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What photos should I send with my press release?
If you are not sending
pictures out with your press releases, you are missing
a vital part of your PR campaign. As any editor will
tell you, a release with a photo has a much higher
chance of being used and could elevate your story
from a few column centimetres on an inside page to a
more prominent position and possibly the front page.
Here are a few tips that could help:
-
As an absolute minimum,
ensure you have headshots of all people mentioned in
your press releases and spokespeople representing your
organisation, before you are asked for them by a
journalist. Avoid white background studio shots.
-
Your main spokespeople,
CEO, directors, VPs, etc should have a small selection
of images taken which picture them in a natural
working setting representing your specific business,
both with your company logo and without. Make sure you get landscape and
portrait orientated shots.
-
If you are 'telling a
story' in your press release, make sure the photo also
tells the (same) story. Ensure it has enough impact to
immediately grab the attention of firstly the editor
and secondly the reader.
-
Supplying a feature
picture instead of a simple headshot is the biggest
single thing you can do to bring your story to the top
of the pile. Sometimes the most mundane story can be
published as the lead story on the page thanks to a
superb photo. (This is known as a picture led story).
-
Have some generic shots
taken that represent your business and industry
sector. Both internal and exterior shots should be
produced showing your business at work. Sometimes having
these generic shots available when a picture editor is
looking for a photo to go with an existing story can
result in your organisation being asked to comment.
(Make sure you are told what the basis of the story is
before making the pictures available).
-
Make sure all your
photos meet the
media photo specs so they can easily be sent
by email and will not overload the mailbox of the
journalist you are sending them to. (This wouldn't
help your cause!)
Good luck!
Written by Simon Apps, ex-press photographer and
founder of Professional Images. Professional
Images are specialist
PR
photographers providing PR and editorial photography and a full
photographic service to the business sector.
This article may be used freely provided a live URL
link is provided to
http://www.professional-images.com.
Used without the link, you will be breaching
copyright.
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