NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a time when news article clicks are valued more highly by media outlets than the content produced, and the future of news looks like The New York Times (27.9%) and BuzzFeed (33.5%), there are clear steps communicators can take to create stronger relationships with reporters to increase the opportunity for coverage of their organization’s news, according to the results from the 2015 Business Wire Media Survey. The data was released today during Communications Week, a New York City-based event series covering innovation in the public relations and media industries.
More than half of North American reporters use commercial newswires on a daily basis, looking for company-issued breaking news (75.3%), interesting story angles (72.1%) and supporting facts (68.8%). Journalists also look at trending industry topics (56.7%), quotable sources (50.7%) and company background information (51.2%) for additional story angles. More than 36% of respondents said they would be more likely to use a news release if it included multimedia elements such as photos, logos, audio and video files. Previous studies show that visuals stimulate increased click-through rates and 59% of journalists surveyed this year noted article clicks as their top success metric.
“In our second media survey, we look at the challenges facing today’s journalists and media outlets which will help define coverage in 2016,” said Scott Fedonchik, Business Wire’s Vice President of Marketing. “The survey results also present a road map of best practices for communicators as it pertains to increasing coverage of their corporate news.”
Reporters today are becoming more technically savvy with video production (51.6%) and web services (44.7%) which are now considered a standard part of the job. While photo services continue to be a central tool in the reporting process, 47.1% of global media outlets see livestreaming apps such as Periscope, Meerkat and Facebook Live becoming more popular as a news reporting tool.
One of the biggest research platforms for today’s news reporters continues to be a company’s online newsroom. After search engine use, an organization’s corporate site (88.8%) and online newsroom (76.7%) are the foremost destinations for journalists researching an organization.
“While journalist’s have grown accustomed to finding news ideas everywhere, they expect to easily obtain all the research they need in a company’s online newsroom,” stated Ibrey Woodall, Business Wire’s Vice President of Web Communications Services. “Online newsrooms need to act as a central communications center, housing press releases and multimedia, company-related news and brand articles, factsheets and public data.”
Download the free 2015 Business Wire Media Survey: http://bit.ly/1OOsR4b
The report and analysis are from a Business Wire survey of more than 400 journalists who answered survey questions online July 8 – August 14.
The survey highlights media outlets’ continual need for:
- Compelling multimedia-rich corporate news content
- Social media shares, not social media pitches
- Updated, responsive online newsrooms for media research
In addition survey highlights predictions related to the future of reporting, including:
- Technical knowledge needed by reporters
- The role of long form and short form news produced by platforms such as BuzzFeed and The New York Times
- Reporters’ increased usage of interactive content and livestreaming
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About Business Wire
Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in news release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Investor relations, public relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire to accurately distribute market-moving news and multimedia, host online newsrooms and IR websites, build content marketing platforms, generate social engagements and provide audience analysis that improves interaction with specified target markets. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented simultaneous NX Network. Business Wire has 32 offices worldwide to securely meet the varying needs of communications professionals and news consumers.
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