Chapter 6. Interactive Newsrooms: How to Attract the Media

In the PR person's perfect world, you want to have constant interaction with your media contacts. Stay connected to them at all times by telephone and e-mail, and for contacts you know intimately, use instant messaging (IM). When you do, journalists reach out to you constantly for information about your brand(s), industry research, expert quotes, executive interviews, and company statements. Yes, the media will always rely on you for human intelligence and one-on-one interaction. However, you can (and should) also provide an interactive newsroom that can prove to be a main source of credible information, especially when journalists research story ideas at all hours or use your media center to obtain breaking news. The newsroom is also a great way to maintain control of brand communication and is much better for the journalist to receive information straight from the brand, rather than another source (especially during times of crisis or uncertainty). You can't be there all the time. So, it's your responsibility to make sure your brand's newsroom is 24/7/365, updated daily and interactive with the tools for today's overworked and "always on deadline" journalist.

You've Got the Basics Covered

Hopefully, by now you have the basics of the Web newsroom down pat. Most journalists expect to see certain simple, required elements. You should have included in your newsroom the following key elements or features:

  • Contact information for your company's PR person/editorial contact— Don't make a journalist search for this information. The PR contact information should be front and center on the first page of the newsroom, along with any specific directions on how the journalist should navigate this area of your site. Many newsrooms place the PR contact information as an option on the navigation bar. Other brands choose to have PR contact information appear on every page, in a prominent position. Additionally, journalists also see the contact information on each and every news release archived in the newsroom. It might seem redundant, but it's okay to be repetitive with the contact information. You don't want to take the chance that your busy journalist, in his or her mad rush for information, doesn't see the PR person's information upon first entering the newsroom.
  • Basic facts about the company— Basic facts can be presented in the form of a company fact sheet or a company overview. The fact sheet is a snapshot of the company's executive team, its performance, products and services, and current situation. The fact sheet, of course, needs to be updated to reflect the company's most recent position in the marketplace. The company overview or "backgrounder" gives the journalist an idea of the history of the company and how it came together. This write-up usually includes the company's mission/vision and strategic direction. Editors look for the basic facts to get a feel for the company's background and then will search for more detailed information if there is an archived news release section in your newsroom.
  • A company's perspective on its industry or current events— Discovering the company's spin is as easy as accessing company industry presentations or speeches by executives, or by reviewing past publicity that's prominently displayed in the newsroom. This proves especially helpful to the journalist to see what other publications are writing or have written in the past about the brand.
  • Access to financial information, if available— Of course, if you're a private company, you won't post your financial performance. However, you might include in a fact sheet an approximate number representing your sales and revenues for a particular time period, or your aspirations for growth over the next several years. As a public company you are required to post your financials, which are open to journalists, analysts, and the public in the investor relations section of your site.
  • Easy downloadable images for stories— Images and logos (if your company permits their usage; some don't) are great to offer to journalists who want to download them for their articles. Today, most newsrooms offer low resolution (72 dpi) for Web usage and high-resolution (300 dpi) digital files for quick download into print publications. Images enhance a story, but you need to have them clearly labeled with captions to describe the event or the individuals in the photo. The availability of logos is a sure way to get more brand exposure. If you take the time to organize your image library (whether it's by event or a time period), you will see the journalist's appreciation when your photos appear in an editorial. There will always be instances when a publication wants its own photographer to take photos. In these cases, the PR pro will be called upon to arrange the photo opportunity.

Newsrooms Serving a Wide Range of Needs

Today, the basic newsroom elements will only get you so far, especially when you need to communicate updated information in an instant. Newsrooms in a Web 2.0 world range from the basics to the more sophisticated media centers with searchable databases, video presentations, and podcasts. Then, there are the most advanced interactive Cyber newsrooms with blogs, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, and social media news releases. These more complex online newsrooms are also customizable and fully integrated to not only house your news and information, but also to distribute your news announcements (in the form of releases, media alerts, and newsletters) and monitor the progress of your communication.

With so much to offer in terms of advanced newsroom features, the question still remains—what do the journalists really want to find in a newsroom? It's safe to say that it depends on the journalist and his or her technology acceptance. In writing this book, some journalists declined the offer to be interviewed. When it comes to Web and PR 2.0, one journalist who writes for a publication in the high-tech broadcast industry shared her technological level of expertise: "...Truthfully, I don't use RSS technology. I do use the Web when I'm researching my articles for assignment, but it's mostly Google and other search engines." She passed on participating in an interview saying, "Maybe I'm not the best candidate for this interview." Is there anything wrong with the journalist moving at her own pace? No, absolutely not. It's only a problem when the brand moves at a slow technological pace and the journalists are ready for more interactive new media application. You need to be ready. There will always be journalists who are tech savvy and look for advanced newsroom features.

