We all know a picture says a thousand words. But did you know the quality of a photograph can affect whether or not your press release gets into a newspaper?
Good photography is VITAL to PR and no matter how well-written your release is, if it’s accompanied by a bad photo it can make the difference between your story hitting page one or the recycling bin.
While it may seem painful to fork out for a professional photographer, the returns may be bountiful.
ROI talks to The Southern Daily Echo’s picture editor, Paul Collins, about the importance of good photography.
Paul: The quality of a picture with a press release can be the difference between not only if the image is used or not but can also influence whether the story is used at all.
A good quality image will often mean the greater promotion of a weaker story. A strong story with a weaker image will always lessen it’s coverage.
Paul: Unbelievably we are still sent low res images from a lot of people, these will always end up in the recycle bin.
We can always spot an amateur image, usually badly exposed with a colour cast and very basic lighting. People tend to think today’s compact cameras are fool-proof but on the whole they are very limited and will only provide the most basic picture unless in the hands of a professional.
Paul: To become the main image on the page and increase the chance of larger use the image needs to exceed the basic requirements. Suits standing in a line will never set the world alight.
Create an image with life and animation to light up the page and increased exposure in the media is guaranteed. On almost every occasion the best images supplied to us have been taken by professional photographers.
To find out more about the importance of photography in PR call Laura on 023 80 238001 or email [email protected].
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