I recently had a very enlightening discussion with our corporate PR agent. The topic of our conversation was how we could better leverage press releases and media placements on our corporate website. We are generating some great press, but the momentum is lost shortly after the release leaves the agents desk. This is disconcerting considering some of the recent numbers on how journalists are accessing the web to obtain corporate information. The recent Middleberg/Ross Media Survey indicates the following online habits of journalists:
– 86% of journalists use the Internet for research
– 72% get press releases online
– 70% read publications online
– Reporters prefer press releases and pitches to come by email, and prefer to go to the web for further learning about your cause or company.
Judging by these numbers, if you aren’t speaking to the majority of journalists via the Internet, your message may be falling on deaf ears.
A 2002 presentation by the International Association of Business Communicators recommends several enhancements to make your website more media friendly. These are pulled from a variety of sources, including the IABC and the Nielsen/Norman group who conducts studies on the usability of PR sections of commercial websites. Below are seven tactics that you can implement rather quickly to begin leveraging the press and product information that your company is already creating.
1. Link to the pressroom or newsroom from your homepage. No journalist likes to hunt for your information. Moreover, prospective clients who may not be familiar with your company will almost invariably look here for information on what you’ve been up to. Coremetrics does a superb job of putting a link to the press section front and center and also puts recent headlines on the front page.
2. Add the name of your PR agent or internal press contact to your website’s PR section. Journalists frequently require more details for a story that what your average press release provides. The quicker they can find the right person to talk to for more information, the more likely you are to be featured in their story.
3. Include a product releases and updates section. This is a great value add for both press agents and for your current customers who are seeking information on what you’ve been up to on the new product development front.
4. Add dates to all materials in your PR section, including both press and product releases. A commonly mentioned pet peeve among journalists and customers is not being able to discern which is the most current information about your company. Also, for those industry journalists and customers who visit your site regularly, this is a great way to let them know what’s new since their last visit.
5. Add a photos database of your most popular products and high profile corporate officers. Offer both high-res downloads for print (typically 400dpi or above) and low-res photos for website usage. This is a very highly demanded item among journalists. Duke University Medical Center has one of the best online photo archives in the business.
6. Include as much corporate information as you are willing to share. Stock price, financials, mission, officer bios and resumes, environmental and community commitment, etc. Anything that paints the right picture about your organization and tells your story to the public. General Electric does a fantastic job with providing a corporate fact sheet as well as detailed officer bios.
7. Inform your favorite journalists, trade publication editors, and best customers when you have your PR site in place. There’s no point in putting up a great PR section on your website and not telling anyone about it!
These are simple and easy to implement tactics if you already are producing press releases and sending out product updates. Making your website a hub for press worthy information keeps journalists and customers coming back for more and more current information about your company.
Dana VanDen Heuvel is the New Media Director at Balance Studios, a worldwide firm specializing in animation, interactive development, and broadcast productions for feature film, B-to-B, and commercial clients. He can be reached at www.balancestudios.com, or via phone at 920-433-9770.