By: Elizabeth Coffey, Marketing G2 Digital Marketing Specialist

Translating your established news brand from its physical form in print to the online digital world can be a monumental task that requires constant monitoring. Trust is important in journalism and news reporting which is why your online reputation matters.

How do you keep your news brand in high esteem in a world in which any internet user can say anything they want about you and your news network?

1. Secure your brand name – Secure your brand name across all social media channels including a domain name for your website (if you’re just starting out). It’s important that your readers find the real you online and not an imposter.


2. Search the name of your news network – If someone’s complaining about or disparaging your news organization online, you want to know about it. Take all complaints seriously, but do not get involved in flame wars.


3. Avoid going overboard on native advertising – Is it difficult to tell the difference between an actual article and an article sponsored by an advertiser on your news website? Readers don’t like to be tricked. Avoid doing too much native advertising and when you do, make sure that it’s clearly defined.


4. Keep opinion pieces in the opinions section – Extrapolating based on facts is one thing, but journalists should try to be as objective as possible when it comes to most of the articles they write. Opinion pieces and social commentary are important too, but keep those articles where they belong and make sure they're well defined.

How do you manage your online news reputation?