Maximizing Media Relations: Advantages of Interactive News Releases

July 6th, 2008 Posted in Maximizing Media Relations

Online news releases take the same standard format as offline news releases, but the online news release can be interactive, with links to a variety of interesting information that supports your message. When your news release is provided by email and you provide a hypertext link in that email, the journalist is just a click away from accessing all the information he or she needs to complete the story. Helpful links to include in your interactive news releases are:

  • A link to the email address of the media contact person in your organization so that with the click of the mouse a journalist can ask a question via email.
  • A link to the company web site so that the journalist can quickly and easily access additional information as part of his or her due diligence, or can find required information.
  • Links to articles that have been written about the company and related issues, both on the corporate web site and on other sites. Don’t provide a link to the site of a magazine that has written the article; rather, get a copy of the article and place it on your own web site to ensure a live link.
  • Links to graphics and pictures for illustration. If your story relates to your destination, have a link to a graphic that can be used.
  • Links to key corporate players, their biographies, their photos, and possibly some quotes. Journalists usually include quotes in their stories.
  • A link to the FAQ section where you can have frequently asked questions and a few that you wish were frequently asked.

Still want to learn more? Check out my book 101 Ways to Promote your Tourism Business Web Site – Now in its second edition!

-Written by Susan Sweeney

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