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Your Web Site is a Public Relations and Media
Resource
Presented to
Community Media Workshop
March 18, 2003
By Jonathan Lehrer
If your organization is in the public eye - or
if you desire to be - you'll want your Web site to be helpful to
journalists. Use this outline as a guide to make your Web site
media-friendly.
I. Journalists
A. The web is often a journalist’s starting
point in working on a story.
B. On deadline, need answers fast.
C. Too busy to search for information.
D. Easily grow impatient with poorly organized
websites.
E. Free-lancers may have slow connections.
F. May not have latest plug-ins, such as
Flash, PDF, etc.
II. Your Website
A. Clear “news” or “media” or “newsroom”
button on home page. “Contact” button on all pages.
1. Provides alternate pathways for information
2. Support for press conferences/media
campaigns
B. Media contacts
1. Name, area of responsibility
2. Phone number, e-mail address(es)
3. After-hours procedure
C. Press Releases
1. Should contain date posted.
2. No outdated material, unless marked as
archive.
3. Well organized, understandable page titles
or summaries.
4. Product information.
D. Fact Sheet(s)
1. Check freshness monthly.
2. Organizational history.
3. Investor Relations information.
E. Images
1. Photos (lo and hi resolution).
a) Executives
b) Products
2. Downloadable logos (color and b/w).
F. Multimedia
1. Advertising
2. Executive speeches
3. Press conferences
4. Product demos
5. Video News Releases
G. Coordination
1. Post release on website as it is being
released to media.
2. Make news announcements on home page.
3. Include web links in printed releases.
III. Your Procedures
A. Relationships
1. Always ask reporter for e-mail and website
info. Be sure to ask for their unpublished e-mail addres.
2. Keep track of reporters’ preferences for
e-mail and/or telephone contact.
3. Make sure your e-mail and website info is
on your business cards and all printed materials.
B. Pitching
1. Use e-mail and telephone in conjunction
with each other. Often, phone pitches wind-up with "let me e-mail more
information to you." Also, a phone call can follow-up an e-mail with "I sent you
an e-mail yesterday about my organization."
2. Send all e-mail in plain text format, no
attachments. Put headings in ALL CAPS, or use dashes or asterisks to set off
subheadings or bullet points. Headings can be a little longer than in
non-digital releases (the headlines are used by electronic databases).
3. PROOFREAD!!
4. Most important: the subject line. Bad:
“News from XYZ Agency.” Good: “XYZ Awards $1.2 Million in Grants.”
5. Tight introductory paragraph – respect the
reporter’s time. Give more details later in the e-mail.
6. Include hyperlinks to more information on
your website, such as lengthy studies, photos, etc.
7. Include media contact phone numbers,
e-mails, alternate contacts, after-hours procedures.
C. Responding
1. Respond quickly to reporter queries via
email, at least to let them know if you can help and by when.
2. Some reporters will only respond to email
queries and don't answer the phone.
3. Find out if a reporter can receive
documents as attachments.
IV. More information
A. “Corporate Websites Get a 'D' in PR”:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010401.html
B. “Want Reporters to Use Your Web Site? Start
Thinking Like They Do”: http://www.twna.org/mediasite2.htm
Posted: 6/4/03
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