Communicating apprenticeship programs effectively: From concept to successful media work

In times of skilled labor shortages, effective corporate communication about company apprenticeship programs cannot be underestimated. In this blog post, you will learn what to consider and what successful communication about apprenticeships can look like.
Aleksandar-Sasa Stevelic
Aleksandar-Sasa Stevelic

As a passionate basketball player and fan of the sport, I know how important precision, team spirit and commitment are. If you want to be successful on the court, you must combine all these attributes. Even the most precise shooter cannot win if he does not involve his teammates in the action and is resting on the court. In fact, working in a PR agency makes the same demands. Without precise work, cohesion and the will to give your best, the game is already lost in the first quarter.

Customer acquisition in times of AI, crisis, and competitive pressure

Our colleague Noelia attended the first EntrePReneur Summit in Würzburg at the beginning of April. Among other things, the summit focused on growth strategies and customer acquisition in the PR industry. Find out here what she learned and how growth can be achieved these days.
Noelia Aehnelt
Noelia Aehnelt

Noelia Aehnelt studied International Communication and Translation at the University of Hildesheim as well as Intercultural European Studies in the cities Madrid, Clermont-Ferrand and Regensburg. She gathered valuable practical experience through her internships in the online marketing section of a London e-commerce start-up, in the corporate communications department of a global company and working for the German Federal Foreign Office at UNESCO.

More efficient PR work with AI: How a customized prompt database increases productivity

Having your own prompt database can simplify, improve, and streamline your PR work. Find out what you need to bear in mind and how HeadlineAffairs can help you.
Anna Luisa Wickern
Anna Luisa Wickern

Whether it's bedtime stories, exciting novels or high poetry - I have always been fascinated by well-told stories. But just listening is not enough for me, I want to tell my own stories: Even in primary school I took the pencil in my hand to write very creative stories with very creative spelling. Since then my spelling skills have improved, creativity and joy of writing have remained. Today I tell headline stories for you at HeadlineAffairs.

What makes good CSR headlines in the media?

My moderation of the discussion between Dorit Caspary (TZ / Münchner Merkur and its local newspapers) and Christian Fikentscher (Head of Group Sustainability at ProSiebenSat.1) at the Haus des Stiftens's Future Day focused on the role of the media in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Jochen Leufen
Jochen Leufen

In German, there is a saying "Don't quack no opera!" That's a pity, because operas master the loud and the soft, the high and the low notes, plus plenty of drama. The texts in classical productions, on the other hand, could sometimes use a little fine-tuning, thinks Jochen Leufen. He writes here because writing is the ideal way for him to express himself in a lasting way. First you develop an image in your head, then you describe what you see, check whether pitch and message harmonize, and then you press the send button. Curtain. Hopefully applause from the audience. Or mild criticism.

More about Jochen Leufen's vita:


HeadlineAffairs was founded by Jochen Leufen in 2004. Prior to that, he had been employed by the global agency network Ketchum since 1995, most recently in the position of authorized signatory / associate jointly responsible for the management of the Munich office. As Practice Leader Corporate and Practice Leader Technology, he represented the German market in both business areas. In his capacity as Group Manager / Senior Vice President, he had direct personnel responsibility in both practices and was in charge of coordinating all customer projects. Jochen Leufen was also responsible for the development of new products and for the new business strategy, as well as for content-related questions concerning the use of digital media.

Jochen Leufen is an active media trainer and he coordinated the planning and implementation of all media training courses at Ketchum in Germany. One of his main areas of work at Ketchum was directly advising clients in the event of a crisis or developing and training preventive issue and crisis management tactics and measures. Due to his training and previous activities, he was also responsible for public affairs at Ketchum.

Jochen Leufen's consulting experience at Ketchum includes work for ADIG (Allgemeine Deutsche Investment Gesellschaft), AMS (American Management Systems), Bayern Online, the Bavarian State Chancellery, the Bavarian SPD, Dow Chemical, Henkel, High Tech in Bavaria (campaign), IBM, Legoland Deutschland, Navigation Technologies, Microsoft Network, the City of Munich, Vereinsbank, VIAG Interkom, the World Congress on Transport Telematics, and a number of Internet companies such as Expedia, Handelsblatt.Interaktiv, LetsBuyIt, and webmiles.

