Tag Archives: multimedia press release

Content We Love: Using Visuals to Create a Seamless Path for Readers

Posted on April 26, 2013 by | Leave a comment

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“Content We Love” is a weekly feature written by a team of our content
specialists. We’re showcasing some of the great content distributed through our channels, and our content specialists are up for the task: they spend a lot of
time with the press releases and other content our customers create, proof
reading and formatting it, suggesting targeted distribution strategy and
offering SEO advice. In Content We Love, we’re going to shine the spotlight on
the press releases and other messages that stood out to us, and we’ll tell you
why. We hope you find the releases enjoyable and the insights gained from
discussing them enlightening.

taters

A snapshot of the multimedia press release issued by the United States Potato Board. It seamlessly integrates multimedia with their own web site content, creating a widely-distributed portal back to the organization’s web site.  Click the image to see the full MNR.

Everyone loves food.

Cookbooks woo us with the colorful images of decadent cuisine. We salivate over each picture and build confidence that it would be easy to re-create the recipe. The moment of truth is finding yourself in the kitchen with smoke billowing from the oven and the realization you’re not Julia Child. Or maybe that is just me.

Visuals engage the reader.

Press releases, at their core, are to provide information. For the United States Potato Board, their Multimedia News Release* is geared towards not only sharing information and recipes, but dynamically engaging the reader with rich multimedia –in short, the visuals.

Ring in Spring by Using Unique Potato Types to Create Colorful, Nutrition Packed Dishes

There are many ways to showcase a message and tell a story with press releases. The captivating Multimedia News Release provides assets (photos, videos, PDFs, etc) to your release and therefore can increase your engagement with the reader.

Instantly the images of delicious meals fill the view but it doesn’t stop there. In tandem with the release are videos of different potato types, recipes, nutritional content, images, a connection to Facebook, and a logo combining the message with the assets, “Goodness Unearthed.”

We know imagery increases visibility, so what about engagement?

  • When crafting your story, having your audience take the next step and share/interact with your message is engagement.
Engagement is action.

Why is it important for a press release? To act, one must not only remember the content, but be inspired to act upon it.  For this release, the information takes a step further into a kitchen by way of recipes. The nutritional information, the pictures, and the videos all tie together with the message to create a truly engaging release.

  • Multimedia increases engagement. For your releases, remember the goodness of USPB and showcase your message using multimedia and social channels.

A seamless pathway for readers

The glossiest, most engaging multimedia doesn’t mean a thing if there’s no mechanism for capturing the interest your message has created.  In this example, the USPB integrated their own web site content into the MNR.  This tactic does two important things:

  • It offers readers seamless experience, creating clear path for them to follow, taking straight to web pages the USPB controls; and
  • Because the MNR is widely distributed, the USPB has effectively created and broadly circulated a portal leading directly to their web site across the web.

Big thanks to the United States Potato Board for a release full of goodness!

Want to explore new ways to tell your brand’s story?  We’d be happy to chat with you about creating a video or a designing multimedia distribution strategy that will increase discovery of your brand’s messages.  We’d love to hear your ideas, and help turn them into reality. Contact us for more information.

Author Emily Nelson is a Customer Content Specialist for PR Newswire. Follow
her adventures on www.bellesandawhistle.wordpress.com or on twitter www.twitter.com/emilyannnelson.

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Content We Love: the Press Release Behind the Dove “Real Beauty Sketches” Campaign

Posted on April 19, 2013 by | 6 Comments
A snapshot of the Dove "Real Beauty Sketches" MNR. Click the image to see it live.

A snapshot of the Dove “Real Beauty Sketches” MNR. Click the image to see it live.

The biggest viral story of the week was undoubtedly the latest in the Real Beauty campaign from Dove. Titled “Real Beauty Sketches (#wearebeautiful),” this installment clearly illustrated the issues women have with negative self-perception.    And while I could spend a lot of time talking about the genius of this campaign, for this edition of Content We Love, I’m going to focus on how the organizations behind the campaign – Unilever, Ogilvy Advertising and Edelman – chose to promote the campaign.

Days later, the global Tweet stream is still going strong.

Days later, the global Tweet stream is still going strong.

