Countries today use instruments of PR and marketing to build a positive image internationally. Not just sporadically, but continuously and in the form of integrated and strategically designed communication. Anna Schwan systematically explains and analyzes this strategic external communication of states. The existing research findings on external communication, from nation branding and public diplomacy to theories of the mediatization of foreign policy and nationalism research, provide the theoretical background for this. The author extracts success criteria and offers concrete recommendations for practice, thereby establishing a comprehensive understanding of this new form of communication.