How to Bring Press Services and Journalists Closer Together - Erlan Ramazanov

Kazakhstani entrepreneur Erlan Ramazanov, the founder of the NewsHub.kz agency, has created an online platform that helps build effective communication between press services and mass media, reports Total.kz.

"Good relationships between press services and journalists are a key component of successful media coverage for any enterprise, whether it’s a government agency or a private organization," believes Erlan Ramazanov. "Sometimes the press is dissatisfied and complains about the poor quality of feedback from companies or government officials. This work should be handled by public relations departments. However, today the number of those requesting information — online publications, agencies, journalists, and bloggers — has significantly increased. Sometimes press services simply do not have the physical time to respond to all their colleagues. The internet has, on one hand, increased the speed of information transfer, but on the other hand, it has made the work of press secretaries much heavier. However, new technologies can solve this problem as well."

— Tell us about your project. How and when did you come up with the idea of creating such a service?

— Actually, the idea to create such an online platform came to me back in 2012. At that time, I was working at the National Press Club and simultaneously at the Journalists' Union of Kazakhstan under the leadership of a well-known journalist, the first press secretary of the President, Seytkazy Matayev — so to speak, I went through his school. I remember that back then, press services often called and asked for help finding the contacts of a particular journalist, and journalists, in turn, were looking for press secretaries. In addition, press services were looking for platforms to publish their materials and asked for help in organizing information distribution. In essence, I acted as a mediator between press secretaries and journalists. I decided that this process needed to be automated. That’s how the idea of a specialized online platform was born.

In 2013, I tried to implement it, but it didn't work out because there were no specialists in Almaty capable of technically realizing my idea at the time. I put the idea on hold. I decided to resume work on the project after working for a while in the press service of an organization. I realized that the problem of interaction between press services and the media was still highly relevant. Therefore, I decided to see my idea through to the end. This is how the NewsHub.kz information agency emerged, featuring its own online platform designed to operate under a specialized framework.

— How does the platform help improve communication between press secretaries and journalists?

— The NewsHub.kz information hub website is equipped with virtual offices that are rented by press services. Through these customized accounts, press secretaries can independently publish press releases, news materials, and other information. It instantly appears on the news feed along with other materials posted on the site. At the same time, journalists are immediately notified about this publication. How? The system sends an alert to journalists registered on the site: as a push notification (if the journalist has installed the NewsHub.kz mobile app and subscribed to the specific press service), and, if necessary, via an email to the address provided during registration.

— Readers might wonder why, for example, government press services should interact specifically through NewsHub?

— Because it streamlines the workflow and increases the mobility of press services. A press secretary can publish their material from anywhere in the world where there is internet access. Moreover, it is significantly cheaper than a company or a government agency spending millions of tenge on placements on a single popular website.

For example, last year, the Legal Media Center foundation published data on state information policy expenditures in Kazakhstan. Between 2019 and 2021 alone, over 153 billion tenge of budget funds were spent for these purposes. At the same time, the Head of State has repeatedly called on the government to optimize budget expenditures. If government agencies and private organizations used the NewsHub.kz service, they would significantly reduce their costs.

The portal offers a variety of service options. Press services can select the target audience, social network distribution, etc. Everything depends on the selected tariff. All services can be arranged online, as everything is automated. Currently, we have about 2,000 registered journalists on the portal. Thus, accurate and reliable official information is promptly delivered to all citizens of Kazakhstan, regardless of their region of residence. In addition, all published press releases are saved in an archive, making it easy to find previously posted information at any convenient time.

— What advantages does NewsHub offer to journalists?

— As I mentioned, journalists registered on the portal are the first to receive information from the primary source — that is, from the press service that published its news on NewsHub.kz. Media representatives will no longer need to spend hours at their computers every day searching for new information or checking the websites of various institutions. The goal of the information hub is the rapid provision of reliable information from official sources to the widest possible audience.

— Are there any press services currently actively using the portal's services?

— Yes. Currently, regional press services are the most active users of the portal. To tell our potential users about NewsHub.kz and show them how our services work, we organized a series of events and presentations, including a professional competition among press secretaries.

—  Tell us about the competition.

— We held the first competition among press service employees in the Zhetysu region. Over 20 press secretaries from various departments and districts took part. Later, we organized similar competitions in the Mangistau, Kyzylorda, Turkestan, and Almaty regions. The best press secretary of their region was chosen by the journalists themselves via online voting.

— Are there any new features expected on your platform?

— Yes, of course. We are gradually expanding the portal's functionality. For example, we plan to provide a platform for hosting online press conferences. We have other ideas on how to improve the connection between press services and media representatives, making their interaction easier and faster.

— Does the government provide any support?

— Over the past year, we have held several presentations for the employees of the Ministry of Information and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and on other platforms. Moving forward, we intend to transition from the regional to the national level — holding competitions among press secretaries of regional mayors, ministries, and national companies. We do not deny that we would welcome support if government agencies or companies back our initiative.

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