It’s not unusual at all for a brand to promote a new advertising campaign with a press release.   In most cases, the press release is pretty standard, describing the campaign, the related calls to action and special offers for customers.    The press release for the Dove campaign, however, took a different angle.

An exemplary headline:

Instead of focusing on the campaign, the PR team at Edelman focused on some of the stories underlying the campaign, and they did so right out of the gate with a compelling headline:

FBI-TRAINED FORENSIC ARTIST CONDUCTS A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT TO ILLUSTRATE THE ONGOING STRUGGLE WOMEN HAVE WITH RECOGNIZING THEIR OWN BEAUTY

Dove® “Real Beauty Sketches” Campaign Reveals the Dramatic Difference Between Self-Image and What Others See

This is a fantastic headline, for a few reasons:

  • The headline elegantly captures the two key themes of the press release
  • Credibility for the story is built immediately noting that an FBI-trained forensic artist is at the center of the social experiment the campaign illustrates.
  • It doesn’t waste space with the brand name or campaign title.  Those are relegated to the subhead, which neatly describes the Real Beauty Sketches campaign itself.
  • It is almost tweetable, checking in at 136 characters (with spaces) but I’m not going to quibble length, because the descriptive language employed in this example works, and is necessary.

This is the kind of headline treatment I’d like to see on more press releases – one that leads with facts and story elements, rather than a brand announcing something.   It reminds me of advice I heard Kevin Helliker of the Wall St. Journal give PR people and years ago:  write the headline you want to see in the paper, and use that in your pitch email and press release headline.

Followed by a near-perfect lead:

The writer of this press release set the hook with the lead sentence, and followed immediately with salient facts that ensured the reader didn’t go anywhere but onward:

The way women depict themselves is dramatically different from how others perceive them. Over half (54%) of women globally agree that when it comes to how they look, they are their own worst beauty critic1, which equates to a staggering 672 million women around the world.2

Once again, we see restraint employed when it comes to brand mentions.   The brand and campaign aren’t mentioned until midway through the opening paragraph.

Now, let’s be clear.  I’m not anti-brand, not at all.  But I think most will agree that the lead sentence from this release is leagues better than the more standard-issue (and let’s face it, boring) lead we  see so often.  You know the one I’m talking about:

XYZ organization, a leading provider of whatever, is proud to announce today a jargon-laden description of something.

The lead paragraph doesn’t exist for to extol the virtues of the organization issuing the release.  It exists to set up the story and develop the reader’s attention. Whether the goal of the press release is gaining media coverage or engaging the audiences or driving social awareness (or any combination thereof,) a well-written lead will go a long way to securing the results you want to see for the campaign.

My advice when it comes to leads is simple:

  • Don’t confuse the lead with the boilerplate.  Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to leave company information out of the lead.  The exception is  material news from a public company, when putting the company name and ticker symbol in the lead is standard practice.
  • Use the lead to develop the story.
  • Think back to the inverted pyramid of journalistic writing.  Put the key points at the top of the message.
  • The lead and the headline should work together to describe and then start to develop the story – even in a press release.

“Unselfish” story angles

The body of the release is devoted to developing two stories, offering an up-close look at the forensic artist who did the sketches of the subjects, and at the underlying issue of negative self-perception.  I use the term “unselfish” to describe this approach, because it puts the audience first.   The focus on the artist’s professional background and his experience with the campaign is meaty stuff.  Any reporter covering this story would be interested in these details.  And for the more casual reader – the millions of individuals who read, tweet and share press releases each month – the detail on the artist lends powerful credibility and authenticity to the story.

The issue of self-perception, which is at the heart of Dove’s ongoing Real Beauty campaign, is also discussed.  Again,  the press release writer provided substance – in this case, survey data – that is useful to professional media and credible with other audiences.

Multimedia

If the press release for this highly visual campaign had been text only, the brands behind the message would have left a lot of visibility on the table.   Instead of using a plain text format (which by far still the most common press release format used today,) the team wrapped the excellent release in equally good multimedia.  Delivered in the form of a multimedia news release (“MNR” in industry parlance,) the message is fully formed, wrapped in three videos that illustrate how the campaign worked and offering interesting insights into the artist and subjects.

