You send out a press release. A reporter likes it, so he (or she) decides to check out your website to do a little more digging. However, when the reporter visits your website, he finds it woefully inadequate at providing any useful information. Before you know it, the reporter has dropped your story in favor of something else…all because you don’t have a media-friendly website.
Here are a few tips to help make your website more accommodating to reporters.
- Keep it organized — This really goes back to initial planning stages of your website. Hopefully, you organized your website in a logical manner, with clear, intuitive navigation that makes it easy for visitors to browse through your site and find the information they’re looking for.
- Include a search function — When a reporter visits your website, he probably is doing so with the purpose of finding a specific piece of information. You can make this search as easy as possible by adding a search function to your website. This allows the reporter to simply insert the search phrase in a search bar (located in a visible area on the page) and track down the information quickly and easily.
- Make sure all the links work — Go through your website to make sure all the links are functioning properly. There’s nothing more frustrating than clicking a link only to end up on a non-existent, broken page or a page that’s under construction.
- Include past press releases and media coverage — Reporters will often reference past news stories when writing a story on a specific topic. Rather than making them scour the web for past stories about your company, include these press releases and news stories in your online news room so they’re readily available.
- Offer detailed information on your products and services — Different reporters take different approaches when writing a story. Some will only be interested in the broad, general facts related to the story; others may want to know every minute detail about your products, services, and company. Your website needs to appeal to both audiences. It should include both short blurbs/general information and detailed specs for those who want more information.
- Include high-resolution pictures — The media will often look to your website for product photos to use in their stories. Make sure you have high-resolution photos available on your site.
- Highlight your achievements — Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. It’s essential for building your credibility. So, list out any awards you’ve received, accomplishments you’ve achieved, credentials you boast, etc.
What are some other tips you’d add to this list?
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab three free ebooks, including the Big Press Release Book and Twitter Tactics, here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/big-press-release-samples-book/