If you’re serious about getting media coverage for your company, one of the first things you should do is build a newsroom on your website. The newsroom is a page specifically designed for the media, where they can get more information on your company to help build their story.
To get the most from your online news room, you need to make sure it contains all the right elements. Here are 9 features to include for the media.
1. News releases – News releases, or press releases, are tools for sharing the latest information about your company. In media relations, providing access to your past news releases gives journalists a sense of what your company is up to, and it’s often helpful for filling in details for a story. Always make sure your news releases are accurate, newsworthy, and unbiased.
2. Company history – Company profiles are basically like an “about us” page. You’ll want to include important facts about your company history, your mission statement, corporate philosophy, and any other relevant company information you can think of. You can organize it as a “fast facts” style page if you want, where key facts are laid out in a bulleted list.
3. Contact info – It’s important that you’re easily accessible to the media. You never know when they’ll want to get in touch to do a story, so make sure the contact information you provide includes the best way to reach you. Have a phone number and email address on your contact page. You can even include a contact form on your website.
4. Executive bios – You don’t have to go ridiculously in depth in your executive bios. Just make sure you have a short paragraph with key information about the top executives at your company. Include the title of the employee, length of time served at your company, and any relevant experience. Remember, just stick to the facts. That’s all reporters care about.
5. Case studies – Case studies boost your credibility by showing how your products or services have benefited customers. Make sure your case studies are factually accurate, and feel free to include images if it helps to tell the story. Keep your content interesting and easy to read.
6. Searchable archive of news releases – If you post a lot of news releases, help visitors out by adding a search function to your news room. This allows them to find the information they need quickly, and it could be the difference between earning media coverage or a reporter giving up on your story.
7. Links to media coverage – Has your company been featured in a magazine or newspaper? Did you do a media interview on TV or radio? Include links to your media coverage as they boost your credibility and give reporters more information to work with.
8. Transcripts – If you’ve given any speeches or presentations, post the transcripts from these events on your website. Double-check all transcripts for accuracy, because the last thing you want is to get misquoted.
9. High quality graphics – Make sure you have high-quality pictures of your logo, products, corporate office and key executives.
Do you have a newsroom on your website? Which features does yours include?
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab your free copy of the Big Press Release Book – Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/big-press-release-samples-book/
Ibrey Woodall
Always glad to see information about online newsrooms. Your readers may also enjoy the research found in the article I wrote for PRSA PR Tactics – “From old media to social media: Survey reveals the essential elements for today’s online newsroom” http://ht.ly/1KDbl.
Ibrey Woodall
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ibreywoodall