How to Create a High Impact Press Page and Why You Need One
We always say, PR your PR.
Press coverage builds credibility in your industry and with potential clients. So, you want to extract as much value out of these hits as possible.
Share your press wins on your social media and in your newsletter.
Feature them on your website with a highly visual press page that shows off what you’ve achieved. This is what we call High Impact Press Pages.
But how do I make one!? What’s a good example of a high impact press page? Can’t I just use a list of links or logos?
Don’t worry, we did the heavy lifting for you. We culled the best examples from brands and businesses across industrial design, ceramics, furniture, interior design, home goods, and graphic design and outline how to create a high impact press page.
The big takeaway—make your press page dynamic and image-based!
A press page is a must if you want your website to do the heavy lifting for sales, partnerships, and of course more press!
1. Make your press page visual
We’ve seen so many static text-based press pages. Honestly our eyes gloss over. The very first piece of advice for setting up a press page is to make it image-based.
As creatives and designers we work in visual industries. The more visually compelling you your website is, the better.
If you’re getting press you likely have high quality images of your work. Incorporate those same great shots into your press page.
Your press page is like a portfolio.
If a potential client, collaborator, or editor goes to your press page there will be an immediate visual impact of the media placements its been getting and of your work.
Unsure about how to take media quality photos of your work? Check out our post about how to prepare for a photo shoot or about how to improve residential photography.
Unsure if you’re taking the right photos of your work to get press in the first place? Check out our guides all about media photography.
See Pair’s press page here.
Pair is one of Wolf PR’s clients :)
2. Be sure to capture the press
Our second piece of advice when setting up a press page -- and maybe the most important -- is to show off your press.
We’ve seen a lot of press pages that are image-based but the names of the publications are teeny tiny and the reader can’t visualize how the project actually looked in the article where it was published.
Make “clippings” of all the press you get (digital and print).
For print press scan the actual magazine pages or request PDF copies from the editor you worked with.
For digital press take screenshots of the articles where your project was featured.
We love how Visibility has created a standard clipping format for digital press. Their press page quickly shows you exactly how their projects looked in their online features.
See Visibility’s press page here.
3. Show off your work
Another good option for creating a dynamic press page that shows off your work is to incorporate the publication’s logo into an image.
Notice how rich and beautiful these images of East Fork’s pottery are. Here, the publication’s brand identity is still clear, but their work is the main show.
For this format to be successful you need to use the publication’s logo, which makes a much bigger impact than simply writing out “The New York Times”, for example.
This tactic works better for smaller products that have been photographed against a solid color background, like East Fork’s, or brands that have silhouette images of their work against a white background.
Our sister firm Wolf PR’s press page is set up with a similar logic.
See East Fork’s press page here.
4. Link to digital articles
This may seem like a no brainer, but we’ve seen it all. Make sure you link to the actual article where your product or project appeared.
If your work was featured in a print publication you can either include an embedded image of the spread on the individual press page or link to a open-source digitally-hosted PDF of the feature. Be sure you understand exactly what the publication allows before you do this.
How to create a press page pro tip
You want to keep people on your website so be sure links to articles open in a new tab.
See Vincent Van Duysen’s press page here.
5. Use your press page to feature print articles
We’re huge fans of how Restoration Hardware has featured magazine press here.
Sure, it may be easier to save a jpg of a magazine spread and upload it to your press page but the three dimensional nature of these images are so much more dynamic.
They’ve taken the time to photograph their press and the results are really successful.
See Restoration Hardware’s press page here.
If you’re finding this post helpful, we think you’ll get a lot out of our 5-Day Pitch the Media Mini Corse!
6. Include a compelling excerpt
This tip is especially important for brands and businesses whose founders are also thought leaders, or who are striving to be thought leaders in a particular space.
How to create a press page with compelling excerpts
If you have a sustainable apparel brand and you’ve been quoted on the environmental impact of the fashion industry, for example, you’ll likely want to take the most compelling excerpt from this feature and include it on your press page.
As we already mentioned, think of your press page like a summarized portfolio, not necessarily just of your work but of your thought leadership and innovation also. Doing this will tell editors and potential collaborators that you have a voice in your industry.
Remember, to always use your website to ask for the opportunities you want to pursue. If you're looking to be featured in in-depth articles about sustainable manufacturing and practices, for example, make sure this is a prominent element across your website including your press page.
See Atason’s press page here.
7. Incorporate press into your news page
A lot of brands and companies wonder if the press page should be a stand alone element or if it can be incorporated into another page, like a news page. The answer is yes, it can be a part of a news page.
When to combine your news and press page
Pentagram is a first-tier graphic design firm that’s been around for decades so they have regular news coming out multiple times a week. This includes events, publications they’ve created, commentary by the firm’s, as well as press.
For a larger brand like Pentagram, it makes sense to incorporate press into a news page that can easily be filtered with tags located at the top of the page.
That said, for smaller businesses we suggest sticking to an individual press page that lives in your top navigation. Definitely don’t hide it in your footer.
