Business Wire 2014 Media Survey Results PDF

2014 Business Wire
Media Survey
Results
In our 2014 Business Wire Media Survey, we queried North American journalists representing a wide
range of news organizations to determine what type of information and supplemental assets were needed,
along with the preferred distribution method, to effectively cover a story. Their responses, detailed in this
report, provide Business Wire and todays communication professionals with a series of best practices
for engaging with media, creating and distributing press releases and managing online newsrooms.
A Business Wire Guidance Report
A Berkshire Hathaway Company

+1.888.381.9473 | www.BusinessWire.com
GUIDANCE REPORT
1
PRESS RELEASE AND ONLINE NEWSROOM INSIGHTS
Over the last 50 years, Business Wire has continued to develop long-lasting, reciprocal
relationships with both news media and professional communicators.
In our 2014 Business Wire Media Survey, we queried North American journalists
representing a wide range of news organizations to determine what types of
information and supplemental assets were needed, along with the preferred
distribution method, to effectively cover a story.
Their responses, detailed in this report, provide Business Wire and todays
communication professionals with a series of best practices for engaging with media,
creating and distributing press releases and managing online newsrooms.
More than 300 members of the North American media participated in the survey. No
incentive or prize was offered in exchange for participation.
2014 Business Wire Media
Survey Results
The 2014 Business
Wire Media Survey
shows nearly 90%
of responding
journalists used
a press release
within the last
week and that
almost 80% turn
to a companys
online newsroom
when researching
an organization.

GUIDANCE REPORT
2
MEDIA PROFILE & SUCCESS METRICS
The results from the 30-question survey contain insights from editors, reporters, writers, columnists, and
bloggers, many of whom have been in the industry for more than 25 years, who actively use corporate
news as the basis for articles and posts. Due to Business Wires vast reach, multiple industry beats are
represented by the journalists who participated in the survey.
4.0%
4.7%
51.1%
14.2%
1.5%
1.1%
15.3%
8.0%
Which title most closely resembles your title? (Select one)
Blogger
Correspondent/columnist
Editor/editorial staff
Freelance Journalist
News director
Producer
On-air talent
Reporter/writer
Other
0.4%
7.7%
8.8%
9.9%
23.0%
50.4%
How many years have you been a member of the media? (Select one)
Less than one year
2-5 years
6-10 years
10-15 years
15-20 years
25+ years

GUIDANCE REPORT
3
MEDIA PROFILE & SUCCESS METRICS
2.2%
5.1%
14.2%
1.5%
7.3%
2.6%
5.1%
2.6%
2.9%
2.6%
1.1% 6.2%
1.1%
1.1%
2.6%
1.5%
1.1%
10.6%
2.9%
22.6%
Which industry is your PRIMARY beat? (Select one)
Agriculture
Automotive/Transportation
Business
Communications
Energy/Utilities
Electronics
Entertainment
Finance
Food/Beverage
Government/Politics
Health/Fitness
Healthcare
Law
Publishing/Media
Real Estate
Retail
Sports/Recreation
Technology
Travel/Hospitality
Other

GUIDANCE REPORT
4
Indicative of industry trends, more survey respondents now work for online web-based publications and
blogs (total 44%) than for magazines (28%), newspapers (16%), radio (2%) or television (1%).
The primary internal metrics used to evaluate the success of a reporters story include the number of page
views (53%) and unique visits (40%) to the story, as well as social media activity such as likes, tweets,
sharing and emailing (42%) and comments left (24%) on the individual article.
6.9%
27.7%
15.7%
2.2%
1.1%
36.9%
9.5%
For which type of medium do you PRIMARILY provide content? (Select one)
Blog
Magazine
Newspaper
Radio
Television
Website
Other
24.5%
52.6%
39.8%
41.6%
26.3%
15.3%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
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Are any of the following metrics used to evaluate your stories?
(Select all that apply)

