Excerpt from “How to Write Powerful Press Releases”
This newsletter normally focuses on such aspects as grammar, how to find your angle, etc., but today we thought we would share an excerpt from our book “How to Write Powerful Press Releases” regarding photos. We often have people ask us, “Should I send a photo with my release?” or “How do I know what is a good photo?”. The chapter “What About Photos” might help shed some light on this topic.WHAT ABOUT PHOTOS?
With the advent of the scanner, photographs are easily scanned, copied, stored by your hard drive or printed out on your printer. More and more hard copy contains photographs, graphics and other window dressings for the written word. Yes, no matter how high-tech we get, we still have to write the word, in one form or another.
In general, most editors and other media people do not want photographs included in the mounds of press releases they receive daily. The word is clearly out among insiders. “It just adds to my paper bundle,” said one harried editor. Another comment heard in the press room in answer to the photo question was, “Oh, no, not another reason to paper my office.” Still another statement was, “I’m being buried alive under paper. Pretty soon I’ll be digging my grave with it!”
However, there are some exceptions. We have seen attractively done photo squares included within the context of the press release. Particularly effective is the photograph that helps clarify or explain something that may be unclear or difficult to describe in words. For example, new inventions that are totally unfamiliar to the reader would be difficult to explain visually. That is why the U.S. Patent office requires drawings or photos of all new inventions for which patents are being applied. Scanning a photo in a press release about a new invention or unfamiliar type of device would be most appropriate and helpful.
Sights of interest are another area where photos can enhance. For example, the giant redwoods in California are hard to imagine. You can describe a tree in just so many words. Scanning in a photo of a person standing near a giant redwood would exemplify the enormity and magnificence of the tree.
Another exception is, of course, if the media person requests photographs. In that case, you would most likely submit an entire press kit, including press releases, informational fact sheets and photographs. Many press releases also contain slides and more recently, CDs. The best-case scenario would be to write such a good press release that the media person requests more information, photos included. Then you’d better be prepared to deliver.
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