Arizona-based public relations professional and writer Ryan Zuk writes for Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) about the essence of the dynamic new real-time news approach taken by Imperial Sugar Company to present news of the sugar industry and broaden its awareness:
Imperial Sugar Company's real-time online newsroom developed and staffed by The News Group Net.
Imperial Sugar Company’s online newsroom succeeds where many others do not. The site surpasses typical newsrooms and media centers, functioning as a vibrant news portal for the sugar refining industry.
Imperial’s newsroom is guided by journalistic style and dynamic content, which is central to its success.
Ed Lallo, partner in The News Group Net, a strategic communications and corporate journalism advisory, helped create Imperial’s newsroom. He encourages communicators to return to journalistic roots when developing news for online consumption and insists that newsrooms are not only for the media.
“The core audience for an organization’s newsroom includes shareholders, business partners, customers, donors and volunteers in non-profit instances, employees and, then, the media,” Lallo says. “Static newsrooms are the least-visited part of a Web site because most are just graveyards of old press releases. Your newsroom needs to present the spectrum of all the things that your company is doing within its industry, and hanging press releases there kills credibility.”
It comes down to identifying and understanding the people who care about your company, according to Henderson, who advises clients and practitioners to develop journalistic writing skills. To reach your audience, replace formulaic writing with a style that draws interest.
“Nobody cares what your company does unless you tell them in a way that adds value,” Lallo says.
Newsrooms need to sustain a supply of articles, photos, videos and industry observations. Imperial employs freelance writers and photojournalists who post two or three stories daily. The company understands that its audience seeks credibility and transparency, so stories often cover competitors and include information that challenges the industry, such as an American Heart Association report examining the negative effects of sugar.
Think like a journalist
Lallo says that a newsroom’s tone should not be directly about your organization. Instead, he suggests that you view your newsroom as a daily newspaper covering the industry.
“If something runs in The New York Times almost everyone else picks it up to some degree,” Lallo says. “So write stories for your core audience, which can include media who may take them whole or use pieces to expand on an idea.”
Building on the right foundation is also critical. Henderson and Lallo say that WordPress has evolved into an ideal content management system. Even The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal use it for their blog networks.
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