You put so much effort into writing press releases and pitching the media, so why wouldn’t you take the extra step to have a single place where you keep all the PR-related content you’ve developed?
That’s where an online newsroom comes in handy. This is essentially a page on your website with everything related to your public relations activities. It’s useful to journalists, who can easily get the information and latest news they need about your company, and it’s helpful to potential customers who want to know what your brand is up to.
Perks of a Newsroom
Not only does your newsroom help get news coverage by providing everything a journalist needs in one place, it also benefits your online branding. Because you constantly update it with your latest news and media coverage, it shows the direction your brand is moving. That’s why it’s supremely important that you keep it updated!
What Goes on an Online Newsroom?
From a journalist’s perspective, there are a few pieces of information that they need in order to write a killer article about your brand. This is where you should start in building your online newsroom.
- Boilerplate about your brand: this is the “About Us” information you include in each press release. It provides a high-level understanding of what your company does.
- Press releases: each time you issue a release, make sure to include the title linking to the published version on your news page.
- Images: provide hi-res versions of your logo, product shots and key executive headshots.
- Media mentions: if your brand has been interviewed in an article, video or podcast, include links.
- Contact info: who’s the best person to reach out to for PR-related inquiries?
- Media kit: the digital version of your media kit is a great grab-and-go option for journalists who want to print it for later.
How to Build an Online Newsroom
You’ve got a couple of options here. If the press release distribution service you use offers an online newsroom, jump on it. It will simplify things to have someone else handle it. Cision offers an online newsroom that you can customize.
Your other option is to DIY. If you are savvy enough to build your website, maybe in WordPress or another simple Content Management System, it takes little effort to design a page on your site dedicated to news and PR.
Design-wise, make each section separate and easy to read. Have a section for press releases, one for media mentions, one for video, et cetera. Don’t overcrowd the page, or you’ll go against your goal of making it simple for the media to get what they need.
Having an online newsroom can boost your brand visibility simply by housing all your PR info in one place.
Photos: David Sim, Josh Hallett, Drew Dirschell (Creative Commons)
