Press kits and online media rooms have been a topic of discussion between my teams and several clients during the past few weeks. Some of the conversations have been related to website updates with the chance to reimagine the boring, static press room that is live currently. Others have been about organizing a tremendous amount of company and industry content into a format that is eye-catching and simple to navigate.
We field requests every day on behalf of our clients from reporters and bloggers who are searching for more information about our clients. When they come to us first we have the opportunity to help guide the discovery process. However, most reporters and many bloggers do a round of independent research before calling the company or PR agency, so it is critical that your strongest information is at their fingertips to make a solid first impression. Think of a press kit or online media room as your company’s “Hello, My Name Is” badge. At the highest level, today’s most comprehensive press materials and/or online media room include:
- PR contact information, including email and phone
- Recent press releases
- Up-to-date fact sheet(s)
- Executive bios and head shots
- White papers and/or research reports
- Infographics
- High-res images (available to download)
- Plugins or widgets to showcase the most dynamic social media channels the company manages
- Company blog links and previews
- Recent media coverage
- Top industry headlines
Online press kits and media rooms vary widely by company type. If updating yours is on the radar for 2015 be sure to gather the right mix of marketing and communications stakeholders and agency partners in the room to map out a content and search engine optimization plan for the content. A few starter questions may include: Is the company public or private? Does the organization’s content update and cycle continuously or is content static for several months at a time? Is there a blog or social media platforms where real-time conversations are relevant to reporters?
Media, bloggers and even consumers will thank you for making it simple to learn more about the organization, its mission and how it is differentiated from the competition.
