READ ONLINE (with audio link):
iPressroom’s Southeastern Sales Director and former PR strategist James Madden on Why Online Newsrooms are Important in Today’s New Media Age
LISTEN TO AUDIO FEED ONLY (time - 8:04)
Disclaimer - the last minute is about the iPressroom's online media product, but the first part of the audio broadcasts provides an excellent overview of why a PR professional should establish an online newsroom.
In the words of James Madden:
- an online newsroom makes your PR job easier - best distribution channel for your news today
- it is an effective tool to manage expectations and increase exposure
- You want to build an all-in-one PR product that uploads optimized materials to an online newsroom, sent materials to reporters or consumers/fans, provides an information resource for the media and, at the end of the day, presents your ROI through analytics.
- an online newsroom with an existing database saves the PR professional a tremendous amount of time
- this works for large and small business and departments
As a former PR strategist, I represented companies in a variety of industries. I created media exposure for my clients utilizing traditional PR methodology. In the new media age, what I quickly discovered is that news doesn’t truly exist till its posted online. If a reporter can’t find the story on Google or on a company website, it simply doesn’t exist.
After observing effective online newsrooms over the last few years, a few points became obvious. Successful online newsrooms function best when they present the following options to visitors: downloadable videos and images, updated news releases and announcements, RSS feeds, blogs, podcasts, social media connections, and reachable primary contacts. Reporters and consumers alike want easily accessible information, preferably contained on the same page. If they can’t find what they need, they grow frustrated and move on from the site.
In today’s 24/7 media cycle, I encourage every PR professional to begin the process of creating an online newsroom for your company or your clients. It will save you time, it will save you money, and most importantly, it will maximize your company’s exposure.