Step One: Develop an Online Strategy
Yes... a strategy. The first step is to pin point why reporters would be interested on your company, your company's senior management or your products and services? Once this is determined, your web strategy is designed to make sure that reporters get the information they need when they need it. It's all about strategy.
Step Two: Provide Information
Reporters need information right now. Deadlines in the news business are fierce and information is needed 24 hours a day. The more information you provide in your site, the better your chance of becoming a resource for reporters. A press section on the website with executive biographies, position statements on current issues, corporate photographs and articles are often very helpful for reporters and could even ignite future articles.
Step Three: Position your senior management as experts
In your press section, remember to include short bios for your senior management and the areas in which they could serve as experts. If it were appropriate, some of them could even have their own blogs where they share their views on their field of expertise and engage in public conversations with an online audience.
Step Four: Can your site be found?
Make sure the keywords by which a reporter might find your site are included throughout your online text. What topics or words would reporters search for that have to do with your company? Repeat those words throughout your text and include them in your site's meta tags.
Step Five: Contact the Media
Once you have built your site, let the media know about it. Send a fax or e-mail to those reporters for whom you could be a source to let them know that your senior management can be contacted. Make sure they have the correct web address and that they know they can get all the contact information they need on the site.