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7 Things Journalists Expect in an Online Newsroom

Post by Claire Olech, Intern

As the recent PRGN global journalist study showed, reporters are working harder than ever. So it is important to make sure your company’s online newsroom is working just as hard — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year — for you.

According to TEKGROUP International, their recent national survey of journalists revealed seven key components journalists expect in any online newsroom:

1) Newsletters and Email Alerts – According to survey results, 92 percent of journalists prefer to receive news via email alert, and 72 percent prefer to only receive news in which they are invested. Allowing visitors to subscribe to an email alert or newsletter provides them the opportunity to subscribe to your company’s news without having to dig for specific content.

2) High-resolution photographs and video – In the digital age, and with practically everyone using smartphones, it is easier than ever to access to high-resolution images. Ninety-eight percent of journalists surveyed agree that high-resolution photographs and video are important elements in an online newroom.

3) Product Information – 89 percent of journalists agree that prominently displaying product information is critical in online newsrooms. Don’t let visitors get bogged down in details before telling them exactly what it is you do.

4) Archives – Archives provide journalists with quick access to the foundation they need to create new content about an organization. A well-organized archive frees the journalist time to write, rather than spending hours searching for relevant background information, history, awards, white papers and links.

5) Links to Social Media – 78 percent of journalists surveyed want links to social media properties prominently displayed in an online newsroom. If you’re struggling to choose between platforms, keep in mind the surveyed journalists report visiting companies’ Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts most often.

6) Organized, Timely, Positive – All content should be as up-to-date as possible and organized as specifically as possible. In addition, social media-friendliness and positive content project an image of an organization that makes journalists want to revisit that newsroom for follow-ups and future content.

7) Detailed Media Contact Information – It seems so simple, but many online newsrooms lack contact information for an organization’s specific PR representative. Ninety-seven percent of surveyed journalists agree that being able to talk to a real person who can speak for the organization is important. Rather than displaying a generic company email address, such as pr@xyzco.com, be sure to include the specific person’s name, personal email address and direct phone number.

For complete survey results and additional information on the online newsroom study, visit the TEKGROUP website.