GUIDANCE REPORT
5
PRESS RELEASES
Almost 90% of the responding journalists referenced a press release in the previous week with most
reporters (62%) using one in the past 24 hours.
The most sought after type of story information in a press release includes: breaking news (77%),
supporting facts (70%), interesting story angles (66%), quotable sources (52%), company background (50%),
trending industry topics (49%), and supporting multimedia (29%).
Other responses include news of geographic relevance, key hires, pending job additions and layoffs, new
business contracts and product launches and updates.
61.7%
27.4%
5.1%
1.5%
1.1%1.8%
1.5%
When did you last use (viewed, referenced, sourced or gathered) information from a press
release to put a news item together? (Select one)
In the last 24 hours
In the last week
In the last month
In the last 3 months
In the last 6 months
In the last year
Too long ago to remember
77.4%
49.6%
65.7%
52.2%
70.1%
28.8%
48.9%
11.3%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
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What type of story information do you look for in a press release?

GUIDANCE REPORT
6
PRESS RELEASES & MULTIMEDIA
Almost a third of journalists (31%) want professionals to provide supporting multimedia within the press
release, and more than half (54%) are more likely to review a press release that includes multimedia than
one that does not. With such a strong bias by the media for releases that contain images, it is important to
note which multimedia elements are preferred.
Photographs (73%) lead the way, with graphics (43%), infographics (32%) and video (27%) also favored,
although several comments emphasized the fact that the news must be relevant, whether it contains
multimedia or not.
31.0%
44.2%
22.6%
2.2%
Are you more likely to review a press release if it provides multimedia elements (logos,
images, audio files, video files)? (Select one)
Yes
No
Maybe
I dont know
6.6%
32.1%
42.7%
28.8%
73.0%
27.4%
12.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
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Which type of multimedia elements do you prefer be offered along with a press
release? (Select all that apply)

GUIDANCE REPORT
7
RECEIVING NEWS
Email alerts (64%) and press releases (28%) are still the top two desired methods by media for receiving
news. Only 3% of reporters selected social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube) for receiving
company news.
Methods such as text messages, telephone calls, facsimiles or blog posts are far behind in the list of choices
with less than 2% combined.
0.4%
63.9%
0.0%
28.1%
3.3%
0.7%
0.7%
4.7%
What is your PREFERRED method for receiving breaking news from an organization
(Select one)
Blog posting
Email alert
Fax
Press release
Social media posting (Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.)
Telephone call
Text message
Other

GUIDANCE REPORT
8
Business Wire (71%) remains the top newswire used by media followed by PR Newswire (6%) with no
other services hitting 25% usage.
More than half (53%) of the reporters surveyed use content distributed by a newswire service one or more
times a day, while almost 18% use a newswire at least once a week.
70.8%
14.6%
17.9%
66.4%
21.5%
19.3%
12.8%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
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Which newswire service do you use when researching an organization?
21.5%
31.8%
12.4%
5.1%
5.8%
1.8%
6.6%
15.0%
If you use a newswire service, how often do you use it? (Select one)
Several times a day
Daily
Several times a week
Weekly
Several times a month
Monthly
Occasionally
I don't use a newswire
service

GUIDANCE REPORT
9
When asked how their job would be affected if newswire-distributed releases were no longer available,
close to 70% stated that it would make their job harder.
PITCHING STORIES
When it comes to receiving story pitches from todays communication professionals, email alerts (69%)
and press releases (22%) are again at the top of the list of preferred methods for outreach, whereas some
journalists prefer not to be pitched at all. Overwhelmingly, reporters rated social networks as the least
favorite way to be pitched a story idea. Facebook (90%) is the least favored with Google+ (88%), Twitter
(83%) and LinkedIn (75%) following.
0.7%
68.2%
31.0%
If newswire-distributed press releases were no longer made available, how would it
affect your job? (Select one)
My job would be easier
My job would be harder
It would make no difference on my
job
1.5%
68.6%
21.9%
1.1%
2.2%
0.7%
4.0%
Which of the following is your PREFERRED method for receiving a story pitch?
(Select one)
Blog posting
Email alert
Press release
Social media posting (Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.)
Telephone call
Text message
Other

