Catch The Media In Your Web

by Michael Maynard

Your company has a Web site? Great! Colorful graphics that seem to jump off the screen? Terrific! And the content?

Uh-oh.

Does your Web site feature your company profile? Statistics on your industry? New product information and the best use for those products? An easily accessible company contact?

A Web site can be a great way to get your message out to reporters and editors in the broadcast and print media. It can, that is, if your message is articulate and additional information easy to get. After all, journalists should be counted among your customers and prospects. Their mention of your company or product in one publication or television or radio program is like a customer telling thousands of friends.

You need to understand that the media is not a monolith. Publications and broadcast outlets look for different angles on stories. Media outlets from cable television to magazines continually create niche publications and programs for specific audiences.

Whatever their differences, reporters and editors do share things in common. Time, for example-or rather, the lack of it. Most journalists, regardless of their medium, work on deadlines, Often they're thrown into a story at the last minute and call you for information out of desperation. You can either be their hero and save the story-and reap the rewards-or be the bystander who watches helplessly as they sink, and miss out on a valuable chance for free publicity.

The Internet has been a godsend for reporters, who are often frustrated at trying to get sources to return telephone calls when they need information for a story. Logging on to a company's Web site lets a reporter get information after business hours or bypass a voice-mail maze.

A poorly-organized Web site that's difficult to navigate, though, can be a computer version of 'voice-mail hell.'

A writer for a national magazine went online to identify companies that carried the latest high-tech security devices. Finding the companies that offered such products was easy-getting around their sites wasn't. The ones that he selected opened with a screen that had an array of selections to click on. Surprisingly, only one or two sites actually had 'new products' sections and gave a contact to call for more information. Those were the products he mentioned in his article.

If you want your Web site to be an information center for journalists as well as the general public, make it one. Remember, posting relevant, easily accessible content is the key. Here are some other things you should do:

Establish a section for media. Some organizations have buttons labeled 'Press Room' or 'Media Center' where they post their latest press releases, quick facts about the organization, and more detailed information about new products or the industry as a whole.

Update continuously. A reporter who clicks your 'Hot Product' button and learns about a 1998 release or turns to 'Fresh News' and gets a 1997 press release won't stick around-and has no reason to come back.

Provide a contact. An online press room might not answer every question. Your site should give the direct phone number (or extension) and E-mail address of a contact person who can provide further information or clarification.

Create links. Making it easy for a journalist to get more information about your industry by linking to another Web site can only create goodwill. But don't make the mistake of linking to a competitor's Web site!

In order to use your Web site, though, journalists must first find it. Developing a mailing list of journalists and alerting them to your site doesn't have to be difficult. Send the reporters who cover your industry a note or brochure that includes your Web site address. Let them know your site's value to their work. Also include the assignment editors and producers at your local television stations and cable networks in your mailing.

If you present your Web site as a useful tool and not a piece of public relations fluff, chances are they'll file your announcement for future use. But newsrooms and reporters' desks are often chaotic and messy. Even the most useful card or information sheet gets lost. Don't be shy about sending it again after a few months.

Don't forget about freelance journalists, who are often looking for stories they can pitch to editors. They may have an organization in your area (check the Yellow Pages). Contacting the writers of articles in publications that you'd like to be mentioned in can lead to gold. If you can't reach them directly, call the publication-most likely they'll give you a writer's number or leave a message from you.

Don't let a single piece of paper leave your office without your Web address on it. Put it on your letterhead and mailings. If you have a newsletter, make sure each issue mentions your Web site and a summary of its latest update.

Getting some ink or air time isn't a matter of being lucky or catching a break. Give journalists a reason to visit your Web site and provide them with easy navigation when they arrive, and you'll create a valuable resource for yourself-journalists may wonder how they survived so long without you.