Effective communication during a crisis: Can you rely on your online newsroom?

Crises are inevitable—96% of business leaders have faced crisis-related disruptions in the past two years (PwC). Yet, many organizations still lack a newsroom strategy built for rapid, effective crisis communication in an era where disruption is the norm.

The good news? We’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know to get your brand newsroom crisis-ready.

The role of an online newsroom in crisis communication

An online newsroom is more than just a repository for press releases. In a crisis, it becomes your lifeline - a hub for distributing accurate information, addressing misinformation, and ensuring journalists, stakeholders, and the public have access to verified updates. 

A well-structured newsroom helps organizations maintain control over their messaging while reducing the risk of speculation and confusion.

Managing the media storm: How to handle inquiries and control information flow during a crisis

When a crisis hits, journalists and the public expect immediate answers. Without a clear, centralized source, speculation and misinformation will fill the gaps.

Speed matters. You need to gather information quickly while ensuring accuracy—but if you spend too long crafting the “perfect” response, the narrative will slip further from your control.

Best practice suggests issuing a holding statement within 15-60 minutes to retain control over the story. Your newsroom should enable fast updates, ensuring journalists and stakeholders receive verified information first.

Your newsroom should function as a crisis command center, allowing your team to issue updates, manage media inquiries, and direct the conversation. Here’s how to make sure yours is ready:

• Provide real-time updates – Ensure that your newsroom is regularly updated with verified statements, key developments, and any corrective measures being taken.
• Offer a single source of truth – Direct journalists to your newsroom rather than fielding multiple individual requests, reducing inconsistencies and misunderstandings.
• Make resources easily accessible – Include media kits, high-resolution images, spokesperson bios, and relevant background information to streamline the reporting process.
• Enable media contact management – Provide clear contact details for press inquiries, ensuring that journalists can reach the right people.

Crisis-proof and ready for traffic spikes: Ensuring effective communication in critical moments

Crisis-proof and ready for traffic spikes: Ensuring effective communication in critical moments

Your newsroom should be accessible at all times, especially during a crisis when the public and the media are actively searching for critical information. If your newsroom goes down when you need it most, you lose control of the narrative, forcing stakeholders to rely on unofficial sources instead.

That’s why uptime matters. A newsroom should be built to withstand any scenario - whether it’s a power outage, cyberattack, or an unexpected traffic surge. Presspage consistently ranks among the best in the industry for uptime, ensuring that your newsroom remains a reliable source of truth when it matters most.

If you expect a lot of traffic (numerous page requests at once), auto-scaling can be a solution to prevent downtime - but don’t be fooled, it’s not a silver bullet. A dedicated crisis communication tool provides even more stability, allowing teams to manage critical updates without interruption.

🔗 Find out why dedicated crisis comms tools make all the difference

Real World Example CSUSM: Trial by Fire When wildfires threatened California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), their newsroom became a vital hub for emergency communication. With a proactive media strategy and Presspage’s newsroom capabilities, they kept students, staff, and the public informed in real time. READ THE FULL CASE STUDY

Key features of a crisis-ready online newsroom: Designed for teams like yours!

A newsroom can either be a static repository—where crisis statements are simply posted—or a dynamic platform that helps your team shape public perception in real time.

Modern newsroom platforms, like Presspage, go beyond just publishing updates. They provide the tools PR teams need to manage narratives, track engagement, and ensure real-time visibility. Here are some must-have features we think every organization should consider:

• Dark sites

Dark sites are pre-prepared landing pages or crisis hubs that can be activated when needed. While they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution, they are invaluable for long-running crises or situations where you have time to prepare a more comprehensive response. By having them ready in advance, you can ensure controlled messaging and prevent misinformation from spreading.

• Live feeds

During a crisis, things can change in seconds. Proactive and transparent communication builds trust, and live feeds allow you to share real-time updates as they happen. Most newsroom software supports social media feed integration, making it easy to display live updates directly within your newsroom. If you’re using Presspage, you can embed live news feeds into your releases, keeping stakeholders informed with the latest developments.

• Emergency redirects

When a crisis breaks, emergency redirects make sure that traffic is rerouted to the most relevant and up-to-date place. This prevents confusion and helps stakeholders find what they need quickly. However, use redirects strategically—overuse or poor implementation can unintentionally amplify concerns and make the situation seem worse than it is.

• SEO and visibility

Not everyone will be following your channels closely, so making your crisis content easy to find is essential. Optimizing your newsroom for search engines ensures that key updates, statements, and resources appear in relevant search results. Structured content, keyword optimization, and metadata best practices can help ensure that the right people see your message at the right time.

What's next? The future of your newsroom