One of the areas on my Department website that I am not satisfied with is the Media Pressroom tab. I had information in the Pressroom, but was never really satisfied with the way it was presented. So, on this Monday, I present you with some of the items I will place on my retooled media area and look in return for your suggestions on administering a Pressroom on your website.
I have visited a number of FD Pressrooms and find these aspects to be ones I would like to emulate -
1. Make your contact information easy to find; include phone number and an e-mail that doesn’t go to an unnamed inbox. For instance, instead of info@smithtownfd.org, use the PIO’s e-mail—it will reassure the press it won’t be going into the black hole of the Internet. Also include your social media “buttons.”
2. Include high- and low-resolution images for download, but offer a thumbnail snapshot of what the journalist will be downloading before he or she starts. It’s frustrating to finish a long download only to realize it’s not what you wanted. (Don’t forget to include current photography of key team members in the PIO area.)
The same goes for videos—offer a YouTube link that they can quickly scan before committing to a large HD file.
3. Place in the Pressroom ready-to-use stories that might spark the interest of reporters. Bloggers may even copy and paste them as is. For this reason, include them in html—not in a PDF format.
4. Make your Web site searchable. Help journalists find what they need quickly by placing a search box that’s easy to find.
5. Allow media to access site content and submit press requests from their desktop and their mobile devices, for when they are on the run.
6. Keep the content fresh. Remove outdated information.
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Even the Walls have Ears – November 24, 2010
- How do I Address a Judge? – November 18, 2010
- Looks like we are getting some Respect – December 7, 2010
Regarding older material, I’m not sure I’d remove it from the site, but move it to an archive portion of the site. For example, http://www.example.com/pressroom/archive/2010/1 for January of 2010.
This isn’t quite on the topic of the press room for a department’s web site, but if your department has its own domain (thefirepio.com, for example), I’d suggest using the e-mails that are most likely included with your hosting package. I find it somewhat confusing to send an e-mail to joe@firehouse.com and get a reply from skatebiker1492@aol.com (just examples).
Plus, if you’re asked for copies of e-mails (such as in a legal environment), it’s easier to filter out the departmental e-mails. And honestly, I think it looks more professional.
Which brings me to the point I was going to make – when using your departmental e-mail address, make a signature that includes your contact information, as well as a link to your web site and, as Jeff mentioned, your social media buttons.
Just a thought.