GUIDANCE REPORT
10
16.8%
82.8%
0.4%
What are your thoughts on receiving a story pitch via Twitter? (Select one)
I like it
I dont like it
I prefer it
23.4%
75.2%
1.5%
What are your thoughts on receiving a story pitch via LinkedIn? (Select one)
I like it
I dont like it
I prefer it

GUIDANCE REPORT
11
9.7%
90.3%
0.0%
What are your thoughts on receiving a story pitch via Facebook? (Select one)
I like it
I dont like it
I prefer it
11.7%
87.6%
0.7%
What are your thoughts on receiving a story pitch via Google+? (Select one)
I like it
I dont like it
I prefer it

GUIDANCE REPORT
12
SOCIAL MEDIA
Despite not wanting to receive pitches via social media, as a research tool, social networks are used by 74%
of the media surveyed; with approximately a quarter of them using both Twitter (26%) and LinkedIn (23%) in
their groundwork.
12.4%
4.4%
23.0%
25.5%
2.6%
26.3%
5.8%
Which social media network do you use PRIMARILY for work-related research and activities?
(Select one)
Facebook
Google+
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
I do not use social media networks for
work-related research and activities
Other

GUIDANCE REPORT
13
ONLINE NEWSROOMS
After the main website (92%), the online newsroom (77%) is the foremost destination for journalists
when they need to research an organization. This section of an organizations website is used regularly for
editorial research as are social media networks (42%), spokespersons (42%), blogs (34%), the press release
boilerplate (30%), trade publications (41%) and Wikipedia (32%).
33.6%
92.0%
77.0%
42.0%
42.0%
29.6%
85.0%
9.1%
10.2%
40.5%
31.8%
10.2%
Where do you look when researching an organization?
Organization's blog
Organizations corporate site
Organizations online newsroom
Organizations social media networks (LinkedIn, Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube, etc.)
Organization's spokesperson
Press release boilerplate
Search engine - Google
Search engine - Bing
Search engine - Yahoo
Trade publication sites
Wikipedia
Other

GUIDANCE REPORT
14
Access
Despite the incredible growth of mobile, media primarily access online newsrooms with desktop computers
(96%). Wearable technology such as Google Glass has yet to scratch the surface when it comes to emerging
hardware use by media.
Complexity
Whether or not the journalists surveyed prefer to visit a parent/child online newsroom with multiple
categories, each representing a separate brand within a larger corporate newsroom, or to research
individual online newsrooms with tailored content per recognized brand, depends upon the size of the
company and the complexity of the brands (47%).
96.4%
1.1%
2.2% 0.4%
From which platform do you PRIMARILY access an organizations online
newsroom/media center? (Select one)
Desktop
Smartphone
Tablet
Wearable technology (i.e.
Google Glass, etc.)
29.6%
6.9%
16.8%
46.7%
Do you prefer to access news and information on multiple brands within a single,
parent online newsroom? (Select one)
Yes
No
I dont know
It depends upon the size and
complexity of the brand

GUIDANCE REPORT
15
Content
When it comes to what media look for most within an organizations online newsroom, press releases (88%)
remain one of the most sought after content types. Logically, breaking news ranks high by 87% of media
surveyed, with media relations contact information (80%) following closely behind. Journalists prefer press
releases in an HTML/text format (55%) over a PDF format (9%), with 52% of journalists asking for at least
one to ve years of past press releases and 27% preferring the complete historical archive.
2.9%
24.1%
27.7%
12.0%
6.2%
27.0%
How many years of historical press release archives should be made available in an
online newsroom/media center? (Select one)
Current year only
1-2 years
3-5 years
5-10 years
10+ years
Entire organization's history of
press releases
55.5%
9.5%
35.0%
Do you prefer press releases within an online newsroom/media center to be in an
HTML/text format or a PDF format? (Select one)
HTML/text format
PDF format
Both HTML/text format and PDF
format

