Creating an online newsroom: now, you can direct a reporter to a Web URL where your dynamic press kit awaits.For a business owner who rarely uses a publicist pub·li·cist n. One who publicizes, especially a press or publicity agent. publicist Noun a person, such as a press agent or journalist, who publicizes something publicist , Johnny May has certainly managed to garner a lot of media attention over the last three years. The 36-year-old president of Pontiac, Michigan-based Securities Resources Unlimited--an independent security consulting and training firm--credits his firm's "online newsroom" at www.identitytheftinfo.com with helping to create and feed that buzz for his 5 year-old firm. Many small businesses are discovering the value of public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most , and use the Web as a affordable, effective tool for "getting the word out" to various media outlets. Bill Stoller, the Fort Lee, New Jersey-based publisher of' Free Publicity, the Newsletter for PR-Hungry Businesses, says creating an online newsroom is an easy way for reporters to access press releases about your company. Stoller notes that companies have two options when setting up an online newsroom: Either include it on your main site and let journalists "poke See peek/poke. poke - The BASIC command to write a value to an absolute address. See peek. around" to get the feel of your company, or create a separate site for media needs (and that doesn't distract potential customers browsing See browse. your main site). In the newsroom, you'll want to include contact information (name, address, e-mail and phone/fax numbers) for the primary media contact. "If you have an Instant Messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or ID, put it in there, too," suggests Stoller, who advises firms to list press releases in chronological chron·o·log·i·cal also chron·o·log·ic adj. 1. Arranged in order of time of occurrence. 2. Relating to or in accordance with chronology. order (most recent at the top) and to link them to a selection of low-and high-resolution photos, charts and illustrations for media use. Lastly, Stoller says companies should also include a search tool within the newsroom, where journalists can key in terms and come up with related materials. Be sure to keep the information updated. When journalists see that the latest press release was from five years ago, they may click to another, more current site. When establishing or updating the newsroom. Stoller says companies should keep their target audience in mind--usually, the harried journalist on a tight deadline and in need of useful, solid information that his or her audience will find compelling. In doing so, you'll rise above the "slush pile In publishing, the slush pile is the set of unsolicited manuscripts either sent directly to the publisher by authors, or sent through an agent not known to the publisher. Sifting through the slush pile is often a task given to young, first-jobbing assistants to the editors. " of small companies that are vying vy·ing v. Present participle of vie. vying vie for media attention but unsure how to go about getting it. "If done right," says Stoller, "an online newsroom is a very cost-effective way to market small businesses that can't afford to spend big bucks on advertising or a PR rep." May concurs, and says that every small business owner is his or her own best promotional tool. "No one can pitch like you can." |
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