Secrets of a Successful Online Press Room
From Apryl Duncan
Is your online press room plagued with problems that are preventing journalists from giving you free media coverage? Avoid press room pitfalls in five simple steps.
Make Your Online Press Room Easy to Find
Be proud of your online newsroom. It can get you a lot of free press your company deserves. Make your online press room easy to find from your company's website.
Many companies hide their press room from the main navigation or only put a link within their site map. This defeats the purpose of having an online newsroom where the media can find your latest news.
Plan for Smooth Navigation
Your online press room is part of your company website but when it comes to navigation, you can easily treat it like it's a separate website. Many online press rooms cram everything into a single page or make it hard for journalists to find what they need. Your online press room should be easy to navigate with separate sections for contact information, press releases, a company overview, your press kit, etc.
Update Your Online Press Room Often
Your online newsroom is a powerful cog in your PR machine. Reporters get frustrated when they visit your online press room and it hasn't been updated.
Your press room looks abandoned. Your company looks like it doesn't care about making the information available. You lose out on free publicity. Dedicate time out of your day to making sure your online press room is updated with every bit of news that's leaving your PR department.
Avoid the PR Spin Machine
When you make a blatant attempt to step over the line between advertising and PR, journalists can easily spot the crossover. Use your online press room to inform journalists, not try to sell them.
Ditch the Secret Media Access
Do journalists really need a user name and password to access your online press room? You shouldn't have anything to hide behind your newsroom walls.
Forget the secret media access and concentrate on building a valuable online newsroom that everyone can use. These days, citizen journalists can be crucial to giving you free publicity. If you're hiding your online newsroom, you're missing out on the buzz.
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