Every business worth its salt has a website, but not every business worth its salt has a newsroom (media site). It’s usually an afterthought, but the reality is, it’s a mistake if you don’t have a media-focused portal aimed at an audience that has the potential to talk to millions of people. Billions of consumers buy goods, so a dedicated newsroom that targets journalists whose publications have untold reach through their readers is invaluable in helping spread the word about a company’s product or services. Those brands which have a high quality, user-friendly dedicated portal that specifically targets journalists and influencers are ahead of the game. Here’s five key reasons newsrooms are so important:
JOURNALISTS LOVE THEM
Time-poor journalists need accurate information and they need it fast. They don’t want to be making countless calls, scraping bits of information from here and there. The newsroom should give them all they need in a few clicks. Most newsrooms follow a particular format: press releases, image and video galleries, product pages, contact details and links to social media. Newspress is the leader in this field, having developed a bespoke platform that caters for some of the most recognised brands on the planet. Menu tabs, user journeys and easy-to-understand layouts are the hallmark of the Newspress newsroom and, as much as the front end must be slick, the administration area must be equally so, allowing for speedy and easy posting of assets. Newspress has designed its platform so anyone can use it without the need for developer input.
YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR MESSAGING
A dedicated newsroom allows you to craft your messaging with pin-point focus because you have complete control. Corporate messaging is easy to manage and with a great newsroom you can quickly release that information to the media. With all that rich information in one place the narrative can be controlled so journalists get absolute clarity about what your brand stands for and what it is about.
SECURE COMMS
As well as helping control overall messaging, newsrooms are perfect for delivering embargoed information to key media. All Newspress’s newsrooms have private log-in capabilities to enable only targeted media to access controlled content. This avoids the risk of sending a story externally before the embargo date and allows for the sensitive content to be securely managed.
While it’s tempting to host a media portal through an existing consumer-facing site, it’s much better to create a separate, focused channel for press requirements. Why? Because journalists and influencers (in the main) like to feel their needs are being specifically catered for and they don’t want to be included in the masses. Also, they don’t have an extra click to make. Once they put the newsroom on their favourites bar, all they have to do is click on the link and they are there. Journalists usually want richer, deeper information than general consumers so having a place where this is readily available helps drive coverage for the brand, product or service.
NEWSROOMS ARE DATA RICH
Newsrooms can be helpful when it comes to managing and knowing your media audience, with the ability to capture useful user data, such as what devices people are using to access the newsroom, where users are geographically and, if a log-in is imposed, who each user is.
Although aimed squarely at journalists and influencers, increasing numbers of information-hungry consumers are visiting newsrooms, knowing they will find information that differs from marketing and advertising communications. Another reason is to keep ‘news’ separate from sales-focused sites, because these detail-focused consumers feel they’re finding ‘deeper’ and ‘richer’ information than they would on a brand’s main consumer website.
YOU CAN INCORPORATE MORE TOOLS TO MAKE YOUR OPERATION EVEN SLICKER
A great newsroom should have all the necessary information that journalists need, such as photo and video albums, product information, tech specs and press contact details, but with the Newspress platform you can incorporate more tools in your administration area that’ll make your life as a PR much easier. For example, the Newspress platform allows you to book journalists into events with MyEvents, while at the same time monitoring press bookings with MyLoans or gaining an overview of engaged media through MyMedia, these tools integrate with databases and logistics systems to enable a one-stop shop for whatever is required.
Get in touch
Newspress offers clients a cutting-edge, bespoke newsroom service, enabling brands to better influence and maintain contact with journalists and PR professionals in a competitive market.
To find out more, or to request a demo, click here.
