
  • Contribution analysis tests plausible links alongside competing explanatory factors
  • Pre-and-post comparisons interpreted with sampling and context limitations
  • Outcome evidence combines media data, surveys, web analytics and stakeholder feedback
  • Return on objectives assesses progress against agreed communication success criteria
  • Evaluation narratives state evidence strength, caveats and next investigative steps

Participants can produce concise intelligence reports that support management action.

  • Insight statements combine observed pattern, meaning, evidence and recommended action
  • Executive summaries lead with implications rather than data collection detail
  • Report structures separate findings, interpretation, decisions and supporting evidence
  • Data visualisation captions state the point before describing the chart
  • Recommendations assign priority, owner, timing, resource implications and expected effect
  • Briefing narratives anticipate challenge questions about scope, quality and causality

Participants can apply responsible governance to media intelligence collection and reporting.

  • Monitoring purpose tested against legitimate business and public-interest requirements
  • Personal data minimisation limits collection, storage and reporting of identifiers
  • Copyright and licensing considerations shape media clipping and content distribution
  • Bias checks examine source coverage, language gaps and automated classification errors
  • Escalation protocols protect confidential information during sensitive issue reporting
  • Governance register records owners, access rights, retention periods and approvals

Participants can improve recurring media intelligence processes, roles and service levels.

  • Operating model defines analyst roles, communications owners and decision forums
  • Service levels set alert timing, report cadence and quality expectations
  • Query review cycles respond to language changes, new issues and products
  • Knowledge bases preserve search logic, coding rules and reporting definitions
  • Supplier performance reviews assess data coverage, support and platform outputs
  • Maturity assessment prioritises process, skills, technology and governance improvements

Participants can build, review and present a complete media intelligence report for a defined communications decision.

  • Intelligence brief establishes decision question, scope, audiences and success measures
  • Boolean query set captures brand, competitors, issues and priority messages
  • Validated dataset supports sentiment, theme, prominence and share-of-voice analysis
  • Dashboard specification presents trends, alerts, source quality and message pull-through
  • Executive report states findings, limitations, recommendations and action priorities
  • Peer review tests evidence quality, narrative clarity and decision usefulness

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Media intelligence requirements brief template
  2. Boolean query library and testing checklist
  3. Source and topic taxonomy model
  4. PR measurement framework aligned to AMEC
  5. Crisis monitoring alert and escalation matrix
  6. Executive media intelligence report template

Who should attend

  • Public Relations Manager — needs defensible evidence of earned-media performance and reputation effects
  • Corporate Communications Manager — requires decision-ready intelligence for leaders and stakeholders
  • Media Relations Manager — needs better targeting, coverage analysis and journalist relationship insight
  • Digital Communications Manager — monitors online conversation, content response and emerging issues
  • Reputation or Issues Manager — requires early-warning signals and structured escalation intelligence
  • PR Agency Account Director — must translate monitoring data into client recommendations and reports

Skills and tools covered

Boolean query designMedia measurementShare of voiceSentiment analysisCrisis intelligenceExecutive reporting

Tools and standards

Talkwalker, AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework, Barcelona Principles 3.0, PESO Model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce methods, platform workflows and measurement standards, followed by case work based on realistic monitoring assignments. Participants interpret media outputs, refine Boolean searches, assess data quality, compare competitors and prepare management briefings. Group exercises examine ambiguous sentiment, emerging issues and reporting choices, while simulations test alert escalation and crisis intelligence decisions. Throughout the programme, participants apply each method to a selected communication objective and assemble their own media intelligence work package.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience in public relations, media relations, corporate communications, digital communications or campaign delivery. They should understand common PR outputs such as press releases, media lists, stakeholder messages and campaign plans. Basic confidence reading spreadsheets, interpreting charts and using web-based business software is assumed. Prior use of Talkwalker or another media-monitoring platform is helpful but not required. The course does not require coding, statistics qualifications, data-science experience or platform administration rights.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have experience in public relations, communications, media relations, campaigns or reputation work. You do not need prior Talkwalker experience, coding skills or formal data-analysis training.

Bring a laptop for classroom delivery and, if possible, an example of a current campaign, reputation issue or reporting requirement. Participants may use anonymised material where organisational information is sensitive.

It is designed for PR, corporate communications, media relations, digital communications, reputation and agency professionals. It is most useful for people who need to interpret monitoring data and turn it into management action.

This course focuses on earned media intelligence, reputation, issues, journalists, influencers, campaign measurement and executive reporting. Social media marketing courses usually focus more heavily on channel publishing, paid promotion, community management and content scheduling.

You will build a monitoring brief, search logic, taxonomy, dashboard specification and reporting structure that can be adapted for your organisation. The methods apply whether your team uses Talkwalker, another monitoring platform or analyst-led media tracking.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with about 6.5 contact hours daily. The first part establishes monitoring, query and analysis methods; the later part focuses on reporting, crisis intelligence, governance and the final capstone briefing.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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