Social Media “Missing Link”: The Online Press Room

With all the hype around social media (yes, we’re part of the hype), marketers and PR pros are forgetting that a huge part of a successful social media campaign is engaging the press.  Our most successful campaigns…the ones that look “viral”…have various levels of good ol’fashion media relations baked in.

So why oh why are so few companies taking care of business with an online newsroom?  Bloggers and traditional media alike are constantly asking for access to complete files, and they don’t want to ask a publicist for help.

Part of the problem is that many companies think they have an online press room, but they really just have a listing of press releases.  According to a survey of journalists by the Tek Group, a company that specializes in online newsrooms, the following are the top elements needed in a newsroom.

Getting this completed isn’t a huge task.  Any good IT department should be able to do it, but make sure the process is driven by the PR pros so the all-important content is complete, up to snuff and no corners on the UI are taken.

The elements in order of importance, according to journalists:

Searchable archives

Searchable Archives

PR Contacts

News Releases

Background Information

Product Info/Press Kits

Photographs

Help/FAQ

Crisis Communications

Events Calendar

Executive Biographies

Media Credentials Registration

Financial Information

Info/Interview Request Form

News Coverage

Video

Social Media Page

RSS Feeds

Audio

Blog

Twitter Feed