If one of your company’s goals is to gain media attention, then your website can be a supporting factor with the information that the press and even your customers might be looking for. Sending out press releases and advertising on a regular basis will garner the attention you are looking for; but what happens if they come to your website looking for information? If they can’t find it quickly and easily, you might have lost a press hit. In today’s fast-paced world, immediacy is key for so many people, especially media professionals working on a deadline. They may not have time for a phone call, so here is your chance to make sure that you have everything they might need in your online newsroom, or media center. Here are 6 things your online newsroom should include.
- Contact Information. Some companies seem to bury their contact information or hide it behind contact forms. Do not do this. Not only is it a negative for journalists looking to contact you, but the same goes for customers. For some customers, they might not even want to contact you, but just need to know that the option is available before they make a purchase. Make sure your contact information (and several forms of it) are prominently displayed on, or linked to on every page of your website.
- Press Releases. If you regularly produce press releases, then that could very well be why someone from the media is on your website and on your newsroom page. Make sure that your most recent press release is prominently displayed and easily accessible. All of your past press releases should be listed and archived so that any journalist (or customer) can see what your company does and what type of releases they post.
- Company History. What’s your company’s story and history? Journalists love this type of information and customers like to know how long you have been around. Older companies build more trust with customers and the more history you have, the more the media has to write about.
- Executive Bios. Bios and information on your company’s executives will help round out the picture of what your company is all about and who works there. If possible, include bios on all your employees. The more the merrier. It’s extra content and information for journalists and customers alike. The bios do not have to be extensive, just enough to give enough information about who they are and what they do for the company. You can always expand on the biographies at a later time, but to begin with, start small.
- Links to Media Coverage. Any features online or offline should be linked to, mentioned, and featured here. If there have been any radio or television interviews, post those too. Pictures of offline media events and screenshots of online features no longer linkable are perfectly fine too. Everything together builds your credibility. This is where you also might link to presentations you’ve done and other public speaking engagements.
- High Resolution Graphics. Most journalists will want high resolution images of your logo, headshots, etc. Make things easy for them and accessible even during their late night deadline cramming and post your hi res graphics on your newsroom page for download.
Summary
When developing content for your company website, you may not often think of having a media page or newsroom section, but it can really help provide journalists and media with information to help with your public relations. This also helps with transparency and information for curious customers who like to know more about your company before doing business with you. Depending on your company and your specific needs, you might need to include additional information besides our list of six things you should have on the newsroom page of your website. Think about the common questions that journalists ask you and the main things you normally want to tell them and include that on this page too. You might also add a revised edition of your “about us” page just so that it is easily seen while on that page. Be sure to check your media page for accuracy and update it regularly.
