From time to time, people ask me how public relations has changed



during the two decades in which I’ve been seeking publicity. My

answer: technology. Twenty years ago, the fax machine was a

newfangled novelty. Our primary means of communicating with

journalists was the telephone and the US Mail. The advent of e-

mail and the web has made life easier in many regards and tougher

in others - namely, thanks to hordes of clowns with money making

schemes and software that "blasts" press releases

indiscriminately to reporters, it’s become very hard to get your

e-mails through to spam-weary reporters.

But there’s another great advantage provided to publicity seekers

by the Internet -- the ability to create an "online news room".

In the "old days", the press kit reigned. Big bulky folders

loaded with press releases, glossy photos and slides were

standard. They were expensive to design, costly to reproduce and

required lots of manpower and postage to assemble and distribute.

Today, you can simply direct a reporter to a web URL, where all

your press materials and high definition artwork awaits, ready to

be used. It’s a huge time and money saver.

A quick note: the traditional press kit isn’t dead. It’s still

handy to create some physical kits to use with key journalists,

as the very novelty of printed material can give you an edge at

times. Also, some journalists still prefer a physical kit. Press

kits are an important tool at trade show booths & press rooms,

and special events. However, gone are the days of sending out

large press kit mailings. Keep the kits for targeted use only.

Creating a useful online news room is really pretty simple. One

of the main things a busy reporter wants is easy access to press

releases, corporate and executive info and artwork. A well put

together media room should provide a seamless walk-through.

Where Should the News Room Go?

There are two schools of thought on where to put your online news

room. Some companies prefer to have it as a section on their main

site, visible to all as a link on a menu bar or other

navigational element. Others build entirely separate sites just

for the media.

There are pros and cons to each. Putting it as part of your main

site allows a journalist to "poke around" your site, absorbing

more of the feel and culture of your company and its products. It

also makes it easier if the reporter wants more information about

a particular product than can be found in your media materials.

Of course, since you’ll need to provide clear links to the online

news room to help such reporters find their way back, anyone

visiting your site can access your press materials. This is

probably not an issue but, if you feel potential customers may

become confused if they wander into the online news room, this

could be worth considering.

Creating a separate site allows you to tailor everything to suit

the needs of the reporter and prevents the possibility of

confusion for potential customers visiting your main site. The

reporter however, will be unable to quickly "poke around" the

main site as described above, so you may consider that in your

decision. If you do choose a separate site, give it a name that

incorporates your company (if you’re the Acme Company, go for

acmepress.com or acmeonlinenewsroom.com). Also, provide clear

links to your main site throughout, and code them so that they

open in a new window, allowing the reporter to see your main site

without having to backtrack to the online news room.

Some Do’s and Don’ts

DON’T force journalists to register or sign in for access.

They’re busy folks and may very well decide not to bother. Make

life as easy as you can for them.

DO offer the opportunity for journalists to enter their e-mail

address if they wish to be kept abreast of the latest news from

your company, but don’t link it in any way to the ability to

access any portion of the site. DON’T confuse non-journalists who

may wander into the site. Make it clear at the top of your main

page of your online news room what it and who it’s for.

DO provide a link to your consumer FAQ page and an e-mail link

for customer service to give non-journalists a place to go to get

their questions answered. This will save you a great deal of

time responding to messages from non-journalists asking "why am I

looking at a press release? How do I download a new driver" or

some such thing. Here's what Gateway says, "Gateway press

contacts are only able to provide assistance for qualified

members of the news media. They are not qualified to respond to

product or technical support needs...If you are not a member of

the news media, please feel free to visit our pages for Product

Service and Support."

DON’T try to lay out the online news room if you’re not a

talented web designer. Don’t use flash, heavy java scripts and

other doo-dads. The face you put forth to the media must be

highly professional, and the ease of navigation and logical flow

of the news room is vital.

DO hire a professional designer who has a portfolio that includes

simple, easy-to-navigate, clean-looking sites.

What To Include in Your Online News Room:

Personal Contact Info. The name, address, e-mail, phone number,

fax number and cell phone number of your primary media contacts

must be front and center. If you have an Instant Messaging ID,

put it in there, too.

Press Releases. Place press releases in chronological order (most

recent at the top). Keep traditional press release formatting and

use easy-to-read fonts.

Executive photos, product photos, charts, graphs, and other

appropriate artwork. Provide multiple versions -- 72 dpi (lower

resolution) for online publications and websites, and 300 dpi

(higher resolution) for offline publications. Put instructions

such as To download, right-click and choose "save" next to the

graphics. Make sure your pitch letters and press releases

provide links to the appropriate artwork on your site.

Backgrounders, executive bios, white papers, investor relations

info (if applicable), fact sheets, speeches, awards, streaming

media of: press conferences, product demonstrations, president's

speeches, etc.

Search Tool. Make it easy for journalists to find just what they

want, by making all your press materials fully searchable.

Online News Rooms to Study:

The best way to learn how to put together an online news room is

to see how some very smart folks have done it. Here are three

outstanding examples....

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/default.asp

http://www.google.com/press/index.html

http://www.crayola.com/mediacenter/