TEKgroup International, Inc. (www.tekgroup.com), developers of online newsroom software, conducts an annual survey to take the pulse of what journalists expect from an online newsroom. A comparison of the surveys conducted in 2005 and 2006 reveals that the online newsroom is a valuable tool for the journalist and the communicator. However, details of the 2006 survey disclose that editors are expecting different functions and features in newsrooms; some relied upon much more than others. Ibrey Woodall is the director of marketing at TEKgroup International. In an article she wrote for the Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) Tactics magazine, she refers to the 2006 online newsroom survey and states:[1]

"Primary features desired by journalists (85 percent) include the ability to request that only news related to their particular beat be delivered. The preferred method is via e-mail with a link back to the online newsroom (99 percent). The same method is preferred for pitched stories (97 percent). One journalist states, 'Targeted weekly e-mail newsletters are always the best way to catch my attention.' Other means of notification include wireless devices (13 percent) and Really Simple Syndication, or RSS (18 percent)."

Interview with an Expert

Ibrey Woodall is an expert in building online newsrooms. As Director of Marketing at TEKgroup International, she oversees the Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations functions for the company. Woodall possesses almost 25 years of combined experience in the publishing, marketing/PR, and Internet arena, and provides her insight into today's newsroom requirement and also discusses the details of her company's annual survey.

Q: How have newsrooms changed over the past few years?

A: They've become a standard, as does most technology that actually serves a specific purpose and is beneficial to its users. Remember when cell phones were big and bulky and used only by a few? Initially, public relations professionals were intimidated by software. Their jobs were pretty hectic already; they didn't have time to learn how to code Web sites. With the advent of the online newsroom, a tool was provided to communicators that enabled them to do their jobs more productively.

It [online newsrooms] also enabled the journalists to do their jobs more productively. One of the many complaints we hear from journalists is that they can't get the information they need when they need it. Early on, there was hesitation from public relations professionals who believed that journalists would not use the online newsroom and definitely would not register to access some of the password-protected areas. TEKgroup's annual survey of journalists shows that 86 percent of those surveyed are willing to register. That's an increase of 3 percent from 2006. The key is to secure only specific sections that work for both your company and the journalists who cover your company's needs. We find that the industry password protects the access of high-resolution photographs and PR contacts, especially if cell phone numbers are posted.

Q: What does a journalist look for in today's newsroom?

A: First of all, they expect a company to have an online newsroom. All journalists who were surveyed felt, to some degree, the online newsroom was important. If your company doesn't have one, 94 percent of journalists surveyed expect you to have one in the future. Multiple elements exist that a journalist wants to access from a company's online newsroom. The top five would be PR contacts, news releases, searchable news release archives, product information, and photographs.

Q: How does TEKgroup international help its customers to build a newsroom that supports today's communications needs?

A: At TEKgroup International, Inc., we pride ourselves on being one of the first online newsroom software providers. Because of this, we've been very active in our research, as you see with the annual Online Newsroom Survey. We are also very active in educating the industry. We've partnered with the Public Relations Society of America, and we consistently provide updated material in the form of articles in industry trade publications and presentations at industry trade conferences.

There are two customers here that we have to support. One customer, the journalist, is after all, the end user. They have to get what they need quickly and easily. The online newsroom has to be designed and developed for that. Our research keeps tabs on what the journalists need. We relay that to the public relations professional.

The other customer, the public relations professional, needs to be able to focus on content, not code. The online newsroom software provides this capability. They are able to deliver the type of news and related assets that an individual journalist desires.

Q: What are some of the more interactive newsroom functions?

A: The entire newsroom is interactive because it's available 24 hours a day, fitting all deadlines. It's also interactive—the communicator is able to maintain it because it is a Web content management system, similar to any word processing editor. All posting, editing, and distributions are done by the PR professional. The PR pro no longer has to wait for the IT person to return from lunch to post a news release for them; they can get instant gratification. They post it and then view it. This immediacy is extremely important when dealing with crisis communications.

One of the more interactive and powerful functions within the newsroom is the capability to distribute your own e-mail alerts to registered journalists. This not only provides convenience and a return on investment, but it brings intelligence to the table. That intelligence is in the form of reports that identify which journalist actually returned to the newsroom via the e-mail alert and what other elements within the newsroom they accessed. This is a great report to submit to executives.

Q: Discuss one of your best case studies (newsroom makeovers).

A: Well, I'm partial to all our online newsrooms because we do establish relationships with our clients. The process of creating an online newsroom is very team oriented.

An interesting use of the online newsroom software came with the creation of the Carlson Hotels Worldwide newsroom located at http://www.carlsonmedia.tekgroup.com/. This is a good example of a common situation where too few communicators have to manage media relations for too many entities. The online newsroom software enabled them to manage the parent company site, as well as properties such as Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites, Regent International Hotels, and Park Inn—all from one single online administrative tool.

The online newsroom software is also a very efficient and financially responsible way to manage this particular situation. If each property decided to create its own individual newsroom, the cost would have affected the budget more, and there might not have been as consistent a message delivered throughout the properties.

How do you think newsrooms will change in the next 5 to 10 years?

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