Advertisers may be fleeing. Media companies may be reconsidering their investments. But the one group that has not cooled in its enthusiasm about the Internet is the general
public. The Web continues to plunder media mindshare from traditional venues and has become a part of our daily information-gathering rituals.
For PR professionals, that means successfully placing stories with online news outlets has become of critical importance. But pitching the editor of a 24/7 Web site poses new
challenges for communicators.
Treating reporters for Web-based outlets with the same respect you would a reporter from The New York Times or Washington Post is key, says Paul Fucito, media relations
specialist, George Washington University Law School, because they still are not getting the same attention their colleagues in the print and broadcast worlds command. But he and
others recommend some additional fine-tuning to make an online pitch resonate with the needs of Web reporters.
PR NEWS chatted with a variety of experts to come up with the following best practices for e-media relations - everything from finding the right outlet for your news to
constructing the perfect pitch:
Making E-Contact
- To construct a good list of potential e-contacts for a new client, "I ask them what sites they appreciate and their key trade publications in print and online," says Sonya
Snyder, president, Quill Communications. Rather than buy a list from a third-party agency, "the best sources are your clients' experts, who are probably visiting those sites." She
also recommends searching e-zine and trade directories and ProfNet for contacts (see "The Online Starting Block"). Consider the client's target demographics when deciding how much
effort to dedicate to the Web press. Regardless the industry, 20- to 40-year-olds are the audience getting a substantial amount of their news and information online, most say. - If you are looking for international coverage on the cheap, look for publishers such as Yahoo, MSN or Terra Lycos that often send their content to sister sites worldwide.
- Know up front whether the company you are contacting has dedicated Web staff or whether responsibilities for online are shared with offline staff, says Lloyd Trufelman,
president Trylon Communications. - Email is the preferred mode of contact for most Web press. In fact, "calls are discouraged until you have developed a relationship with the journalist," says Eric Anderson,
Senior Associate, Coltrin & Associates. Do not send email attachments without permission, most warn, because some recipients won't accept them and others simply consider it
bad form because of virus concerns. - Research the publishing schedule for the pub, which may be daily, weekly or real-time, and plan the release to the company's schedule, says Anderson. Some online news venues
are known to break embargoes habitually, others advise, so know your venue before sending embargoed material far in advance.
Press Materials: Go Short, Go Long
- With such short lead times, many online pubs will run a story without an interview, reusing much of the original press release. "It's important that releases be written as
news stories in order to help the online editor not have to worry about superlatives and glittering puffery in the copy," says George Simpson, president, George H. Simpson
Communications. Anderson also recommends including "colorful, meaningful quotes" both from the client as well as from end-users, analysts or experts that editors can use if they
are not doing their own interview. - Email releases need to get to the point in one line. "Online and off, I put the lead or something that indicates news value in the subject line, and I embed the news release
in the email text," says Rob Gelphman, Gelphman Associates. - Despite the Web's reputation for short, quick media bytes, publications and their audiences have two dominant modes online: shallow (300-500 words) or deep (2,500 words and
up). Online venues do tend to favor breaking news items, so be ready with "the CliffsNotes" version, says Snyder, but also have a full range of material on hand and in electronic
format. A digitized press kit is essential, as are low-resolution images that can be used unmodified on Web sites. - Interactivity and multimedia are heroin to these guys. Offer any images, slideshows, animations, audio and video trailers, and demos as possible links within the story.
Using Spokespeople
- Don't forget to prep your own experts/spokespeople to keep it particularly short and simple with the Web press, says Fucito.
- Web editors are acutely aware that theirs is an intimate medium where people respond to personalities as much as they do to traditional content, so offer them your client's
executives and experts for scheduled online chats at the site or any kind of direct interaction with the readership. In getting coverage of "The Tavis Smiley Show" on
BlackPlanet.com, Ingrid Sheriff of Ketchum DC arranged to have spokespeople from the show answer reader questions for a later Q&A.
The Hit that Keeps on Hitting
- Try to get print/TV/radio interviews with your experts or spokespeople reproduced online if the venue has a Web site. You can also offer the editor additional materials or
even online events involving your spokesperson to supplement the offline mention. It can extend the life of the hit and open the story up to a whole new stream of links and press
pick-ups. - Give editors clear, visible and preferably clickable links to relevant Web materials that can be embedded into their article, which in turn may bring the most interested
readers directly to your client's site. - Finally, remember that the viral nature of the Web can be a PR pro's best friend and worst enemy, warns Shelley Frost, Senior Account Executive, Grant Jacoby. "Monitoring is
important. If something negative comes out about your company, you have to be able to respond right away because electronic news spreads like wildfire."
(Contacts: Eric Anderson, 212/221-1616 ext.117; Shelley Frost, 312/988-4122; Paul Fucito, 202/994-0616; Rob Gelphman, 408/451-8420; Ingrid Sheriff, 202/835-7292; George
Simpson, 212/297-1838; Sonya Snyder, 407/381-0012; Lloyd Trufelman, 212/725-2295)
Online Starting Block
- The E-Zine Directory - Directory of Online Consumer/Trade E-Zines http://www.ezine-dir.com/
- Larry Chase's Web Digest for Marketers - Free weekly e-newsletter reviewing online marketing-oriented resources http://www.wdfm.com
- MediaKitty.com - Directory of media contacts in travel and entertainment categories
- ProfNet - Where journalists come looking for you http://www.profnet.com