Why businesses are turning to Online Media Centres as a news distribution tool

The ongoing decline in the consumption of printed newspapers and rise in mobile news consumption has seen the traditional press release continue to take a back-seat as journalists turn to more engaging visual content when looking for stories. This has forced communications professionals and PRs to look for more creative ways to get their content in front of the press.

As the public increasingly find and consume the news through social media networks, mobile apps and online platforms, publishers and journalists are consequently searching for readily available ‘packaged’ multimedia content when looking for newsworthy stories.

To break through the noise of companies and brands trying to tell their stories, it’s no surprise that journalists source news in different ways – both traditionally and by adopting new techniques. However, the rise in online news consumption through social media sites such as Facebook has driven publishers to push journalists to deliver content for online platforms, presenting their stories with a combination of text, videos and images – making them more accessible, engaging and easy to share on social media.

To cater to the need of disseminating corporate updates and announcements to various stakeholders – including the media – in easily accessible formats, companies are also finding new ways to present and package their stories for both traditional and digital outlets.

Online media centres may not be new forms of communication, but as an increasing number of outlets are focusing on digital formats, journalists will be required to frequently source press releases, videos, images, quotes and other company collateral to help them put together a story.

PRs and businesses need to ensure that their stories are delivered in a way which is easy for journalists to access and ready to be published in any digital or mainstream format.