Online Pressroom Smarts
I couldn’t agree more with Karen Sams recent blog about online pressrooms. She essentially said that putting critical, time sensitive information online so that journalists, who depend on the information, can access it easily is crucial. A business doesn’t lose anything by creating a press room –it still controls the strategy and messaging of its news and information — but it gains a lot. The positives of online media sites are: repetitive visits from journalists and editors — which ensures how your message is delivered, since you are providing the content — from the perspective of online vs. print and mail, a cost savings.
According to a recent poll conducted by the Public Relations Society of America, the top 10 elements to include in your online pressroom are:
1. Searchable archives
2. PR contacts
3. Press releases
4. Background information
5. Photographs
6. Product information/press kits
7. Crisis communications
8. Executive biographies
9. Events calendar
10. Financial information
To these, I’d add this advice:
Keep them coming back for more.
Once they know the site exists, editors will continue to check back to see what’s happening with your company. Staying on top of the news makes them look like rock stars, so even as they are submitting key messages to the public on your company’s behalf, they will be indebted to you for making their lives a little easier.
Also, you can post more than news on this site! Post contact information, boilerplate copy, company history, white papers, presentations and advertisements. Again, this is where you can shine!
Provide quality content.
Post all photographic images as high-resolution files. Don’t risk jeopardizing your brand by providing journalists with low quality imagery.
Put the whole media kit online.
The internet can flawlessly deliver press materials and imagery to the media, and it comes with a less expensive price tag, when you consider the ongoing costs of providing and archiving all press releases, company information, photography and imagery. Printing and material costs alone can outweigh the price of maintaining a media site, especially since hosting fees have decreased. Your site can provide a wealth of information, but remain simple, organized and inspiring — and all the user has to retain is one simple URL.
