Online NewsroomPR 101: The Importance of the Online Newsroom.

In this all-access digital world, companies of all sizes need to be sure they have an up-to-date online newsroom.

Just as corporate websites need to be current with product and company information, current, search-optimized online media newsrooms for journalists are also a must.

In a recent national survey by TEKGROUP International,  98% of journalists expect companies to have an online newsroom.

The most important item to have in the online newsroom? PR contact information.  Journalists need quick access to PR contacts and the media team as these writers and Editors are always on a deadline. What type of information can your company provide? PR contact name, cell phone, Skype, Twitter handle and email address for starters. Any additional social network information like a blog address and Facebook page name is helpful for journalists to do additional research.

According to the survey, journalists expect organizations of all sizes to have the following:

  • an online newsroom available for media access
  • easy access to news releases in the online newsroom
  • PR or media team contacts’ information
  • offer a searchable news archive in the online newsroom so the media can gather detailed information right on your site

What kinds of materials should be in the online newsroom? A company fact sheet, Q&A sheet, executive biographies, subject matter experts, news releases, company blog, Twitter stream, high resolution images, video or audio files and more.

Email is the preferred method of news and pitch delivery. 95% of journalists prefer to receive news, information and story pitches from a company through e-mail. And in this mobile world, more than 60% of journalists value the ability to receive news on their mobile device.

Journalists also prefer to see a listing all of a company’s social networks on one page.  A company should list their social networks on the website home page as well as the online newsroom. The link to the online newsroom also needs to be easy to find on the home page.

Have you searched your online newsroom in Google lately? Be sure it shows up when you search your company name + online newsroom. If it does not, update the title tag and page to be sure it is properly optimized for search.

Good luck and if you have a great example of an online newsroom, please share it with us!

Image via Ragan.com