Chief communications officers (CCOs) are having a moment as top executives lean on them to navigate crises, align employees and promote and protect the business or brand.

Why it matters: There's no one path to becoming a CCO — but the skills are in high demand and are easily transferrable.

By the numbers: Of the Fortune 100 CCOs, roughly 62% were promoted from within and 10% are lifers who have been with the company for their entire career.

• 43% of CCOs started in the corporate world, followed by politics and government (24%), PR agencies (17%) and journalism (8%).

What they're saying: The role of communicators is often misunderstood. According to Microsoft CCO Frank Shaw, communicators are responsible for speaking out, convening and then negotiating for the right outcome.

• “Our job is to look broadly across the industries we are in and provide a unified view so that we aren't making decisions in a vacuum," says Shaw.
• Yes, but: Three companies within the top 100 — Berkshire Hathaway, Tesla and Enterprise Products — still do not have a head of comms.

What we're watching: Chief communicators might capitalize on this moment and jump into the CEO pipeline — which is typically reserved for heads of operations or finance.

• Communicators can also seize the moment to snag a spot in the boardroom. Only 16 CCOs currently sit on Fortune 500 boards, according to Spencer Stuart research.

💭 The bottom line: Communications is now arguably the most important skill for any leader of any organization, big or small ... and heads of comms are as vital as the COO or CFO, Axios CEO Jim VandeHei writes.

Go deeper: Leaders must master communications.

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While chief communications officers (CCOs) come from varied career backgrounds, they themselves are not particularly diverse, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data gathered by Zippia.

By the numbers: Female representation has increased about one percentage point per year — from about 30% in 2011 to 40% in 2021.

• The majority of CCOs are white (75%), while 9% are Hispanic/Latino, 6% are Black/African American, 5% are Asian, and less than 1% identify as American Indian and Alaska Native.
• The average age is 42, with 55% falling in the 40+ age range, 33% in their 30s and about 12% nab the role in their 20s.

Between the lines: Corporate communication teams were key contributors to implementing and executing the recent wave of diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, yet representation in the top comms roles remains stagnant.

If your LinkedIn comments sections have seemed busy lately, you're not alone.

The intrigue: The new phenomenon of "commenting for reach" is clogging up recent layoff announcements and hiring posts across the platform.

• The theory goes that replying to posts can serve two purposes: uplifting your friends, former colleagues or distant connections while also promoting yourself.
• The LinkedIn algorithm is "complicated, dynamic and secret, but the company says a large number of comments can make a post more visible," The Wall Street Journal reports.
• Simply writing "commenting for reach" can boost who sees your profile, per The Journal.

Zoom in: It's a way to get visibility by doing the least, and some users are annoyed by its self-serving nature.

• However, the more your name pops up in social media feeds, the more recognition you might gain — and studies show that establishing a personal brand can help you get ahead.

The bottom line: If you're going to comment, it's best practice to add to the conversation.

• "The platform is not designed for virality, rather it is designed to be helpful, encourage knowledge sharing and insights," LinkedIn editor-in-chief Dan Roth told Axios.

Go deeper.

Jennifer Beugelmans is an investor relations pro turned chief communications officer (CCO) for the e-commerce deals platform, Groupon.

Why it matters: Understanding the finances and business behind the brand is key to successful messaging, especially during times of economic uncertainty.

📍How she got here: Beugelmans got her start on Wall Street before overseeing investor relations at Etsy, Dollar General and Groupon.

🏗 How it’s structured: As CCO, she oversees internal communications, public relations and social responsibility, as well as investor relations.

• "I have structured my teams to be very collaborative and for there to be some overlap — which not only provides for the opportunity for people on my team to pick up additional skills, but it also ensures that our external and internal stories are synched."

🌡 Hardest days at work: "I had this situation at Etsy where we did our first ever [staff] reduction, and just recently, we've had to do two rounds here at Groupon."

• "When you're communicating these situations, obviously you're bound by legalities and sometimes you won't have all the right answers, but leading with authenticity and being as transparent as possible has been the most important guiding light as we've communicated these tough decisions."
• "I think we tend to overlook how sharing layoff announcements can affect communicators. I try to make sure my team is taken care of. ... I know it's hard to deliver this news, so I want them to know how much I appreciate them."

🎶 De-stress routine: Walking her dogs or enjoying live music in Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives.

• Recent concerts include: The Lumineers, Stevie Nicks and local musician Todd Snider.

⛵️ Motivation: As the oldest daughter of seven children, "I always wanted to pave a way for my sisters, especially as a Black woman."

• "It wasn't always easy to show up in places where you didn't see anyone else who looked like you — and I wanted to show my sisters that you can go after things that you want and achieve it. They've been the wind in my sails for a long time."
• And that big sister energy has influenced how she manages her team. "My teams know I'm so vested in their success, but I also want to get to know them as humans. ... They get tons of unsolicited advice."

📈 Trend spot: The rise of authenticity over corporate speak.

📱Favorite apps: Candy Crush, Gchat and Groupon, of course.

🧠 Best advice: "Understand the business so you can have confidence in what you're communicating."

Axios Communicators will continue to bridge the gap between PR pros and journalists by highlighting the worst pitches that land in our newsroom's inbox.

Why it matters: Bad pitches reflect poorly on the entire PR profession. It annoys reporters, and communicators are left wondering why their outreach is going unnoticed.

• There's positive intent. We hope this feature will provide insight into some of the crud clogging up our inboxes and lead to large-scale media relations tips and pitching guidance.
• And don't worry, we will never call out a specific PR person by name.

🥁 Now for this week's worst ... All gimmicks, no substance or real news.

1. Cryptomatch: Find your soulmate based on your investment profile.
2. CamSoda — an adult webcam company with cutting-edge streaming capabilities — is offering to broadcast MLB games on its website for free.
3. SimpliSafe claims to have discovered a new trend: Americans "are using home security as a protective and routine measure."

💭 Our thought bubble: The pitches above are maybe worthy of a couple of tweets from the brand, but they are not news stories.

• Marketing and earned media campaigns are two different strategies.
• More importantly, shallow reports or corporate gimmicks rarely lead to actual coverage and can hurt a PR team's credibility and media capital.
• Before you hit send, ask yourself if the pitch is something you would see actually covered by a news organization.

Go deeper: Axios' guide to pitching (item 3).

👆🏻 A friendly reminder from Axios tech and business reporter Kia Kokalitcheva.