Publicists: It’s Time to Embrace the Technology of Online Press

Publicists: It’s Time to Embrace the Technology of Online Press Kits

So you have a cell phone, a Palm Pilot, an automated office complete with teleconferencing, remote-access, Web site and e-mail addresses. So what? Just because youre always available to the media doesnt mean the media has easy access to your clients. What will your high-tech office be able to do when a reporter wants a press kit at 7 p.m. on a Friday evening? Nothing except hastily prepare the hard copy kit for a costly overnight shipment.

There is a simple way to eliminate the need for keeping a large inventory of hard copy press kits and reduce your dependency on the shipping company guy: publish your clients press kits online.

Making the move from hard copies to press kits published online that are always-accessible is essential in todays age of e-mail. The corporate world lives by e-mail; reporters and other media professionals are no different. These people are busy and time is always of the essence when theyve got deadlines breathing down their necks. The decision to use your client in a story instead of someone else is contingent on whose information is easiest to get. If it takes all night for your clients press kit to reach their desk, you might get bumped.

I know what youre saying right now. But, Drew, I e-mail my clients press materials to the media. Well, thats great, but just because reporters use e-mail doesnt mean they open every strangers message that arrives in their inbox and it especially doesnt mean that they even bother opening your attachments. Why? Because its too risky.

First of all, everyone knows not to open an e-mail from someone you dont know; especially if theres an attachment. This is e-mail safety 101. Strange e-mails with attachments usually mean one thing: virus. At least, thats the take of most businesss firewalls and anti-virus protection systems. You may think youre making waves by mass e-mailing your media lists with attached press releases, but how many calls are you getting back? Not many, since your important e-mail has been tossed out with the wasser worm and those annoying enlargement e-mails.

So whats the solution? Reject technology and start snail-mailing and faxing again? No. Embrace technology and publish your press kits online.

Now, an online press kit is not a Web site. Dont be confused by the term online. Though an online press kit can be displayed online and present information like a Web site, it is really a virtual folder or briefcase that allows you to upload and store your press materials on the Internet. Once in your online press kit folder, these documents and images can be distributed as links not attachments.

When you prepare your sharp, concise e-mail pitch to the media, you simply insert links to your clients press kits. When the reporter clicks the link, the document can be opened and saved on their computer. It opens like an attachment, but the documents themselves live online. Instead of piling them onto your e-mail, youre simply providing directions (a link) to get to them. They become part of the e-mail message, so a media outlets virus protection system wont automatically kick it out of the system.

Virtually anything can be uploaded to an online press kit: press releases, high-resolution images, video and audio clips, graphics and more. Plus, since you have control over your online press kits, you can always be sure theyre up to date.

Now youre thinking Wow, these things sound great, but I bet they are expensive. Not necessarily. Though there are online press kit programs available that cost into the thousands, they usually include extra features you dont really need and will probably never use. Think of the online press kit market as the binder or folder aisle at your favorite office supply store. Sure there are binders with all kinds of extras, but you pass those by for what you need and the price you can live with.

Face it technology is only going to get better and faster. Dont be left in its dust trying to wave down that brown truck with your emergency overnight press kit. By going online with your clients press kits, youre not only making them easy to access, but easy to cover by the media. The media loves that and so will your clients.

Build a Better Online Press Kit

Some recent surveys of journalists and reporters indicate that most prefer to use online media rooms/press kits as opposed to the old-fashioned hard copy press kits. Why? The Internet is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A busy reporter on deadline can log on and cruise from one online press kit to the next without having to wait for an overnight package or fax.

Many businesses and publicists are embracing this new technology in media relations and are in a mad dash to develop online press kits of their own or for their clients. Like a Web site, an online press kit should contain certain elements, should make some features more prominent than others, and be simple to navigate. Here are some dos and donts to consider before you dive in and begin creating an online press kit.

Online press kits Should:

Be easy to locate if linked to a main Web site. For instance, if ABC Bottled Water has a public or consumer Web site already established, a separate media room can be linked to the Web sites home page. This link must appear prominently either in the sites menu or on the home page. Reporters dont have time to search for it. Also, if the media room is linked to a main site, the media room should share the main sites look and feel, so that reporters dont feel link theyve been forwarded to some unrelated site.

Provide materials commonly used by the media. A general press kit usually contains a backgrounder, FAQ, and profiles of key individuals/spokespeople. This is what a reporter will want to see when he or she visits your online media room. The purpose of providing these common documents is to minimize any extra work a reporter will need to do to get what he/she needs. Other important items to include are high-resolution, digital photos, high-resolution digital logo graphics, and of course, press releases. A good online media room will come equipped with a media library where all types of files can be uploaded, stored, and distributed, including general press kit materials.

Include the media coverage already received. When a company, organization, or individual has been covered by the media (preferably favorably), it helps to legitimize them. Be careful about copyright issues when reposting articles, though. If you or your organization has appeared in the media, use anything from audio clips, video clips, and links to media outlets Web sites in your online media rooms In the News page. Check with the media venue for reprint permission.

Include media contact information prominently. If the person handling media relations is not an employee of the company/organization, be sure that the contact info in the online media room directs reporters to the person who is. If a reporter reaches out and his/her request is lost in cyberspace, chances are, they wont come back.

Online Press Kits Should Not:

Combine info for both the public AND the media. Ideally, the information provided for the media should be separate from content intended for the public or consumers. One reason is that it makes it more difficult for the media to find what it wants, and another is because it reduces your control over the info provided to the media. Messaging is very important, and while it can sometimes vary for the public, it should always be consistent for the media after all, your messaging is what theyre using to cover you with.

Require a reporter to make numerous requests for additional info. There are always going to be some things that you do not want to provide online on a constant basis. This could include certain photos or ebooks. Keeps these instances to a minimum! In cases like these, it is fine to say please contact us for photos of this event, or please contact us for a sample ebook. Some media rooms have very limited file space, which may require you to upload low-resolution photos to save space. Asking reporters to contact you for high-resolution photos is all right, too. The point of an online media room is to provide the media with most of what it needs.

Be out of date. Update press kit materials as needed, and try to keep a current press release available even if it wasnt distributed on the wire or to reporters directly. By keeping a timely supply of news, in your media room, it will be obvious to the media that it receives your attention.

Other Helpful Tips:

Use links not e-mail attachments! Media rooms with media libraries should allow you to upload your documents and create a URL to their location online, which you can provide to the media instead of an e-mail attachment. When was the last time you opened an e-mail from a stranger that had an attachment?

Have a blog? Link it to your online media room. Blogs are a great way to discuss your company, cause, or industry and are often used by members of the media when researching someone/something for a story. If you have one, add the link to your media room. If you dont have one, consider getting one.

By following these tips and by putting yourself in the shoes of a journalist, you will be able to develop an online presence that is both informative and convenient. Do this and youll meet the demands of the media and increase the likelihood of gaining editorial exposure.