How the Baltimore Ravens Craft a Winning Content Strategy

What does it take to manage the voice of one of the NFL’s most prominent franchises? 
​
At our recent IABC Seattle April ProTalk event, we sat down with Ryan Mink, the editorial director for the Baltimore Ravens, to explore the inner workings of the team's content and communications engine. 
​
From his beginnings as an intern in 2009 to overseeing written, video, and social media streams today, Ryan shared the strategies that help maintain the Ravens' brand as "classy, authentic," and connected to its fans.
​
“If you can’t be authentic, you’ll lose your audience pretty quickly,” he said, of all communications, but particularly fan bases. The brand's authenticity shines through all of the Ravens' work that Ryan leads, as well as the team’s communications strategy.

How To Keep Your Best Communicators Engaged
By Tanya Pikula

In communications, strong performers make all the difference. Whether it’s crafting a message that lands, managing a crisis, or navigating new tools and channels, these are the people who bring clarity and calm to the chaos. They’re the ones you can count on to get it done well, even when you’re not in the room.

You recognize them easily. They’re responsive but thoughtful. When they raise a challenge, they usually come with a few ideas for how to solve it. They can juggle multiple priorities, stay composed under pressure, and often see issues before they appear on most people’s radar. Of course, no one is flawless, but with strong performers you never have to wonder about commitment or follow-through. They’re the ones who give you peace of mind.
​
But here’s the thing: those same strong performers are often the ones most at risk of leaving if they’re not recognized or challenged. They’re driven by curiosity and learning. They want to grow, to try new things, to be part of the next interesting project. And when that doesn’t happen, they’ll eventually find a place where it does.

AI Can Make Us Better Thinkers, If We Let It
By Tanya Pikula
​
In an age of unpredictable technological advancement — so fast that even experts struggle to forecast five years ahead — the arrival and rise of generative AI have been truly seismic. I remember the first time I used ChatGPT. Like so many others, I was astonished. It pulled together a travel itinerary in seconds that would have taken me hours to research. It offered social media posts, email drafts, and creative content ideas, all with startling fluency and immediacy. It was hard not to feel dwarfed by it.

In communications, where language is the core product, the sensation of being overshadowed is especially acute. We’ve always relied on our ability to distill complexity into clarity. Suddenly, here was a machine that could articulate things more quickly and, often, more cleanly. Yes, it made mistakes. Yes, its output needed editing. Still, its speed and coherence left many of us wondering, “Where does this leave me?”

That question lingered, but, as I began experimenting with AI more regularly, my perspective started to shift. What began as simple, low-stakes tasks — proofreading, drafting itineraries, brainstorming titles — soon evolved into something more meaningful. I started using AI to stretch my thinking, stress test arguments, and clarify expression. Rather than feeling diminished, I felt empowered. Perhaps most significantly, I found myself with more mental space to think deeply and creatively.

Note: This piece was written by my colleague, Sue O'Hora. It originally appeared on the website for her company, Rising Night Productions. Rising Night is a video production company based in Washington, DC. ​