Expert Insights
Your source for expert insights. Featuring news and best practices that help you showcase your talent and build brand reputation.
Book a DemoWake Forest University Ramps Up Its Online Newsroom
May 24, 2016 - by Todd Robson
During my career as a journalist there were many occasions, almost daily occurrences actually, that I’d have to navigate a school or institution’s website to try and get in touch with someone.
The journey usually began via the Contact Us page and, had I been looking to enroll, tour the campus, or pay my tuition – I was home. For media however, it was all too often a different story.
Usually down at the bottom of the page, in the far right corner, was a subtle and seemingly shy ‘For media inquiries please call this number…’
It was as though they were hiding or, at the very least, avoiding me. Whenever there was a media release touting a recent announcement there would be calls, emails made available and a spokesperson at-the-ready to promote and speak to reporters. But whenever I went looking, it didn’t seem like there was a two-way street for access and information.
It made no sense. And it ultimately cost a lot of those organizations free coverage, institutional promotion and a strong and fluid relationship with media.
Thankfully, times are changing.
Take a quick trip to Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and you’ll see the future of online media relations.
Imagined and developed by the Communications & External Relations group at Wake Forest, the newsroom reflects the experiences of a team of professionals who have worked both sides of the camera and fully understand the needs of the university as well as the needs of media.
“The primary goal of redesigning our online newsroom has been to help journalists covering Wake Forest do their jobs quicker, easier and better,” said Katie Neal, executive director, news and communications. “Now news.wfu.edu is the digital extension of our team’s guiding philosophy: make telling Wake Forest stories a positive experience for news media by providing them as much content, access and support as possible.”
Wake Forest had high expectations that included:
- Increased media coverage and mentions.
- Easy access to myriad resources for journalists, especially multimedia.
- A more prominent display Wake Forest experts for easier engagement with media.
- A more proactive newsroom that pitches and inspires media to cover the university by providing the information upfront on the site.
Developed in collaboration with ExpertFile, Wake Forest is leading the way in post-secondary media engagement and relations.
“Working with the Wake Forest team, we were able to figure out the best approach to display their expert content in a way that would fit the messaging of the newsroom in a consistent manner,” explains Brad Danks, Client Success Specialist at ExpertFile. “With Katie’s vision on this project, we were able to identify the key components of expert content which would best help amplify their expertise.”
Some of the key improvements that Wake Forest now added to its newsroom include:
Feature Story Ideas
- With suggested experts for various newsworthy topics, the newsroom guides visiting audiences to find the right person to speak on particular stories.
- Example “Expert Pitch”: N.C. Bathroom Bill Deadline WFU LGBTQ Expert Available
Expert Visibility
- You’d be hard pressed to find a page that doesn’t refer to a particular expert in the Wake Forest newsroom, not to mention the collection of Election 2016 experts. With an expert first approach, the newsroom makes it easier for visiting audiences to find the right person.
Streamline Connections
- The newsroom provides multiple avenues to reach out to the Wake Forest News team, when seeking an expert, which increases the likelihood for media, or other audiences, to reach out.
So there you have it, but it’s easier said than done.
The delivery and execution of a high performing, results-driven, effective and interactive newsroom certainly takes time and effort, but collaborating with solutions like Wake Forest did with ExpertFile, make it much more manageable.
The results, however, far exceed the investment. Your school will:
- Increase institutional exposure.
- Increase credibility.
- Promote your school and faculty.
- Further develop stronger ties to local and national media.
- Maximize your earned media potential.