How to make your Web site reporter-friendly

Charles Pizzo’s suggestions on reporters’ loves and hates when it comes to online pressrooms

“PR people design press rooms for their bosses, and not for the media,'” says Pizzo. “They’re beholden to marketing departments, who are making them post voluminous piles of information.” Pressrooms are often dumping grounds for marketing material that journalists don’t really need—and don’t have enough of the brief, easy-to-scan info that reporters want.

“Journalists need fact sheets with bullet points, and they don’t want to have to scroll down the page to find what they’re looking for,” Pizzo says. Herewith, Pizzo’s suggestions on reporters’ loves and hates when it comes to online pressrooms.

What reporters hate

Poor organization: Pizzo says the online pressroom for Entergy is a great example of organization. Press releases are organized by year, with press releases going back only a few years on the same screen. “Old releases should be archived,” Pizzo says.