How to Strategically Include Images & Videos in Your Press Releases
If you want to share your news with the press and public, use press release distribution.
But, much like with any marketing initiative, to reap the benefits you need strategy and skill.
For your press release campaigns to stand out, you need to capture reader attention with visuals.
In this blog post, we walk you through how to strategically distribute a press release with photos to maximize your message.
You’ll learn:
- Where to place images and videos in your press release
- Why you should include images and videos in your press releases
- The do’s and don’ts of including images and videos in your campaigns
- The benefits of including videos in your content
Where should you place images and videos in your press release?
When it comes to placing your image(s)/video(s) in your press release, here are two commonly used strategies.
Top of the press release
Include the main image/video just below the headline and subheadline. This will immediately draw people’s attention.
Within the body copy
You can include supporting multimedia in specific sections of your press release. For example, if your campaign is about a product launch, you can include supporting images/videos of your product in action.
When placing these images/videos, make sure it’s next to the text that mentions it.
Why should you include images and videos in your press releases?
The ideal length of a press release is between 300 – 400 words.
In addition to your written text, there are other ways to maximize your message and imagery and videos do just that.
Multimedia helps you break up your text and make your campaign more visually appealing, which makes your campaigns more engaging.
And, let’s not forget that images and videos create additional opportunities for people to find your website.
Here’s an example.
Let’s say you included a press release image. That image can be indexed by Google and appear in image search results. This can lead to people clicking through to your website.
Likewise, if you include a video, it can be embedded on other websites which can also lead to additional clicks..
Press release with images: do’s and don’ts
When it comes to creating a press release with photos, keep the following do’s and don’ts in mind.
Do
- Use high-quality content. Pixelated and blurry imagery or slow-loading videos can hinder the reader’s experience and make your company look unprofessional.
- Make sure your multimedia is relevant to the main message of the press release. Don’t just add an image to check a box. Make sure your image supports and/or adds to the topic of your press release.
- Optimize your images for search. Make sure you’re using the right file size, and your ALT text clearly explains your image and includes search engine optimization (SEO) keywords.
Don’t
- Use copyrighted pictures. Doing so can lead to legal trouble you don’t want to deal with. Make sure you own the images you use.
- Include too many images. Multimedia can enhance your press release campaign but if you include too many, it can detract from your message.
NOTE: When you use our press release distribution services, a featured image is included with your press release. You can add more photos and embedded video for an additional cost.
The benefits of including video in your press releases
In 2022 there were an estimated 3.48 billion internet users who consumed video content.
That statistic alone shows how valuable an investment videos are for a brand.
And, when it comes to your press release distribution campaigns, they can be just as beneficial.
Video helps brands reach a wider audience, strengthen or tell a more compelling story, and leave a lasting positive impression on viewers.
Not to mention, videos can be easily shared on social media and other online platforms which make it a viable option to extend the reach of your press release.
Additional benefits of embedding a video include:
- Google and other popular search engines give preference to content that includes video. Because of this, if your press release includes a video, you increase the odds of your campaign ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Text-only press releases serve their purpose. But, when you can add videos to your campaigns, we suggest you do it. Videos are engaging and help people consume your content in a way that works for them.
- Videos can also help you personalize your content because you’re able to add faces to names and make your brand more relatable. Videos are a great connector between your brand and audience.
If you have questions about our press release distribution services, fill out the short form below to get started.
