Dear CEC Members,

I’ve learned a lot about you all recently. In the past six weeks I have visited every single one of your company newsrooms. (This task falls into the “you never know where life will take you” category—but still a very educational experience.) And let me tell you, you’ve got some work to do. No worries though—we’re going to do it together. First, I’ve got 10 “yes or no” questions for you:
Quiz: State of Your Newsroom

1. Is your company’s newsroom called a “newsroom” as opposed to a “pressroom” or “media room”?
2. Can you access the newsroom within 1-click from the company homepage?
3. Is the content intuitively organized to help users quickly find info?
4. Can a user access PR contact info within 1-click from every page in the newsroom?
5. Has a new piece of content been updated to the site in the past 48 hours?
6. Is there a banner with featured stories and eye-catching images?
7. Are there links to off-site company content, such as social media channels, blogs, other news sources?
8. Are there links for users to share your news with their own networks?
9. Do you allow users to comment on news releases on the site?
10. Does content on the site discuss industry news and issues in addition to company news and announcements?

So, how’d you do? Were you able to say “yes” to all 10? (Few newsrooms hit that bar, for what it’s worth!) I’d guess most of you could answer “yes” to about 5 or 6. So, there’s definitely room for improvement.

No matter where you currently stand, CEC members can find guidance and recommendations in our brand new guide on How to Build a Leading Online Newsroom.

In a recent poll, not even one-third of communicators said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their newsroom. Yet, this channel is also the #1 way that most companies distribute a typical company news story—a dangerous gap here. To keep up with the shifting nature of information consumption in today’s environment, it’s critical to invest in this channel!

I know resources are tight—but think of the thousands of dollars you could save if you reduced the investment in sending your news over a wire. And think how valuable it would be to increase traffic to your newsroom instead of having to find more and more ways to push your news out through other channels. Oh, and think how much time could be freed up if you weren’t constantly answering media calls and questions.

As part of your Spring Cleaning to get your Communications team focused on the right areas, let us help you learn How to Build a Leading Online Newsroom.

Best,

Dana