The Practice of Public Relations, 15th edition

Published by Pearson (March 2, 2026) © 2027
Fraser P. Seitel

Title overview

For public relations courses.

A practical PR guide, now with AI applications

The Practice of Public Relations provides essential guidance for contemporary PR work in a changing landscape. Seitel weds his experience with light-hearted, energetic prose and an approach favoring reasoning and applications. Using cases, interviews and news stories, he connects theory and philosophy to the practical knowledge needed to take on the complex challenges of PR in today’s digital age.

The 15th Edition is the first text in the field to emphasize the role and impact of AI on PR. Students explore ways of harnessing AI to navigate contemporary communications issues, from public opinion and media relations to employee communications and crisis management.

Hallmark features of this title

A principled approach

  • Relationship-building is a point of focus, with emphasis on practices for building positive relationships.
  • Ethics are emphasized as a guiding principle for PR responses and relationships.
  • Career-building content focuses on five critical skills: communications, ethics, critical thinking, collaborative solutions, and knowledge application and analysis.

Enriching pedagogy

  • Discussion-start questions and a “Last Word” feature at the end of each chapter underscore the significance of the chapter’s subject matter.
  • BTW features add texture and insights to PR studies. Topics range from the Menendez brothers to deep-fake images to bias in research.
  • Public Relations Bookshelf features at the end of each chapter highlight PR literature published over the last decade.

New and updated features of this title

Contemporary coverage

  • NEW: A new AI section in each chapter discusses the impact of AI on the topics of each chapter.
  • NEW: Hot-button issues dominating communications discussions are addressed, such as the wealth gap, the decline of traditional media and the rise of social media.
  • REVISED: Contemporary chapter openers frame the content that follows. New examples include the new US presidential administration in 2025 and the rise of society-influencing podcasters.

New illustrative cases and profiles

  • 14 NEW: Case studies taken from today’s headlines illustrate PR approaches to topics of interest, from Ukraine’s wartime PR initiative to the comeback of Nerds candy.
  • 17 NEW: “A Question of Ethics” mini cases highlight the ethical issues raised in cases such as the Uvalde school shooting and the website of accused killer Luigi Mangione.
  • 5 NEW: “From the Top” interviews provide first-hand insight from both legendary PR pioneers and current PR all-stars. New interview subjects include AI authority Alfonzo Rodriguez Coates and ChicExecs cofounders Nikki Carlson and Kailynn Bowling.

Key features

Features of Pearson+ eTextbook for the 15th Edition

  • Concept-check questions throughout the eTextbook let students check their understanding before moving on to new material.

Table of contents

PART 1: EVOLUTION

  1. Defining Public Relations
  2. The History and Growth of Public Relations

PART 2: PREPARATION/PROCESS

  1. Communication
  2. Public Opinion
  3. Management
  4. Ethics
  5. The Law
  6. Research

PART 3: THE PUBLICS

  1. Media
  2. Social Media
  3. Employee Relations
  4. Government Relations
  5. Diversity Relations
  6. International Consumer Relations

PART 4: EXECUTION

  1. Integrated Marketing Communications
  2. Public Relations Writing
  3. Crisis Management

Author bios

About our author

Fraser P. Seitel is a veteran of five decades in the practice of public relations, beginning, he alleges, “as a child.” In 2000, PR Week magazine named Mr. Seitel one of the 100 Most Distinguished Public Relations Professionals of the 20th Century.

In 1992, after serving for a decade as senior vice president and director of public affairs for The Chase Manhattan Bank, Mr. Seitel formed Emerald Partners, a management and communications consultancy, and also became senior counselor at the world’s largest public affairs firm at the time, Burson-Marsteller.

Mr. Seitel has been a regular guest on television and radio, appearing on a variety of programs on the Fox News Network and CNN, ABC’s Good Morning America and CNBC’s Power Lunch, as well as on MSNBC, Fox Business Network, the Fox Radio Network and National Public Radio.

He has counseled hundreds of corporations, hospitals, nonprofits, associations and individuals in the areas for which he had responsibility at Chase: media relations, speech writing, consumer relations, employee communications, financial communications, philanthropic activities and strategic management consulting.

Mr. Seitel is an internet columnist at odwyerpr.com and a frequent lecturer and seminar leader on communications topics. Over the course of his career, Mr. Seitel has taught thousands of public relations professionals and students. For nearly two decades, Mr. Seitel was adjunct professor in public relations at New York University.

After examining many texts in public relations, he concluded that none of them “was exactly right.” Therefore, in 1980, he wrote the first edition of The Practice of Public Relations “to give students a feel for how exciting this field really is.” In five decades of use at hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and around the world, Mr. Seitel’s book has introduced generations of students to the excitement, challenge and uniqueness of the practice of public relations.

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