There was a story of how the concept of the online newsroom started when a court made available a PDF of a legal document available for download for press reporting in the 1990s. Companies began to adopt the use of press rooms on their website, and it overcame the problem of retrieving supporting information and files easily for journalists working on stories. Fast forward 15 years, now, information is at tip of our fingers literally, even more than ever.
Our study with journalists in Asia found that 74% of journalists perform a search first when they receive a press release. At this point, it is vital for them to land on your organisation’s newsroom.
When they do arrive at your organisation’s newsroom, can they find what they want?
Disparities between what the press want and corporate newsrooms provide
1. Contacts
In our study across Millward Brown’s Top 100 global brands, we found what 24% of these brands failed to list their phone number in the newsroom. Another 48% did not include contacts in the media releases. Leave the press scrambling around looking for the spokesperson, and lose a story.
2. Image & Video Resource library
As it becomes increasingly common to see journalists reporting a same piece for multiple channels (print, broadcast and online), there is a need to support these journalists with more than just a well-written release and photos. For example, some stories reported by Mediacorp journalists will appear in the print daily, on TodayOnline.com and also on Channel NewsAsia. As such, video clippings are always welcome for the broadcast and multimedia slots.
We also found that 40% of the 100 brands did not offer an image or video library online.
“Images should be available online and accessible to the media at all times instead of having to request for high-res images,” Carol Lian, Travel & Lifestyle Editor at Wedding and Travel.
“Sometimes we don't download images immediately as we are still deciding on space and relevance. We also don't like wasting your time re-uploading images,” Xu Ci’en, Deputy Editor at August Man.
3. Relevancy
Write for the benefits of your readers. In this case, the readers of the press reporters. Jonica Bray, News Editor at Woman’s Day Magazine Australia said, “Journalists.. just want to see a good story that fits in with their demographic.”
How do you craft a newsroom to generate inbound PR?
One way is to establish an editorial proposition. According to Will Sturgeon of Golin Harris, you could do a “Nobody Cares” test. What kind of content would be useful for the intended audience? Brands like Intel, Coca-cola, Cisco have established newsrooms with strong editorial propositions. American Express provides an Open Forum site about “Exchange Advice. Make Smart Decisions.” Intel’s iQ newsroom is a curation of stories relating to innovation and technology trends. Coca-Cola’s The Journey is about happiness, and lifestyle. From curated stories to studies, to infographics, these newsrooms provide content that are compelling for the individual to share. And if it is compelling for me to share, then others will want to read it!
Plan ahead with content. On top of that, ensure that your newsroom is ready to react! This will ensure efficient communications in the time of crises, and opportunity for newsjacking. A study from Edelman found that real-time content generated 4 – 6 times the level of engagement, compared to a typical post. In 2012, when the Oslo Airport was faced with fuel shortage, communications was put together very quickly. Armed with an iPad, the head of media, Vegar Gystad, posted latest updates from the airport’s newsroom through to the media outlets and social channels Facebook and Twitter. Within minutes, the reports came through all the major news sites.
These were some of the points shared at the panel for "Setting Up a Social Media Newsroom to Create Content, Communicate & Connect" at the New Media Relations Conference held 14 - 15 July 2014. More views from the panellists in the next article "How to make your newsroom an online content hub".
- Published & Distributed via AsiaToday.com
