Should you custom-build an online newsroom—or buy one off the shelf?

When H&R Block was looking to build a corporate newsroom, it chose off-the-shelf software to run the site.

When Nissan North America created its newsroom, it had a vendor custom-design it.

For most organizations, an online newsroom is your primary bullhorn, leading reporters to your sources and helping fans share content. Yet top companies take a variety of approaches to creating digital newsrooms, whether buying specialized software off the shelf, designing their own or using another approach.

“Company online newsrooms today are for everyone, not just [members of] the media,” says Gene King, director of corporate communications for H&R Block, which uses PressPage newsroom software. “While we target the media in our design and the content, we recognize that our site also needs to be very user-friendly … for all visitors.”