Permanent Press
Make your Web site a magnet for news-hungry journalists.
Your Web site is many things: an introduction to customers, an
information hub and a showcase for your stellar product or service.
What many entrepreneurs forget, however, is their Web site is often
the first stop for journalists seeking information about a company.
Savvy business owners know that to get coverage, Web sites not only
have to be accessible to journalists, but also be attractive to
them. We asked Deborah Schwartz, president of Media Relations Inc., a
public relations firm in Bethesda, Maryland, to give us the skinny
on how you can get noticed by reporters without being an irritation
at the same time. - Make it easy to navigate. Reporters are usually on
deadline and have a very limited amount of time to research-they
don't want to spend 10 minutes watching your extravagant Flash
intro while it sucks up their bandwidth. Always include a clear
"skip intro" button.
- Include basic information. Make sure the press contact
phone number, address and e-mail are easy to find. Reporters like
to follow up-and it helps if they have a number to call.
- Be picky about press releases. "I'm a
stickler," says Schwartz. "A press release has to be
legitimate news." While John Q. Employee's big promotion
to head of accounting may be very exciting to you, it's not
exactly what you'll see on CNN. Be very choosy when deciding
which press releases you want to put on your Web site.
- Edit your bios. When a reporter is looking to do a story
on you, the company Web site is one of the first places he or she
will look for background information on you and your key
executives. Make it brief and interesting, and include topics in
which you have expertise. "It's an overview of who you
are," says Schwartz, "not where you graduated from
school."
- Create interesting links. Point visitors to your site
toward a charity your business is involved with or to articles that
have been written about you in the past. Says Schwartz, "It
lends credibility."
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