Before joining Ketchum, Jochen Leufen worked for five years as a PR consultant for the agency wbpr in Munich, primarily supporting association clients in the area of environmental protection & public affairs, but also the Boston Consulting Group or Lufthansa Cargo in matters relating to their repositioning. Prior to that, he worked for one year at the federal office of the F.D.P. in the context of a federal election in Bonn and worked for a member of the Bundestag during his studies.

Jochen Leufen holds a degree in administrative sciences from the University of Konstanz. He is married and father of three children.

Stagnation or progress? What construction cranes reveal about the economy

Have you ever wondered what tower cranes say about the German economy? We'll let you in on the secret here.
Sarah Spitzl-Kirch
Sarah Spitzl-Kirch

Schreiben war schon immer „mein Ding“. Das bestätigte mir bereits meine Deutschlehrerin in der Grundschule und meine Lehrerin in der fünften Klasse prophezeite: „Du wirst mal Journalistin“. Sicherlich war es auch dieser frühe Zuspruch, der mich dazu veranlasste, ein Studium der Germanistik und Kommunikationswissenschaft aufzunehmen und erfolgreich abzuschließen (= ich wurde keine Taxifahrerin). In die Zeitungsredaktion hat es mich trotz der Weissagung nur mal für ein Praktikum verschlagen. Jetzt haue ich bei HeadlineAffairs in die Tastatur. Von der Mitarbeiterzeitung, über den Kundennewsletter und die Pressemitteilung bis hin zu Blogbeiträgen und Mitarbeiterportraits begebe ich mich seit mittlerweile neun Jahren täglich auf die Suche nach Geschichten, die es aufzuschreiben lohnt.

Keep cool - The spokesperson training from HeadlineAffairs

" Keeping cool" is not only important on hot summer days, a cool head is also very important during a media interview. Here you can find out how we provide targeted support with our trainings and what refrigerators have to do with it.
Virginia Sutter
Virginia Sutter

Virginia Sutter studied Literature, Philosophy and Business-Economics at the University of Durham, UK. She gained practical experience while working in editorial and press departments in the English and German publishing world.

The art of the well-placed message: why HA invests in media training

Media training has been an integral part of HeadlineAffairs for 20 years. Here you can find out why they are more important than ever and how we train our employees to become media trainers:
Maximilian Pretzel
Maximilian Pretzel

I have always been fascinated by faraway places. Born and later raised in the Hanseatic cities of Soest and Rostock, I was practically born with a thirst for discovery. I wanted to become a diplomat or writer so that I could help shape world events on the ground or on paper. Having set sail, the ship soon set course, taking me to cities such as Dresden, Bath and Prague during my studies of international politics. In Berlin, I finally found my harbor. On board of the best crew, I have been communicating on logistics topics here ever since an industry that can also only be thought of in cross-border terms.

HeadlineAffairs & Heldenmood in the top 5 at the PR Report Awards

HeadlineAffairs was co-nominated for the PR Report Awards for the podcast "Unternehmer:innen der Zukunft"! Our Deputy Managing Director Ginny attended the award ceremony in Berlin and shares her impressions here:
Virginia Sutter
Virginia Sutter

Virginia Sutter studied Literature, Philosophy and Business-Economics at the University of Durham, UK. She gained practical experience while working in editorial and press departments in the English and German publishing world.

“Hey ChatGPT, will I be out of a job soon?”

ChatGPT, the chatbot from OpenAI, composes high-quality texts in just a few seconds. Does this make the program a job killer for us communicators or should we see it as an important tool?
Aleksandar-Sasa Stevelic
Aleksandar-Sasa Stevelic

As a passionate basketball player and fan of the sport, I know how important precision, team spirit and commitment are. If you want to be successful on the court, you must combine all these attributes. Even the most precise shooter cannot win if he does not involve his teammates in the action and is resting on the court. In fact, working in a PR agency makes the same demands. Without precise work, cohesion and the will to give your best, the game is already lost in the first quarter.

