WASHINGTON, D.C. - The shortest path to many reporters' hearts is through the Web. But if your online press center doesn't deliver, the Internet could be the quickest way to
alienate your media stakeholders.
Journalists speaking at last week's PR NEWS Strategic Online Communications Seminar sent a clear message to corporate communicators: make press a priority on your Web
site. "If I go to a company Web site and a [recent] press release isn't there, and the last press release on the site is from April 15, what does that tell me about the company?"
asked David Hubler, managing editor of the Potomac Tech Journal. His conclusion in such instances: "The press are the last people this company is interested in."
Building Basics
Creating a clean, constructive Web experience for journalists doesn't have to be expensive or difficult. Consider how a press center can best meet your department's needs for
streamlining the media relations process. Do you waste precious time each day emailing and faxing research or white papers to reporters? Snail-mailing head shots? Posting those
resources online is a no-brainer that allows your staff to devote less time to faxing and more time to communicating. "These days your CEO can appear on CNBC's 'Squawk Box' and
you can get an audio clip [to post on your site] 20 to 30 minutes later," said Alisa Fogelman Beyer, president and founder of The ProMarc Agency in DC.
Turn to your key press constituents to find out how they use the Web, then use their feedback in building the site. "Everything you do should make it easier and quicker for a
journalist to do their job," urged Suzanne Turner, mid-Atlantic regional manager for The Launch Co. in DC. "You need to examine your press room from their point of view.
That means, make your press room simple, basic, functional and effective."
When Turner says basic, she means business. Most journalists are looking for a no-frills experience at a press center. Flash animation and promotional materials are out of
place on a site devoted to the media. "Don't bother with ... anything that even remotely smells like advertising puffery," Turner said. "[It] will backfire and prevent the press
from engaging with your site."
Instead, build the site with the goal of "one-stop shopping for information and graphics to help [the media] do their jobs," said Kay Bransford, VP of marketing for Vocus, a
provider of Web-based relationship management applications. "One-stop" means journalists shouldn't have to drill down several pages from your corporate homepage before they can
even locate the press center.
We've compiled advice from both communicators and journalists to help you in making your online press center a media magnet. The must-haves:
- The basics. A deceptively simple trick that can prompt tears of joy from even the most seasoned scribblers: the correct spelling of the company name, displayed
prominently, along with the address and phone number.
- Up-front contact information. In addition to the main phone number, include explicit contact information for key media relations staff. Offer names, phone numbers
and email addresses on the homepage of your press center as well as in press releases. And don't for a minute believe that a generic PR@company email address will suffice.
- Media contacts, by beat. "We want to know who these folks are, just like we want you to know who we are," said Mitch Betts, Washington bureau chief for
Computerworld, noting that many large corporations have multiple spokespersons with designated specialties. Also, remember that your Web site will be open 24/7, and many
reporters will take advantage of it outside business hours, so if you can provide specific contacts for after-hours questions, it's a plus.
- Archived press releases. Many journalists prefer to have access to years worth of press releases, especially when they're researching corporate history. But a
decade of press releases isn't useful unless it's easily searchable. Make your database searchable by keyword and category.
- Additional corporate resources. "I do a lot of research at the Web site before talking to a human being," Betts said. "I may go back several years." Betts looks
not only for press releases, but also for court filings and "meaty speeches" given by execs. Transcripts of analyst conference calls also are appreciated, along with archives of
past news coverage. Reading another reporter's take on the company provides the "more impartial point of view," Hubler said. One tip: make clear delineations between your press
releases and coverage your company has received in the media - lumping them all together under a "News" umbrella is misleading and frustrating for journalists searching your
archives.
- Fresh material. Updating your press center religiously is critical. When a reporter finds outdated calendars or an archive of press releases that's two months
behind the times, your credibility is shot. Information posted to newswires should be simultaneously posted on your site. Maintaining rigorous standards for timeliness will
ensure that reporters go to your site first for information on your organization and your industry ... and not to Usenets or competitors' sites.
- Downloadable artwork, photos and logos. Providing journalists with downloadable graphics and even streaming media for broadcast is a growing trend for online press
centers. Another trend, according to Hubler: disappointing photo quality online. Low-resolution thumbnail photos of your execs are useless. Most publications require high-res
files scanned at 250 dpi or better.
- Industry analysis/resources. You can enhance your company's credibility and broaden interest in your site by helping reporters see the big picture beyond your own
backyard. "Post content that reflects both you and your industry," was the advice delivered by Robert Stewart, chief communications officer at Advanced Switching Communications,
a new technology data networking company in Vienna, Va. White papers, coalition briefings, court briefings, transcripts of Hill testimony and archived Webcasts of association
meetings often are helpful to journalists -as are links to industry-related sites.
- Dark sites for crisis communications. Creating a "dark" site ready for launch in the event of a crisis is a proactive step that can mean the difference between
managing the messages the media receives in the event of a crisis or being a victim of those messages. The site should include contact information for key spokespeople and
should allow you to respond to media coverage of the crisis as well as any rumors circulating in Usenets.
(Betts, 202/347-6718; Bransford, 301/459-2590; Fogelman-Beyer, 202/293-4168; Hubler, 703/741-3716; Stewart, 703/448-5540; Turner, 202/986-6918;)
Pitching Made
Pithy
Journalists' inboxes are flooded with text-heavy press releases and cumbersome attachments every day. In fact, several of the journalists who attended the Strategic Online
Communications Seminar admitted to deleting pitch emails at random just to appease their IT departments. Want to treat your media constituents to a refreshingly simple pitch?
Kay Bransford, VP of marketing at Vocus, recommends floating brief email pitches that include a few sentences about your news and what it means to the reporter, followed by links
to press releases, contact information and graphics available at your online press room.