Take t from an experienced reporter/writer/editor, there's nothing a media person loathes more when scrolling for information on a Web site than disorganization, unneccessary complication (i.e. too many clicks) and clutter. Just a cursory glance will make a reporter click off quickly never to appear again. So what should you do to make your Web site media friendly? Just follow these 10 tips:
One-click access: Too many Web sites force reporters to guess where the pressroom is hiding. Make sure there's a direct link off of your company's home page.
News on the home page: This is obvious for its expediency.
After-hours contacts: Of course, no PR person really wants to post her cell phone number to a public Web site, but some sort of after-work contact info is essential.
Useful search functions: Sure, you post press releases, but are they searchable? They have to be because reporters work by beats.
Fact sheets: Where have the bulleted, easy-to-read facts sheets gone? Pizzo says they're a rare find in pressrooms, and that's too bad, because they're a brilliant tool for time-pressed journalists.
Newsletter formats: Too many pressrooms are set up to look like lists. Create an attractive design that presents visiting journalists with a host of helpful resources: press kits, events, media contacts and executive head shots.
Printer-friendly: It's a small touch, but one many Web sites neglect. Do you offer pressroom visitors a printer-friendly option, or do you force them to print out extra pages and waste ink?
Executive speeches and articles: Reporters don't want stale quotes from your press releases. They want to find something on their own that hasn't been used by everyone else.
FAQs: If your PR staff if answering the same questions from reporters more than a few times a month, put them into an FAQ.
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Source: Ragan.com