Home
>
Public Relations
>
Creating Your Online News Room: How To Build a Site The Media Will Love

Creating Your Online News Room: How To Build a Site The Media Will Love

From time to time, people ask me how public relations has changed
during the two decades in which I've been seeking publicity. My
answer: technology. Twenty years ago, the fax machine was a
newfangled novelty. Our primary means of communicating with
journalists was the telephone and the US Mail. The advent of e-
mail and the web has made life easier in many regards and tougher
in others - namely, thanks to hordes of clowns with money making
schemes and software that "blasts" press releases
indiscriminately to reporters, it's become very hard to get your
e-mails through to spam-weary reporters.

But there's another great advantage provided to publicity seekers
by the Internet -- the ability to create an "online news room".
In the "old days", the press kit reigned. Big bulky folders
loaded with press releases, glossy photos and slides were
standard. They were expensive to design, costly to reproduce and
required lots of manpower and postage to assemble and distribute.
Today, you can simply direct a reporter to a web URL, where all
your press materials and high definition artwork awaits, ready to
be used. It's a huge time and money saver.

A quick note: the traditional press kit isn't dead. It's still
handy to create some physical kits to use with key journalists,
as the very novelty of printed material can give you an edge at
times. Also, some journalists still prefer a physical kit. Press
kits are an important tool at trade show booths & press rooms,
and special events. However, gone are the days of sending out
large press kit mailings. Keep the kits for targeted use only.

Creating a useful online news room is really pretty simple. One
of the main things a busy reporter wants is easy access to press
releases, corporate and executive info and artwork. A well put
together media room should provide a seamless walk-through.

Where Should the News Room Go?

There are two schools of thought on where to put your online news
room. Some companies prefer to have it as a section on their
main site, visible to all as a link on a menu bar or other
navigational element. Others build entirely separate sites just
for the media.

There are pros and cons to each. Putting it as part of your main
site allows a journalist to "poke around" your site, absorbing
more of the feel and culture of your company and its products. It
also makes it easier if the reporter wants more information about
a particular product than can be found in your media materials.
Of course, since you'll need to provide clear links to the online
news room to help such reporters find their way back, anyone
visiting your site can access your press materials. This is
probably not an issue but, if you feel potential customers may
become confused if they wander into the online news room, this
could be worth considering.

Creating a separate site allows you to tailor everything to suit
the needs of the reporter and prevents the possibility of
confusion for potential customers visiting your main site. The
reporter however, will be unable to quickly "poke around" the
main site as described above, so you may consider that in your
decision. If you do choose a separate site, give it a name that
incorporates your company (if you're the Acme Company, go for
acmepress.com or acmeonlinenewsroom.com). Also, provide clear
links to your main site throughout, and code them so that they
open in a new window, allowing the reporter to see your main site
without having to backtrack to the online news room.

Some Do's and Don'ts

DON'T force journalists to register or sign in for access.
They're busy folks and may very well decide not to bother. Make
life as easy as you can for them.

DO offer the opportunity for journalists to enter their e-mail
address if they wish to be kept abreast of the latest news from
your company, but don't link it in any way to the ability to
access any portion of the site. DON'T confuse non-journalists who
may wander into the site. Make it clear at the top of your main
page of your online news room what it and who it's for.

DO provide a link to your consumer FAQ page and an e-mail link
for customer service to give non-journalists a place to go to get
their questions answered. This will save you a great deal of
time responding to messages from non-journalists asking "why am I
looking at a press release? How do I download a new driver" or
some such thing. Here's what Gateway says, "Gateway press
contacts are only able to provide assistance for qualified
members of the news media. They are not qualified to respond to
product or technical support needs...If you are not a member of
the news media, please feel free to visit our pages for Product
Service and Support."

DON'T try to lay out the online news room if you're not a
talented web designer. Don't use flash, heavy java scripts and
other doo-dads. The face you put forth to the media must be
highly professional, and the ease of navigation and logical flow
of the news room is vital.

DO hire a professional designer who has a portfolio that includes
simple, easy-to-navigate, clean-looking sites.

What To Include in Your Online News Room:

Personal Contact Info. The name, address, e-mail, phone number,
fax number and cell phone number of your primary media contacts
must be front and center. If you have an Instant Messaging ID,
put it in there, too.

Press Releases. Place press releases in chronological order
(most recent at the top). Keep traditional press release
formatting and use easy-to-read fonts.

Executive photos, product photos, charts, graphs, and other
appropriate artwork. Provide multiple versions -- 72 dpi (lower
resolution) for online publications and websites, and 300 dpi
(higher resolution) for offline publications. Put instructions
such as To download, right-click and choose "save" next to the
graphics. Make sure your pitch letters and press releases
provide links to the appropriate artwork on your site.

Backgrounders, executive bios, white papers, investor relations
info (if applicable), fact sheets, speeches, awards, streaming
media of: press conferences, product demonstrations, president's
speeches, etc.

Search Tool. Make it easy for journalists to find just what they
want, by making all your press materials fully searchable.

Online News Rooms to Study:

The best way to learn how to put together an online news room is
to see how some very smart folks have done it. Here are three
outstanding examples....

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/default.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/default.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/default.asp

Bill Stoller, the "Publicity Insider", has spent two decades as
one of America's top publicists. Now, through his website, eZine
and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for
PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/default.asp
he's sharing -- for the very first time -- his secrets of scoring
big publicity. For free articles, killer publicity tips and
much, much more, visit Bill's exclusive new site:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/default.asp

best cleaning company Highland Park ..

In The News:

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Creating Your Online News Room: How To Build a Site The Media Will Love

Public Relations