GUIDANCE REPORT
16
Fact sheets (69%), images (63%), press kits (53%) and executive biographies (52%) round out the top
required pieces of content, with over 40% of respondents desiring access to the organizations history or
timeline (48%) and event listings (40%).
21.9%
11.7%
14.2%
25.2%
87.2%
36.5%
79.9%
28.1%
40.1%
51.5%
68.6%
35.4%
48.2%
62.4%
27.4%
37.2%
30.7%
23.7%
32.1%
6.2%
53.3%
88.3%
36.5%
4.0%
9.9%
15.3%
15.3%
5.5%
35.8%
13.5%
5.8%
23.7%
17.9%
31.8%
5.5%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0%
Advertising/marketing campaigns
Audio files
Awards received
Blog
Breaking news
Case studies
Contact information (email/phone)
Crisis communications information
Events
Executive biographies
Fact sheets
FAQ (Frequently asked questions)
History/timeline
Images (high-resolution)
Information/interview/media credentials request form
Locations/facilities list
Logos
Newsletters
Past editorial coverage (In the News)
Polls
Press kits
Press releases
Product specifications
Reader/site visitor comments
RSS feeds
Social media content feeds from Twitter, FB, YouTube
Stories written and/or provided by the organization
Stories written and/or provided by readers/site visitors
Subject matter experts
Suggested story ideas/abstracts
Sustainability
Transcripts
Video files
White papers
Other
Which types of content do you want to access in an organizations online newsroom/media center?

GUIDANCE REPORT
17
More than 60% of surveyed media are receptive to reading brand articles within an online newsroom, while
24% stated that they do not care about articles and stories written by the organization, and a small amount
(7%) feel that brand articles and stories dont belong in the online newsroom at all. When asked what type
of stories should be provided by PR professionals, 32% requested that the story relate to their individual
beat, 28% requested that it relate to the organizations business, while 6% were happy with any type of
story.
The areas of interest for branded content include industry trends (39%), products and services (27%), events
(27%), nancial (23%), customer-related (22%) and executive-related (20%).
3.3%
11.3%
11.3%
21.5%
10.6%
27.0%
20.4%
5.5%
23.4%
9.9%
4.7%
39.4%
8.0%
27.0%
4.0%
2.6%
6.2%
32.1%
28.1%
0.0%
6.9%
24.5%
9.5%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0%
Animals
Community
Corporate traditions
Customer-related
Entertainment
Events
Executive-related
Fashion
Financial
Food and beverage
Holiday
Industry trends
Medical and pharmaceutical
Products and services
Sports
Weather
Any story on any topic
Any story as long as it relates to my beat
Any story as long as it relates to the orgs business
Any story as long as it doesn't relate to the orgs business
Stories written by org don't belong in online newsroom
I dont care about articles & stories written/provided by org
Other
What types of stories written/provided by the organization (i.e. brand journalism) do you want to see in an
online newsroom/media center? (Select all that apply)

GUIDANCE REPORT
18
When asked if stock charts, SEC lings, webcast events and presentations, and earnings releases should
be housed within the investor relations (IR) site, more than 50% of media conrmed that nancial content
should be packaged within the IR site with a direct link from the online newsroom.
No matter which types of content you post, update regularly. More than 50% of media surveyed believe the
online newsroom should be updated frequently, anywhere from hourly to several times a day.
27.0%
21.5%
51.5%
Should a public companys financial content (i.e. earnings releases, SEC filings, stock
charts) reside within the online newsroom or within the investor relations (IR) site?
(Select one)
Financial content should be packaged
within the investor relations (IR) site
within the online newsroom
within the investor relations (IR) site
with links to it from within the online
newsroom
9.9%
30.3%
10.6%
9.9%
3.6%
1.8%
1.5%
32.5%
How often should an organization update their online newsroom/media center?
(Select one)
Hourly
Daily
Several times a day
Weekly
Several times a week
Monthly
Several times a month
Only when they have
breaking news

