Why and how to create a press section on your website?

Developing a section dedicated to the press is not essential when creating your website — and you are partly right to think so.

"Partly" because your business may not need one, which is entirely possible. "Partly" also because this section ultimately has no impact on the smooth running of your site and does not prevent you from having an excellent showcase for your clients.

That is precisely the point: understanding who should set up a press tab and in what form. Let us explain.

What is the purpose of a "press" section?

Your website is most likely well stocked with descriptions, benefits and all manner of information aimed at your clients. But with a "press" tab, you are addressing a different category of people — people who are not, in the end, potential customers.

These are professionals who, by virtue of their work, could play an important role in growing your reputation and your business. We are talking here about professions that orbit around the media. Journalists, of course, but also bloggers and influencers who now wield considerable persuasive power over their audiences.

• Making all the elements they might need available in advance — for publishing articles and other types of content — has many advantages:

• It proves that you are an expert in your field and that you are capable of talking about it. You are able to respond and are not afraid to speak up on the subject.

• Journalists, bloggers and influencers feel valued. You have taken the time to prepare materials to make their job easier.

• You have greater control over what is said about you. Reporters have no excuse: everything they need is at their fingertips, and they even have a way to contact you if they have any doubts.

• You multiply your chances of appearing in the media. Journalists do not waste time searching for information and are less likely to give up on writing about you.

• Your competitors will not be approached to cover topics that are yours to address. Once again, ease of access to information works in your favour.

The more elements, the better

To enjoy all the advantages mentioned above, it is important to take the time to build this tab properly. Everything should start from one question: what would I need if I were writing about my own business?

The more detail and content you provide, the more satisfied media professionals will be and, potentially, the less time you will spend answering their requests.

Here is what we recommend including in this section:

• A brief presentation of your business and what you offer
  Without repeating everything already on your site, imagine these few lines could serve as an introduction to an article. Get straight to the point to best define what you do.

• A media library
  You should make your logos and a photo gallery available. Having pre-selected them yourself ensures that illustrations associated with articles about you will be of good quality and relevant. You can also include videos and client testimonials to vary the formats.

• A press kit
  Take the time to produce a comprehensive press kit. If any details change, remember to update it so that journalists always have access to fresh, accurate information. This will almost certainly be the largest source of information on the page.

• Press releases
  We refer to these in the plural, particularly if you are in the habit of communicating regularly through this channel as your news develops. Being able to find them all in one place makes it easy to follow the chronology of events and your growth — all relevant material for a journalist.

• Media coverage
  Press articles, blog posts, partnerships, and so on. Do not hesitate to gather all the media content that has been produced about you. This will serve as evidence of your profile and reputation.

• Your company's press contacts
  Even though you have made as much material as possible available, you must still offer a contact for any additional information, publication authorisations, specific enquiries, and so on. Display the email address — and even the phone number — of the person best placed to answer all questions from media professionals.

All of these elements can appear directly on the press tab, or they can be bundled into a downloadable "media kit". The visitor simply saves it to their device and has access to all the content. However, make sure each file is clearly named so that journalists and bloggers do not waste time — or lose patience — once they have downloaded it.

To conclude

Now that you have a full picture of what such a strategy for your press relations involves, it is up to you to decide whether setting up a tab of this kind is relevant to your business.

Whatever happens, even if you do not see the urgency in preparing these materials right now, you will be glad you have them to hand when a news event or change within your company makes it necessary to establish media contacts.