Originally published September 19, 2006. Updated September 19, 2026.

Ahoy, mateys! Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and I have a confession.

I wrote about this exact holiday 20 years ago, in a post called Talk Like a Pirate: PR Takeaways on September 19, 2006.

Back then, Talk Like a Pirate Day was a scrappy internet phenomenon that had broken onto the Yahoo! homepage, inspired pirate videos, and generated hundreds of stories on Google News.

My original PR takeaway was simple:

Silly wins. Silly gets links. Silly is fun. Silly snags promotions in other places. Silly gets newscasters to talk like pirates. Silly gets the gold.

Twenty years later, I still agree.

But now, with social media feeds overflowing, algorithms shifting, and AI generating more content by the minute, there’s an even bigger lesson.

Ideas get noticed when they’re specific, recognizable, easy to share, and unmistakably yours.

That’s true whether you’re creating an international celebration, building a personal brand, promoting a keynote, pitching the media, or publishing a newsletter people look forward to opening.

How Talk Like a Pirate Day Began

According to the creators, John Baur and Mark Summers, Talk Like a Pirate Day began during a racquetball game in 1995.

One of them got hurt and reacted with an “Aaarrr!”

That spontaneous pirate outburst made the game more entertaining and eventually inspired an entire holiday. They chose September 19 as the annual date and continued developing the idea.

What started as an inside joke became much bigger after humor columnist Dave Barry wrote about it in 2002. Today, people around the world celebrate by talking like pirates, sharing pirate-themed content, hosting events, and finding creative reasons to say “aargh.”

One accidental outburst became an enduring tradition.

That’s quite a visibility voyage.

What Pirates Can Teach Us About Getting Noticed

You don’t always need an enormous budget or a complicated campaign to attract attention.

You do need a memorable idea that people understand and want to repeat.

Here’s what Talk Like a Pirate Day can teach us about PR, marketing, thought leadership, and visibility.

1. Claim something distinctive

Nobody else had claimed “Talk Like a Pirate Day.”

Baur and Summers took a funny, specific idea and made it their own.

What’s the idea, phrase, point of view, process, or experience that belongs to you but that you haven’t claimed publicly?

A strong brand doesn’t try to own everything. It becomes known for something.

That’s why I often ask leaders:

Who knows you for what?

2. Make it easy to understand

The entire holiday can be explained in five words:

Talk like a pirate today.

No complicated instructions. No lengthy explanation. No special equipment required.

The best messages work the same way. People should be able to understand your idea quickly and explain it to someone else.

If your audience has to work too hard to understand what you mean, your message may sink before it leaves the harbor.

3. Make participation easy

Anyone can say “ahoy,” “aargh,” or “shiver me timbers.”

That low barrier to entry helped turn an inside joke into a participatory celebration.

Think about your own content and campaigns. Are you giving people an easy way to respond, contribute, share, or join?

A good question, memorable phrase, simple challenge, useful checklist, or recognizable hashtag can turn passive readers into active participants.

4. Let yourself be a little playful

In 2006, I wrote, “Silly wins.”

It still can.

Polished, safe content often disappears into a sea of sameness. A specific, unexpected, or playful idea gives people a reason to stop scrolling.

This doesn’t mean every brand should become a comedy act. It means your communication needs enough personality to feel human.

Professional doesn’t have to mean predictable.

5. Keep showing up

Talk Like a Pirate Day began as a joke in 1995. It didn’t become widely known overnight.

Its creators kept talking about it, celebrating it, and inviting others to participate. The idea grew because they stayed with it.

Visibility compounds.

One article, podcast appearance, presentation, or LinkedIn post may not change everything. But a recognizable body of work, built consistently over time, can.

My own 2006 blog post is proof. Twenty years later, I’m returning to it, expanding it, and setting it off on a new voyage.

What Does It Mean to Be a PR Pirate Captain?

A pirate captain doesn’t drift aimlessly and hope the ship reaches treasure.

The captain chooses a destination, studies the conditions, gathers the crew, protects the cargo, and adjusts the course when the winds change.

A PR Pirate Captain does the same thing with visibility.

To captain your own visibility:

• Decide what you want to be known for.
• Know exactly who needs to know you.
• Develop a clear, repeatable message.
• Find the stories your audience will care about.
• Choose the right channels instead of trying to be everywhere.
• Invite employees, clients, partners, and communities aboard.
• Measure what’s working and adjust your course.
• Keep your personality and point of view intact.

The goal isn’t to make the most noise on the open sea.

It’s to become recognizable, trusted, and chosen by the right people.

PR Means Pirate Riches

For today, let’s give PR a playful second meaning:

PR = Pirate Riches.

