Are you frustrated with the gap between what new social media hires learned in college and what they actually need to know on day one? You're not alone. Too many graduates enter the workforce with theoretical knowledge but lack the practical skills, strategic thinking, and real-world experience that employers desperately need. They can create content but struggle with crisis management, understand algorithms but can't tie campaigns to business objectives, and know the platforms but miss the strategic nuance that separates good social media work from great results. The disconnect between academic training and industry reality is costing businesses time, money, and missed opportunities.

That's where our guest today comes in as the solution. Dr. Karen Freberg is a Full Professor of Strategic Communications at the University of Louisville who has spent her career building bridges between academia and industry. She's the award-winning author of "Social Media for Strategic Communications," has consulted with major brands like Adobe, Meta, and Hootsuite, and most importantly, she's the Director of The Bird's Nest - the University of Louisville's first student-run strategic communications agency where students work with real clients on real campaigns. Dr. Freberg has cracked the code on preparing students not just for their first social media job, but for long-term strategic careers that deliver measurable business impact.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Dr. Freberg about:

🧡 Bridging the Skills Gap - How educators can redesign social media curricula to focus on practical, industry-relevant competencies that employers actually need.

🧡 Student Agency Benefits - Why hands-on client work through student-run agencies creates more job-ready graduates than traditional classroom learning alone.

🧡 Strategic Thinking Development - How to teach students to think beyond content creation and develop the business acumen and crisis management skills that drive career advancement.

Learn more about Dr. Karen Freberg

Connect with Dr. Karen Freberg on LinkedIn

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Connect with Dr. Karen Freberg on Instagram

Connect with Dr. Karen Freberg on Tiktok

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

University of Louisville

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Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Social Media for Strategic Communication: Creative Strategies and Research-Based Applications 1st Edition

Adobe

Meta, 

Hootsuite 

The Birds Nest

 Krissy Buck

WSU Tech

Churchill Downs

Kentucky Derby

Alex Cooper

Alix Earle 

Unwell Network

Mayor in Louisville

Agorapulse Blog

Social Media Professors Group

Lia Haberman

 UCLA

USC

Jason Fall’s Win Influence Podcast

Mark Schafer

UNC

Bird Nest Student Agency on LinkedIn

Bird Nest Student Agency on Tiktok

Bird Nest Student Agency on IG

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/social-pulse-podcast/the-practical-professor-turning-social-media-students-into-strategic-professionals

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Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.