Social Media Monitoring is colorful, diverse and a little scary

A seminar on social media monitoring sounds dry at first and - let's admit it - not really exciting. But after intensive training at the Akademie der Bayerischen Presse, I can say: Social Media Monitoring can be colorful, diverse and also a bit scary.
Sjauke-Kea Hale
Sjauke-Kea Hale

Sjauke studied journalism in Ansbach. She gained work experience through different projects during her studies and journalistic internships. In the end, she was convinced only by the internship in the public relations department of a research institute. She particularly liked the preparation for a conference, a trade fair and writing reports. In her spare time she is hiking in the mountains, having her nose in a book or meeting her friends. After graduating from high school she discovered the beauty of Ireland.

Soft Skill Session in the Alpine Foreland

Advisor Excellence - official name of the tailor-made and meanwhile established workshop for junior consultants at HeadlineAffairs. Joy and expectation were great when we set off for the 1.5-day training camp in Habach.
Noelia Aehnelt
Noelia Aehnelt

Noelia Aehnelt studied International Communication and Translation at the University of Hildesheim as well as Intercultural European Studies in the cities Madrid, Clermont-Ferrand and Regensburg. She gathered valuable practical experience through her internships in the online marketing section of a London e-commerce start-up, in the corporate communications department of a global company and working for the German Federal Foreign Office at UNESCO.

What do we value?

We set out together on the journey to our values. Starting point were the values of each individual in the HA team. The company values of HeadlineAffairs were sought.
Jochen Leufen
Jochen Leufen

In German, there is a saying "Don't quack no opera!" That's a pity, because operas master the loud and the soft, the high and the low notes, plus plenty of drama. The texts in classical productions, on the other hand, could sometimes use a little fine-tuning, thinks Jochen Leufen. He writes here because writing is the ideal way for him to express himself in a lasting way. First you develop an image in your head, then you describe what you see, check whether pitch and message harmonize, and then you press the send button. Curtain. Hopefully applause from the audience. Or mild criticism.

More about Jochen Leufen's vita:


HeadlineAffairs was founded by Jochen Leufen in 2004. Prior to that, he had been employed by the global agency network Ketchum since 1995, most recently in the position of authorized signatory / associate jointly responsible for the management of the Munich office. As Practice Leader Corporate and Practice Leader Technology, he represented the German market in both business areas. In his capacity as Group Manager / Senior Vice President, he had direct personnel responsibility in both practices and was in charge of coordinating all customer projects. Jochen Leufen was also responsible for the development of new products and for the new business strategy, as well as for content-related questions concerning the use of digital media.

Jochen Leufen is an active media trainer and he coordinated the planning and implementation of all media training courses at Ketchum in Germany. One of his main areas of work at Ketchum was directly advising clients in the event of a crisis or developing and training preventive issue and crisis management tactics and measures. Due to his training and previous activities, he was also responsible for public affairs at Ketchum.

Jochen Leufen's consulting experience at Ketchum includes work for ADIG (Allgemeine Deutsche Investment Gesellschaft), AMS (American Management Systems), Bayern Online, the Bavarian State Chancellery, the Bavarian SPD, Dow Chemical, Henkel, High Tech in Bavaria (campaign), IBM, Legoland Deutschland, Navigation Technologies, Microsoft Network, the City of Munich, Vereinsbank, VIAG Interkom, the World Congress on Transport Telematics, and a number of Internet companies such as Expedia, Handelsblatt.Interaktiv, LetsBuyIt, and webmiles.

Before joining Ketchum, Jochen Leufen worked for five years as a PR consultant for the agency wbpr in Munich, primarily supporting association clients in the area of environmental protection & public affairs, but also the Boston Consulting Group or Lufthansa Cargo in matters relating to their repositioning. Prior to that, he worked for one year at the federal office of the F.D.P. in the context of a federal election in Bonn and worked for a member of the Bundestag during his studies.

Jochen Leufen holds a degree in administrative sciences from the University of Konstanz. He is married and father of three children.