The Power of Effective Online Press Centers: Capturing Journalists' Interest

Jan 2
13:06

2024

Barry Forward

Barry Forward

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The first step to a successful website is sparking interest, retaining customer attention, and stimulating the desire to purchase a product or service. This motivates customers to complete their orders. An integral part of this process is an online press center or virtual newsroom. This is where you inform users about new products and announce events. It allows journalists and your customers to see your professionalism in your industry. It also helps manage crises and provides opportunities to voice your opinion on issues affecting your business.

The Importance of a Virtual Newsroom for Small Businesses

A virtual newsroom is essential for small businesses aiming to elevate their profile and build their reputation. Journalists frequently use the internet to find stories and conduct research for news articles. If your website emerges as an authority on a topic,The Power of Effective Online Press Centers: Capturing Journalists' Interest Articles journalists will visit your site. They will be impressed if there is an online press center containing the information needed to write a story. Taking the time to create an online press center also establishes your business reputation, as it's not only journalists who will access it.

Key Elements of an Online Press Center

When setting up the online press center section of your website, there are several key things to consider. Your online press center should, at the very least, include the following elements:

  • News release(s)
  • Photos and illustrations
  • Fact sheets
  • Backgrounders
  • Biographies

Biographies provide a concise summary of an individual's relevant background, with the aim of building credibility.

Visuals that might be included in an online press center include a downloadable logo, which represents your business's identity, and downloadable online photographs of your key executives. Photographs are particularly useful as they put a face to a name and can be used by the press to accompany a news story.

Additional Suggestions for an Effective Virtual Newsroom

In addition to background information and fact sheets, here are some additional suggestions for creating a "virtual newsroom" that works:

  • Provide real names and contact information, including street addresses and telephone numbers, at the top of your online press center. Nothing frustrates a reporter more than having to dig deep into the news section of a website only to find an email address to a vague media center such as media@yourcompany.com.
  • If you have a brochure or defined press kit, make all of it available online. You'll be providing reporters with most of the information they want, and the calls that do come through will be from informed reporters.
  • Reporters appreciate calendars of events. However, they need to be updated regularly. If you're not prepared to make these changes weekly, if not daily, don't bother including a calendar section.
  • An archive of news releases on a website, sorted by date and title, is extremely useful for journalists and customers, as it places news in context.

Once you have your press releases online, remember to ensure they get posted to your site before or at the same time you release them using traditional methods.