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It's Time to Embrace the Technology of Online Press Kits
by Drew Gerber
So you have a cell phone, a Palm Pilot, an automated office complete with
teleconferencing, remote-access, Web site and e-mail addresses. So what? Just
because you're always available to the media doesn't mean the media has easy
access to your clients. What will your high-tech office be able to do when a
reporter wants a press kit at 7 p.m. on a Friday evening? Nothing - except
hastily prepare the hard copy kit for a costly overnight shipment.
There is a simple way to eliminate the need for keeping a large inventory of
hard copy press kits and reduce your dependency on the shipping company guy:
publish your clients' press kits online.
Making the move from hard copies to press kits published online that are
always-accessible is essential in today's age of e-mail. The corporate world
lives by e-mail; reporters and other media professionals are no different. These
people are busy and time is always of the essence when they've got deadlines
breathing down their necks. The decision to use your client in a story instead
of someone else is contingent on whose information is easiest to get. If it
takes all night for your client's press kit to reach their desk, you might get
bumped.
I know what you're saying right now. "But, Drew, I e-mail my clients' press
materials to the media." Well, that's great, but just because reporters use
e-mail doesn't mean they open every stranger's message that arrives in their
inbox and it especially doesn't mean that they even bother opening your
attachments. Why? Because it's too risky.
First of all, everyone knows not to open an e-mail from someone you don't know;
especially if there's an attachment. This is e-mail safety 101. Strange e-mails
with attachments usually mean one thing: virus. At least, that's the take of
most business's firewalls and anti-virus protection systems. You may think
you're making waves by mass e-mailing your media lists with attached press
releases, but how many calls are you getting back? Not many, since your
important e-mail has been tossed out with the "wasser" worm and those annoying
"enlargement" e-mails.
So what's the solution? Reject technology and start snail-mailing and faxing
again? No. Embrace technology and publish your press kits online.
Now, an online press kit is not a Web site. Don't be confused by the term
"online." Though an online press kit can be displayed online and present
information like a Web site, it is really a virtual folder or briefcase that
allows you to upload and store your press materials on the Internet. Once in
your online press kit folder, these documents and images can be distributed as
links - not attachments.
When you prepare your sharp, concise e-mail pitch to the media, you simply
insert links to your clients' press kits. When the reporter clicks the link, the
document can be opened and saved on their computer. It opens like an attachment,
but the documents themselves live online. Instead of piling them onto your
e-mail, you're simply providing directions (a link) to get to them. They become
part of the e-mail message, so a media outlet's virus protection system won't
automatically kick it out of the system.
Virtually anything can be uploaded to an online press kit: press releases,
high-resolution images, video and audio clips, graphics and more. Plus, since
you have control over your online press kits, you can always be sure they're up
to date.
Now you're thinking "Wow, these things sound great, but I bet they are
expensive." Not necessarily. Though there are online press kit programs
available that cost into the thousands, they usually include extra features you
don't really need and will probably never use. Think of the online press kit
market as the binder or folder aisle at your favorite office supply store. Sure
there are binders with all kinds of extras, but you pass those by for what you
need and the price you can live with.
Face it - technology is only going to get better and faster. Don't be left in
its dust trying to wave down that brown truck with your emergency overnight
press kit. By going online with your clients' press kits, you're not only making
them easy to access, but easy to cover by the media. The media loves that - and
so will your clients.
About the Author
Drew Gerber is Co-creator of Press Kit 24/7 (www.PressKit247.com),
an online press kit technology. In addition to helping non-profits and small
businesses manage their own media relations through technology, Gerber is
Co-Owner of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a PR firm representing causes, nonprofits,
and businesses that make a difference. An expert in the art of listening and in
building relationships, Gerber can be reached at
Drew@publicityresults.com.
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