Home
>
Public Relations
>
Your Online Newsroom: How to Give Reporters a Tip

Your Online Newsroom: How to Give Reporters a Tip

It's hard to imagine a reporter working today who doesn't regularly visit "official" company websites. And it's hard to imagine just how much those websites have improved reporters' lives.

Instead of calling a company for more information and waiting days for their press pack to arrive, reporters can now get the information they need in minutes with a few clicks of a mouse.

The above two paragraphs are obvious ? so obvious, you might think, that they're barely worth mentioning. But a quick glance at corporate and nonprofit websites reveals that many companies and nonprofits are missing a golden opportunity to sell their stories.

Most websites are good about posting their latest news and press releases. Reporters come to the site, see what's already been announced, get what they need and leave.

But a few very clever websites are also using those visits to plant seeds for future stories with reporters. They "soft pitch" them on general themes or trends ? not specific stories, but unique angles ? from which reporters can tell a larger story.

The Urban Land Institute, a Washington, DC based nonprofit specializing in land use issues, does this particularly well.

In their online "News" section, the group maintains a "Leads, Tips, and Ideas" file for reporters. They view each reporter's visit as an opportunity to encourage them to write more than a single story about their group.

For example, ULI recently suggested in its "Tips" section that reporters cover land use issues from the perspective of Generation Y, that 73 million person block of Americans born between 1979 and 1994. That young generation is forcing housing and entertainment developers to change their strategies to accommodate Gen Y's desires. As a result, developers who understand their needs are thriving; those who don't are at risk.

"These tips are a great way to raise our visibility with the media," said Trisha Riggs, ULI's Director of Communications. "The Generation Y tip has resulted in some several news stories."

Ms. Riggs hopes these tips will result in news stories, but says another purpose is to draw the media to their website regularly and remind them that they're available to help.

In addition to posting the news tips online, Riggs says, "We send them out to reporters at least once every two months by e-mail." Those e-mails also often result in increased coverage.

How can you develop tips? Ask your staff to notify you when they write a new paper, serve on a panel or give a speech. You'll likely hear about an emerging trend, threat, or compelling fact that would be interesting to a reporter.

These tips have one additional benefit. Your company's issues are often "important," but don't have that extra something that pushes them into the world of the "newsworthy." But tips make a nice outlet for important stories, even those that lack an immediate newsworthy element. They may not always result in a big feature story, but they may be included as a small part of a story a reporter is already working on.

Give reporters regular tips and they'll have a good reason to be a repeat visitor to your website. And the more they know about you, the more stories they'll write about you.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information and to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training e-tips, visit http://www.phillipsmediarelations.com

house cleaning near Des Plaines ...

In The News:

Luxury fashion brand Dior experienced a January 2025 data breach affecting customer personal information, and notifications were sent months after the discovery.

The commercial Unitree H1 humanoid robot weighs 104 pounds with 365 pound-feet torque per joint and demonstrates dangerous potential when software glitches occur.

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Your Online Newsroom: How to Give Reporters a Tip

Public Relations