CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - February 22, 2011) - For most of us, the first activity of the day is to check our inboxes for new email. We live in our inboxes and, according to a new survey from PWR New Media, the same holds true for journalists.
PWR New Media's survey of more than 200 journalists reveals that media organizations have reduced staff to the point that all remaining reporters have been forced to take on extra responsibilities, including more and more Internet duties. Although a large number of respondents from this survey named print as their dominant medium, a whopping 77% said they contribute to a blog or other on-line site in addition to their traditional responsibilities (a 14% increase over last year's survey).
"The number of journalists who contribute to on-line sites or blogs just keeps growing," said Malayna Williams, Managing Partner, PWR New Media. "This trend underlines the need for PR professionals to digitize assets in order to ensure their releases are usable across mediums. We find that the most effective releases, those with a lot of pick-up from the media, make it easy for journalists to use the information by providing it in a content rich, multi-media format."
That is where news releases, and, in particular e-releases, come in. The reason why journalists rely so heavily on electronic media is the ability of the medium to deliver additional assets, like photos, bios, related blogs, relevant links and video. In addition, with advent of smart phones, e-releases give journalists the ability to view news and get contact information while on-the-go.
In fact, 79% of journalists stated that they were more likely to cover a news release if it included easy access to hi-res photos. Studies have shown that the best way to ensure coverage for a story is to make it easy for the reporter or editor to put together the piece. With e-releases, all the information a reporter needs is in a highly accessed place, their inbox.
The survey was comprised of 200 respondents with a large percentage from print outlets (31% from newspaper and 28% from magazine) and 12% from online. All media types were represented including bloggers and broadcast.
To see the complete survey results, click here.
About PWR New Media
PWR New Media is a leading marketing firm specializing in New Media press releases and e-marketing. Founded in 2006, PWR New Media provides high-level counsel and campaign execution for both small businesses as well as Fortune 500 clients, including Energizer, Bath & Body Works, McCormick, and Motorola. To learn more, please visit www.pwrnewmedia.com.
Source: PWR New Media, Survey of Journalists, February 2011
JOURNALIST QUOTES
"Email is always best; supporting photography that I can easily download (not huge files, please); or, easily accessible links that do not require a computer genius to open, view and download; also, it is always appreciated to be able to quickly have a press/media contact, just in case additional info is needed."
--Journalist, PWR New Media Survey of Journalists
"Prefer emails for many reasons: ease of sifting through them, environmentally friendly, have capacity for back and forth conversation as well as links and attachments."
--Journalist, PWR New Media Survey of Journalists
To read all unedited responses to our question about News Release preferences, click here.
MORE INFO
To see the complete survey results, click here.
To view charts of all survey questions regarding News Release preferences, click here.
Check PWR's last year's survey here.
Image Gallery
Click here to view and download charts.
To view this release in a media-rich format, go to: http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2011/pwr/survey_release/
Contact Information:
CONTACT
Malayna Williams
PWR New Media office:
312.924.4224
cell: 312.925.5152