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What do the American Cancer Society, Disneyland, Facebook and Prudential all have in common? Optimized online newsrooms. While each has a unique approach, all four take great care to make sure media has easy access to the news and information they need to regularly surface and tell compelling stories, as well as the resources that make the organizations a go-to for reporters.
Colleges and universities, with their steady supply of research, subject matter expertise and activities, can be meaningful resources for the media's reporting, and when done right, the online newsroom offers a powerful opportunity to elevate an institution's relationship with the media. To help you create a space that is valuable enough for media to turn to—and return to—the following five features should put you well on your way to activating the full potential of your online newsroom:
Segmented Content: To help media navigate your newsroom, organize content in distinct, intuitive sections. For example:
- Media kit: Provide all key background materials about your institution in one location—history, factsheets, FAQs, statistics. (The American Cancer Society and Facebook offer two different takes.)
- Press releases and statements (including an archive)
- News and views: This section can include posts on interesting campus events, news, happenings, etc.; feature stories; and commentary on the news of the day—it should be updated regularly, if not daily. (Tag content by category like Facebook to make it even easier to peruse.)
- Research and data
- Multimedia: Set up a one-stop-shop for image, video and audio galleries—and remember to include embed codes for videos. (To help highlight the most relevant packages of multimedia assets, follow Disneyland's lead and offer a selection of curated multimedia kits.)
- Leadership and subject matter experts: Clearly outline the areas of expertise and any special instructions on how to request an interview for each member of your speakers bureau. (Expert pages in the American Cancer Society and Prudential newsrooms are two options—a way to improve these models would be to add a search bar like in the Brookings Institution's expert directory.)
- Event calendar: List all upcoming events and keep it current—immediately remove items once they have passed.
- Social media feeds
Subscription Options: To encourage reporters to opt-in to updates from your institution, make it painless for them to sign up for email updates and/or RSS. Social platforms provide another effective and efficient way to connect with reporters, so make sure to include links to all of your institution's active social media profiles.
Search Box: By adding internal search functionality to the online newsroom, reporters interested in a specific topic will be able to more quickly find what they need, including archived content. Just make sure that the search box is dedicated to the newsroom and not returning results from across your institution's entire website.
On-page SEO: Even reporters consult Google, so like every other section of your institution's website, the online newsroom should be optimized with targeted and relevant keywords to help reporters outside of your network discover your resources and subject matter experts.
Current Contact Information: This may seem obvious, but it should be clear to media who they should contact with questions or interview requests. If there are multiple contacts, be sure to note each contact's area of responsibility. This information should always be up-to-date and include both email addresses and phone numbers (office and work cell, if applicable).
Your online newsroom frequently serves as your institution's first impression for media, which makes it a critical component of your media relations strategy. By giving media a positive experience, you increase the likelihood that they will become regular visitors and, in turn, more regularly reach out to pursue stories and speak with your experts. Additionally, your online newsroom is also an excellent proactive media relations tool since you can enhance your story pitches with links to content and other resources. If you haven't already, make updating your online newsroom a priority—the benefits will reach all aspects of your media relations efforts.
Lindsey Read is senior vice president, education at Communications Strategy Group, an award-winning public relations firm that specializes in K-12 and higher education based in Denver with offices in Chicago and New York.
