Bogs, Websites & Media Need Images To Post Stories
This is a plea to PR people around the world to please – please! – include photos with your press releases.
It drives us media people crazy when we get releases that we want to turn into a post but have to spend 20 minutes clicking through your website or searching the web for an image to go with it. Often, I just throw up my arms and give up on it.
Even a smallish website like PubClub.com gets dozens upon dozens of press releases each day. I have to filter through them (reading only the first couple of paragraphs, and I’ll address that issue in another ranting PR post), determine what I will nor will not publish, then do the post.
This involves taking the information and putting it into my own words – blogs that simply regurgitate releases word for word should be ignored – then optimizing the site for SEO. Even the best-written releases take half an hour to get ready to turn into a post.
So the last thing we in the media want to do is go fishing for an image to add to the story. Sometimes, we can’t ever find one, or maybe one that is provided is so stupid it’s not worth posting because it will make us look like idiots.
One example that had me scratching my head was for sunglasses. They were “developed” by a professional surfer, according to the PR release. Not only did the release not come with a photo but a search of its website showed a couple of shots of the sunglasses by themselves.
Well that’s useless; the photo should have been of the surfer on the beach holding his surfboard wearing the sunglasses. Why could a PR person not recognize this – it would certainly lead to move coverage.
I swear, if I get one more press release without a photo I’m going to scream!
Some agencies make it really easy, by the way. They include a link to the release to see it on a webpage. These releases include photos and are easily downloaded. This is the perfect way to send a press release.
So those of you who don’t include photos, consider yourself on probation.
Oh, and a YouTube video would be nice, as well.
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