Manage media requests and inquiries in 2026: a shared inbox, Persvragen or a newsroom form

Why a shared inbox is not enough for media requests

Press officers often start with a shared mailbox for media requests. A shared inbox lets several people read the same emails. But a mailbox does not rank incoming questions by priority or urgency. It does not tag questions per topic, such as crisis, product or policy. It does not build files per topic, journalist or medium automatically. For those tasks, you need a tool built for press questions.

PR-Dashboard offers Persvragen, a press question software module. With it, you link your press mailbox so incoming questions are registered automatically. Several spokespeople can work in one shared overview. The platform is part of PR-Dashboard, the Dutch PR platform.

Intake: how to capture every media inquiry without losing track

The first step in managing media inquiries is intake. You need every question from journalists to land in one place. With this tool, you link your press mailbox so incoming questions are registered automatically. That means no manual copying of emails into a spreadsheet. The registration happens the moment a journalist writes to your press address.

You can also receive questions from your newsroom. PR-Newsroom is the online newsroom where you publish your news, photos and press contacts. Questions asked in the newsroom can be forwarded straight to this tool. That way, a journalist who finds your newsroom and asks a question does not start a separate email thread. The question goes directly to the same inbox where your other media requests arrive.

For a worked example, imagine a press officer at a Dutch municipality. Journalists send questions about a new policy, a local crisis, and a product launch. Without a tool, those questions sit in a shared mailbox, mixed with internal emails. With this tool, each question registers automatically. The press officer then ranks each question by priority and urgency. A question about a crisis gets a high priority. A question about a product launch can wait a day.

Assign: distribute media questions over your spokespeople team

Once questions are registered, you need to assign them. In a small team, the press officer answers everything. In a larger organisation, questions go to different spokespeople. PR-Dashboard's tool lets you distribute all incoming questions over the team of spokespeople. You decide who handles what, based on topic or workload.

The handover is fast. You can hand over all your questions to a colleague in 2 clicks. That is useful when a spokesperson is out of office or when a question needs a specialist. The colleague sees the full question, the priority, and any tags in the shared overview. Several spokespeople can work in the same overview at the same time, so no one works on a duplicate answer.

When you assign, you can tag questions per topic. Use tags such as crisis, product or policy. Tags help you later when you build files or report on which topics dominate. A clear tagging system also helps new team members understand the workload at a glance.

Answer: keep responses consistent with a searchable archive

The answer phase is where consistency matters. Journalists ask similar questions about your organisation. If every spokesperson answers in their own words, the public gets mixed messages. The tool stores all answers automatically and ready for reuse. You can search the archive of earlier answers to find a consistent response. PR-Dashboard built this archive into the press question tool, so no separate document system is needed.

For example, a journalist asks about your sustainability policy. Your colleague answered a similar question three months ago. You search the archive, find that answer, and adapt it with the latest numbers. The journalist gets a fast, accurate reply. The archive also helps when a new spokesperson joins the team. They can read past answers to learn how the organisation communicates.

All press question data is stored encrypted and complies with privacy law (GDPR). That means you can store journalist contact details and correspondence safely. The encryption and GDPR compliance are part of the platform, so you do not need a separate secure system for your press mailbox.

Reuse: build files and avoid repeating work

Every media question is an opportunity to learn. The tool builds files per topic, journalist or medium automatically. A file per journalist shows their past questions and your answers. A file per medium shows which outlets ask about what. A file per topic shows the history of questions about, say, a product or a policy.

Files like these save time. When a journalist calls back with a follow up question, you open their file and see the context. You do not need to ask them to repeat themselves. When a new topic emerges, you check the topic file to see what you already told other media. The automatic file building means you never have to create a dossier manually.

The reuse also extends to your newsroom. If you have PR-Newsroom, you can publish answers to common questions there. Journalists may find the answer before they even ask. But if they do ask, the question still lands in the tool, so you keep a record. To decide between a press release and a newsroom, see whether to use a press release or a newsroom.

Report: measure volume and response speed

Managing media requests is not only about answering. You also need to show the value of your press office. The tool reports on how many questions arrive, how fast you respond, and which topics dominate. These reports help you justify your team size, spot trends, and improve your response time.

For instance, a monthly report might show that questions about a new product line doubled after a press release. You can then prepare answers in advance for the next product launch. Or the report might show that responses take longer on Mondays. You can adjust staffing or set expectations with journalists.

The reports are part of the tool, so you do not need to export data to a separate analytics tool. The numbers come from the actual questions you handled, not from a sample. For more on tracking mentions after a release, read about how to track media attention and online mentions after a release.

What to ask a vendor before you buy press question software

Before you choose a tool, ask the vendor specific questions. First, ask how the mailbox link works. Does it register every incoming question automatically, or do you need to forward emails manually? Second, ask about priority ranking. Can you set rules so that certain senders or keywords get a high priority automatically?

Third, ask about team features. Can several spokespeople work in the same overview? Can you hand over a question in 2 clicks? Fourth, ask about the archive. Is the searchable archive included, and are all answers stored automatically? Fifth, ask about GDPR. Is the data stored encrypted and does the tool comply with privacy law?

Finally, ask about the newsroom integration. If you have an online newsroom, can questions from the newsroom be forwarded straight to the press question inbox? PR-Dashboard supports that integration between the newsroom and the tool. For a broader view of newsroom tools, check what to look for in newsroom software.

How does Persvragen handle media requests in 2026?

PR-Dashboard's tool covers the full workflow. It starts with automatic intake from your press mailbox. It ranks questions by priority and urgency, so urgent questions stand out. It distributes questions over your spokespeople team with a 2 click handover. It stores all answers for reuse and builds files automatically. It reports on volume and response speed. And it integrates with your newsroom.

The price is transparent. Persvragen starts at 2,400 euros per year, and the Small package costs 2,700 euros per year. That includes the press question tool, not a per seat fee. For a press office of any size, the annual cost is the figure to weigh against faster responses, consistent answers, and a full record of every media interaction.

PR-Dashboard also offers a journalist database, an online newsroom and media monitoring. You can combine these modules to manage your entire press workflow. It is about a system that captures, ranks, assigns, answers, reuses, and reports. The tool provides that system.