Your Pirate Riches are the valuable assets already aboard your business:

• Stories that reveal what you believe
• Expertise built through years of experience
• Client results and success stories
• Photographs, videos, interviews, and presentations
• Research, articles, and original ideas
• Relationships with clients, colleagues, journalists, and partners
• Memorable moments that show the human side of your work
• Older content that’s ready to be rediscovered

Many leaders assume they must constantly create something new to stay visible.

Often, the real opportunity is buried in what they’ve already created.

Your next great article might be hiding in an old presentation. Your next keynote story might be tucked inside a client experience. Your next campaign might begin with a blog post you wrote 20 years ago.

Before you create more content, search for the Pirate Riches already in your archive.

The Pirate’s Guide to PR

Here’s a quick pirate glossary for modern communicators.

Ahoy!

Your opening line.

It should signal, “I’m here, and I have something worth hearing,” not sound like every other generic introduction in the inbox.

Aargh!

What you say when the coverage doesn’t land, the proposal gets ignored, or the algorithm devours your best post.

Growl it out, learn what you can, and send the next one.

Hoist the colors

Show your brand clearly and consistently wherever it matters.

If people can’t tell the flag is yours, it may be time to hoist it higher.

Shiver me timbers

The reaction you want when you introduce an unexpected insight, challenge an assumption, or reveal something your audience didn’t know.

If nobody is surprised, you may be playing it too safe.

X marks the spot

Know exactly whom you’re trying to reach and what matters to them.

Scattering messages everywhere and hoping someone responds isn’t a strategy. It’s drifting.

Walk the plank

Let go of the pitch, headline, platform, or idea that isn’t earning its place aboard your communications ship.

Not every idea needs to be saved.

All hands on deck

This is what happens when a story catches on and your employees, clients, followers, media contacts, and partners begin helping you tell it.

The strongest visibility is rarely a solo performance.

Buried treasure

This is the story sitting inside your history, files, photographs, presentations, podcast recordings, or 20-year-old blog archive, waiting to be found.

Sometimes your best new content isn’t new at all.

Full sail ahead

Once you know an idea connects, build on it.

Turn the article into a presentation. Turn the presentation into a podcast conversation. Turn the conversation into a newsletter, video, workshop, or signature framework.

A pirate’s life for me

This is the reminder that none of it works if it isn’t actually you.

Borrowed swagger reads as costume.

Yours reads as brand.

Could You Create Your Own International Day?

In my original 2006 post, I wrote that anyone could proclaim a day and use it to attract publicity.

That’s still true, although today I’d add one important caution.

Creating a “national” or “international” day isn’t automatically newsworthy. The calendar is already crowded with manufactured observances. A made-up day will only work if it connects naturally to your brand, gives people a meaningful or entertaining reason to participate, and has enough staying power to return year after year.

You might create a day focused on:

• Education
• Awareness
• Action
• Recognition
• Remembrance
• Community participation
• A cause connected to your mission
• A fun activity people can easily share

The strongest concepts aren’t promotional stunts wearing funny hats. They give people something enjoyable, useful, or meaningful to do.

A North Carolina Pirate Connection

Since I now live in North Carolina, I can’t resist adding a local pirate connection.

Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach, spent time along the North Carolina coast and met his end near Ocracoke Island in 1718. The National Park Service notes that Blackbeard also understood the power of image. His appearance, reputation, and flag were deliberately designed to intimidate other sailors.

In other words, Blackbeard had a personal brand.

It certainly wasn’t warm, trustworthy, or LinkedIn-friendly, but it was recognizable.

I may still explore the Outer Banks pirate connection in a future story. There’s plenty of buried treasure there.

What Pirate Riches Are Hiding in Your Archive?

Twenty years of writing has taught me that there’s almost always another story worth bringing back to the surface.

That may be the real treasure in this business.

It isn’t always the next clever idea. Sometimes it’s the valuable idea you already shared, the experience you haven’t talked about lately, or the story you forgot you had.

So, take a look through your archives.

What deserves a second voyage?

And what would change if you stepped forward as the PR Pirate Captain of your own story?

Aargh, and happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

About Barbara Rozgonyi

Barbara Rozgonyi is a leadership visibility keynote speaker, strategic advisor, and founder of WIRED PR WORKS and Brighter Presence™. She helps accomplished leaders and expert organizations close the Expert Gap™ between what they’ve achieved and how clearly their value is recognized.

Subscribe to Brighter Presence™ at BrighterPresence.com for ideas about becoming easier to find, natural to trust, and impossible to ignore.

Explore Barbara’s keynotes, programs, and strategic advisory services at BarbaraRozgonyi.com.

Barbara Rozgonyi steps aboard as a PR Pirate Captain for International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Image created with AI using Barbara’s original photographs.