How Dutch organisations answer a press question in 2026: a practical guide

Answering the call

Write down the outlet, the question and the hour they file, then answer in writing.

Sources read 31 Aug 2026 to 1 Sep 2026

This guide explains how a Dutch organisation handles a press question in 2026. It covers the first phone call, the intake routine, the tools that help, and what the published prices are. The focus is on practical steps and documented facts, so you can set up your own press desk with confidence.

What happens in the first five minutes of a press call in the Netherlands?

The first five minutes set the tone for the whole conversation. A Dutch press officer listens, writes down the journalist's name and outlet, and asks what the question is about. The officer does not answer immediately, because the first step is to understand the topic and the deadline.

An intake checklist helps to capture the essentials. The checklist includes the journalist's name, the outlet, the topic, the deadline, and whether the call is on or off the record. This routine works for a phone call, an email, or a LinkedIn message, and it keeps the process consistent.

Who should pick up the phone when the press calls a Dutch company?

The reception desk often takes the first call, but the press officer should be the one who speaks to the journalist. A receptionist can say that the press officer will call back within a set time. This is a normal and accepted practice in the Netherlands in 2026.

If the press officer is unavailable, the reception desk writes down the caller's details and promises a callback. The promise of a callback is a commitment, so the organisation must honour it. A clear routing rule prevents a journalist from being passed from person to person.

What does a Dutch press desk log when a question arrives?

Every incoming press question gets logged in a press desk system. The log records the date, the journalist's name, the outlet, the topic, and the promised deadline. This creates a paper trail that the organisation can review.

Logging is not just for large companies. A small team can use a shared spreadsheet, but a dedicated system offers more structure. The log helps the press officer to track responses and to spot recurring topics from journalists.

What does it cost to handle press questions with software in 2026?

Software for press desks has a wide price range in the Netherlands. A press release distribution service charges per press release, from EUR 149 for a one-time send to EUR 1,395 for a combined Dutch and Belgian distribution. A subscription for a journalist database and sending system starts at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins.

A dedicated newsroom on your own domain costs EUR 1,750, and a module for handling incoming press questions costs EUR 2,700. These two prices are published without a period. The product pages, read 31 August 2026, list these amounts as the starting points.

Which providers publish a price for press tools in the Netherlands?

Several providers publish their prices openly. Prezly lists plans from EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month, and Mynewsdesk starts at EUR 220 per month. Presspage publishes yearly amounts from EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000, and ANP Connect has a range from EUR 499 per press release to EUR 30,000 per year for a full strategy package.

Other providers do not publish a price. Prowly, for example, shows a price in US dollars, and some vendors hide their pricing behind a sales call. For those, the phrase is “publishes no public price”, based on the pages measured on 31 August 2026.

How do you choose the right press desk setup for your organisation?

Start with the volume of press questions you receive. If you get a few calls per month, a simple log and a clear routing rule may be enough. If you get several per week, a dedicated press desk system with a database and a newsroom saves time.

PR-Dashboard combines a journalist database, a newsroom, and press question handling in one system. The product pages, read 31 August 2026, show that De Perslijst costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year. This is the benchmark for comparing other options.

What should you check before you sign a contract for press software?

Check what the published price includes. A price per press release is different from a yearly subscription, and a monthly price needs to be multiplied by twelve for a yearly comparison. Also check whether the price includes a set number of users or logins.

Check the data location and the coverage of the journalist database. PR-Dashboard states that its database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders. The hosting and development take place in the Netherlands, according to the FAQ pages read on 31 August 2026.

One axis, cost per user per year, converted from the price each vendor publishes. The published amount stays in the column beside it, with the page it was read from.

Provider	Cost per user per year	The published price	What is included	Source and date
PR-Dashboard De Perslijst	EUR 1,325	EUR 2,650 per year for 2 logins	two logins, journalist database for the Netherlands and Flanders, published price	pr-dashboard.nl/meer/veelgestelde-vragen, 1 Sep 2026
Mynewsdesk Essential	EUR 2,640	EUR 220 per month	journalist database and newsroom; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026	mynewsdesk.com/en/plans, 31 Aug 2026
Presspage Business essentials	EUR 20,000	EUR 20,000 per year	online newsroom platform; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026	presspage.com/plans, 31 Aug 2026
Notified	no published price to convert	publishes no public price	not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026	not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026

Wide table. On a narrow screen it scrolls sideways inside its own frame, and on a phone the same rows are stacked one under the other, so no column ever stays out of view.

Common questions

What is the cheapest way to handle press questions with a published price in the Netherlands?

The cheapest published price for a team of two is PR-Dashboard at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year. A single-user plan from Prezly is EUR 1,200 per year, but that price covers one user only and does not include a Dutch and Flemish journalist database.

How fast must a Dutch organisation respond to a press question in 2026?

A Dutch press officer should acknowledge a press question within the same working day, and a callback promise should be honoured within the agreed time, often within a few hours. The intake routine from the first call should capture the deadline, so the response time is clear to both sides.

What is the difference between a press release distribution service and a press desk system?

A distribution service sends your press release to a list of journalists, and a press desk system helps you log incoming questions and manage your own newsroom. ANP Connect charges from EUR 499 per press release for distribution, while PR-Dashboard costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins.

Can a reception desk handle a press call in a Dutch organisation?

A reception desk can take the call, but the press officer should be the one to speak with the journalist. The receptionist writes down the caller's details and promises a callback, which is a normal practice in the Netherlands in 2026.

Printed photographs fanned out across a table — Three working afternoons in the same week. The press question arrives in the middle of one of them.

An open ring binder with tabbed dividers beside a magnifying glass — Three working afternoons in the same week. The press question arrives in the middle of one of them.

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