It’s been a while since we last discussed online newsrooms.
Like any web design project, the specification for an online news room should start with your audience. What information are journalists visiting your website for, and what’s the best way to deliver it?
Vocus have released their third annual survey on the best practices for online newsrooms. Among the survey’s more interesting findings are:
- 92% of journalists in the survey use corporate websites for gathering information
- Only 24% of journalists usually find the information they are looking for (up from less than 10% last year)
- 45% of journalists say that finding the right information on a corporate web site affects their decision to include a firm in a feature
- The most popular items journalists want online are press releases, contact information and corporate information
- Their number one issue is no contact information!
There are some absolute cardinal rules for online press rooms:
Post your contact details on the front page and on every page of information. These details include direct phone and personal e-mail addresses
Post press releases in real-time as they cross the wires (and include contact information with every release online)
Provide background information and resources including photography etc
Do NOT force journalists to register for access
Post press releases in HTML – you can also provide them in PDF but always provide them in HTML first and foremost
Enable journalists to sign-up for future press releases
Ensure easy navigation from the front page of the website
Clearly time-stamp press releases and materials
Then there’s a whole range of “nice to have” considerations for a press room. These include publishing your press releases as RSS feeds, providing feature suggestions, providing downloadable press kits. The ExpertPR article on news rooms below includes a good list of these, however beware that in my opinion a number of their recommendations are not essential (and are promoting the work of the list’s authors) such as a full featured content management system, wireless distribution, built-in approval process etc.
Building an effective press room isn’t difficult. Start with your audience and very quickly you can have an effective online resource.
Murphy's Law 