Xinhua PR Newswire: Getting the message across

(China Daily 06/10/2008 page7)

As more Chinese companies expand globally, the public relations (PR) and investor relations (IR) communities are faced with the challenge of finding the best way to communicate with foreign media and get their stories across to their target audience.

John Williams, managing director of Xinhua PR Newswire (XPRN), recently discussed how the corporate information distribution service has helped thousands of Chinese companies tell their stories to the world, enlarging their influence and media exposure in different countries.

A newspaper and wire service industry veteran with more than 40 years' experience, Williams has been at the forefront of many of major innovations in the PR/IR wire service industry through an intense focus on customer service and media relations.

Since late 2002, when XPRN opened its first office in Beijing, Williams and his team have aimed at lending a hand to Chinese companies in communicating within China and the outside world by distributing their press releases to the media, investors and the general public.

XPRN has its roots in PR Newswire (PRN), a company founded in New York City in 1954 with the belief that corporate public relations staff need a way to have their press releases delivered to all important media outlets quickly and economically.

Until then, PR executives had been forced to deliver their press releases to newspaper editors by hand or dictate them over the telephone - not the most efficient means. PRN's first news circuit was limited to newspapers in New York, but it quickly spread to all other major cities across the United States. Through the years it grew to become the largest such company in the world. The sheer economy and simplicity of the service is what contributed heavily to its success.

Although XPRN has been in operation for more than 50 years and the service has been well received by many global organizations, it was initially challenging to introduce the concept to the China market, said Williams.

Its first year in China, 2003, was dedicated to building a strong foundation with Chinese media through hundreds of on-site visits to newspapers and thousands of telephone calls to journalists representing general purpose, business and industry publications. The concept slowly took hold as the media began to accept this new free business information source.

For firms who found the wire concept confusing, the company organized training sessions, coffee meetings with the media and investor relations seminars to help improve understanding. "Education of our customers remains a daily goal," Williams said. "It includes those who pay us - PR/IR clients - and the media who receive us at no charge."

Labor bears fruit

The effort has paid off. Today, XPRN is quickly becoming the standard for distribution of most corporate press releases on the mainland.

XPRN currently distributes corporate press releases to almost 10,000 journalists from some 3,000 media outlets in China. The Internet has also provided an enormous boost to its audience. XPRN currently assists over 300 multinationals, as well as some 600 local companies, with information distribution and monitoring.

By the end of 2007, XPRN had distributed over 7,000 stories from corporations, their agents and organizations, a sharp contrast to 2004, when it handled fewer than 500 stories.

Immediately following the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, XPRN "opened its wire" and sent hundreds of press releases free of charge in support of the relief efforts.

"Information is often a powerful aid in helping those in need," said XPRN director Chen Yujie. "We were extremely fortunate to be in a position to offer our services."

With operations in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and working to expand its network each day, XPRN remains steadfast in its goal to help Chinese companies thrive through better communication with their local, national and global markets.

Recent highlights

April 19: Going Global Award

Xinhua PR Newswire was awarded the "Chinese Enterprises Going Global" National Contribution Award as the Most Influential Intermediate Service Agency. The award was presented by Nanfang Daily Press Group, Policy Research Office of the Ministry of Commerce of PRC and the China-Europe International Business School and is the first award in China to praise enterprises for their great achievements in globalization as well as service agencies that significantly contribute to helping Chinese companies go global.

April 21: Multimedia News Releases

Xinhua PR Newswire announced China's first multimedia solution for corporate news distribution in April. The "Multimedia News Release" makes it easy to deliver news releases in a multimedia format, blending video/audio, text, logos, photos and related documents into a dynamic HTML platform. Xinhua PR Newswire also provides production services for those companies which may need content creation.

May 12: Disaster Relief

In response to the devastating earthquake that hit China in May, Xinhua PR Newswire responded by offering to distribute news for those companies aiding the relief effort free of charge. The response from both domestic and international corporations and organizations was immense. XPRN distributed over 200 releases concerning the relief effort in just three days. XPRN also distributed news for free for those helping in the Myanmar relief efforts.

May 26: Mobile Platforms

Xinhua PR Newswire extended its distribution network to reach more than 40 million wireless Internet users in China. Through cooperating with HANDCN, a leading cell phone terminal software developer in China, all press releases including text, logos, images and other multimedia content are now directly pushed to more than 8 million smartphones across the country.