GUIDANCE REPORT
19
Functionality
The functionality behind an online newsroom is just as important as providing the core content types.
Journalists expect to be able to search content within an online newsroom by type and or date (74%)
suggesting todays online newsrooms should provide what is known as an Advanced Search along with a
simple keyword search.
Downloading and re-using content (70%) such as video and images les is far more desired by media than
simply offering an embed code (24%). And as expected, the ability to register for email alerts specic to
their beat is important to almost 70% of those surveyed.
The categorization of press releases, multimedia and other content by topic or subject matter is expected
by 64% of media. Not surprisingly, 56% of journalists surveyed also want to access supplemental materials
related to the same topic within one click.
More than 70% of journalists do not like to register to access password-protected content they feel should
be typically available, such as press releases, multimedia and press kits. However, more than 43% do want
access to embargoed content so they can see a preview of upcoming news.
Almost 40% of media expect to access a user-friendly mobile version of an organizations online newsroom.
The ability to share or email content directly from the online newsroom is also a function desired by 35%
of media, and although polls and surveys provide an element of interactivity, they are not a necessity
since only 4% of media care to participate in them. Notably, however, only 4% of journalists desire to view
content in multiple languages, attributed to the fact that the survey was directed to North American media
only.
Media prefer direct access to media contacts via cell phone numbers and email addresses. Only 28% of
those surveyed desire to use an information request form, and even fewer (20%) want to chat online with a
media contact.

GUIDANCE REPORT
20
39.8%
24.5%
55.8%
20.1%
69.7%
4.4%
67.2%
25.9%
43.4%
28.5%
73.7%
34.7%
63.5%
4.0%
10.2%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0%
Ability to access an online newsroom via a mobile device
Ability to access code to allow you to embed content
Ability to access related content in one click
Ability to chat online with a media contact
Ability to download and re-use content
Ability to participate in polls and surveys
Registration to receive select email alerts targeted to my beat
Registration to access content secured by password-protection
Ability to register to access embargoed content
Ability to request information via an information form
Ability to search content by type and/or date
Ability to share or email content from online newsroom
Ability to view content by category or topic
Ability to view content in multiple languages
Other
Which features do you expect to see and/or use in an organizations online newsroom/media center?

GUIDANCE REPORT
21
SUMMARY
The goal of the 2014 Business Wire Media Survey is to continue to aid and support
both communicators and media in the ever-changing, ongoing exchange of news and
information. This survey presents a roadmap for todays communication professionals for
creating and building useful, successful relationships with small and large media alike.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As VP of Web Communications Services, Ibrey Woodall is responsible for Business Wires
NewsHQ Online Newsroom and InvestorHQ Investor Center products. Ibrey holds a B.A.
in Mass Communications and a Webmaster certicate. She has been involved in launching
online newsrooms and investor centers for Fortune 500 companies.
LEARN MORE
Outline of a sample press release
How to write a successful press release
How to optimize your press release for 2014
How to build a better online newsroom
IR Sites: A Guide to Requirements and Practices
The importance of visuals in your press release
How to calculate the true ROI of a press release

Reported by: Ibrey Woodall
Vice President, Web
Communications Services
Business Wire
1200 South Pine Island Road,
Ste. 140
Plantation, FL 33324
954.474.8833
ibrey.woodall@businesswire.com
Twitter: @ibreywoodall
This survey
presents a
roadmap
for todays
communication
professionals
for creating and
building useful,
successful
relationships with
small and large
media alike.

Business Wire 2014 Media Survey Results PDF

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Business Wire 2014 Media Survey Results PDF

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2014 Business Wire

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

A Berkshire Hathaway Company

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