There’s no question that the Real Beauty Sketches campaign is a fantastic piece of work.  My own Facebook feed has been full of commentary from my own friends for days.   And in true Internet style, it’s even spawned a funny parody.   I really like this campaign.  But I truly love the treatment the team gave the press release.  Kudos to all of the people behind one of the most effective press releases I’ve seen.

Update 5/20/13: Less than a month after launch, the Dove Real Beauty Sketchesfilm became the number one viewed online video ad of all time.  The film, which explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see, has been viewed more than 114 million times to surpass all previously recorded video ads, according to the Viral Video Chart reported globally by Unruly*.  In addition, Dove Real Beauty Sketches has garnered another 15 million views in China where it just launched.  Not only has the film been viewed in record numbers around the world, it is also the most shared video ad in over a year and the third most shared of all time, although closing the gap.  Dove Real Beauty Sketches was uploaded in 25 languages to 33 Dove YouTube Channels and has been viewed in over 110 countries.

Want to explore new ways to tell your brand’s story?  We’d be happy to chat with you about creating a video or a designing multimedia distribution strategy that will increase discovery of your brand’s messages.  We’d love to hear your ideas, and help turn them into reality. Contact us for more information.

 Author Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of content marketing, and is the author of the e-book “Unlocking Social Media for PR.”  Follow her on Twitter at @sarahskerik .

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How Content Distribution Drives Message Discovery (and Results!)

Posted on March 26, 2013 by | 2 Comments

Like any business, sometimes our own story needs telling.  Earlier this year, we decided that we needed to do some PR for our MultiVu business, which focuses on the production and distribution of multimedia content.   It’s cutting edge stuff, with some truly unique aspects, and it sits right between PR and marketing, and we needed to offer some explanation and raise awareness of these services.

So what did we do?  We did the same thing any of you, our customers, would do.   First, our team brainstormed the messaging.  They outlined the key points we needed to convey from a brand standpoint, and then approached the messaging from the opposite context – the questions our audience often asks has about producing video and other multimedia content, and the various struggles that can complicate these projects.

“The hardest thing to do is to distill what you do into a short-form, engaging video,” noted Bev Yehuda, vice president of web engagement products for MultiVu.  “We had to apply what we tell our clients all the  time regarding developing a video: if you don’t take the time out during the process to determine what your elevator pitch is, you run the risk of creating irrelevant content.”

With the messaging drafted, it was time to determine the medium.   Since this was about MultiVu, we knew we needed to use multimedia messaging.   We wanted to show our expertise (and our personality!) in a fun and friendly way, so we went with an animated approach.

Upping exposure with distribution

Once our animated video was done, we packaged it into a multimedia news release (“MNR”,) which combines a variety of distribution strategies and channels.

mv mnr explainer

Here’s a snapshot of the MNR we created to promote the MultiVu video. Click on the image to see the whole thing.

 

Of course, we could have simply shared the video socially – and we did post it directly to a number of social sharing sites – but the distribution component that is built into an MNR is crucial, for a number of different reasons:

  • Distribution drives discovery, delivering content to relevant audiences across the web – on channels, via news web sites and in industry niches.
  • Discovery seeds social conversation, amplifying your message, and increasing exposure to relevant groups.
  • Social conversations deliver third party credibility that can spur people to take action.
  • Distribution increases the number of digital touch points for your brand, and if your audience values the content, it will gain visibility in search results.  Search engines are informed by user activity and interactions around a piece of content.

How Content Distribution Drives Social Interaction

Prior to the release of the MNR, we shared the video itself on PR Newswire’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages. More than 1,400 of our Facebook fans saw the video, and it was liked by 6 and shared by 3.   It fared better on LinkedIn, where it was seen by 1,983 people, generated 30 click-throughs and 8 shares.  Decent exposure for the two minutes (if that) required to share the video with PR Newswire followers.

mv distribution effect on social

However, if you need proof of how distribution drives social interaction with content, you needn’t look any further than the sharing numbers the MNR generated.  Readers of the MNR shared it with their Facebook friends 196 times (as of this writing.)

Distributed content reaches qualified, interested audiences.  And social shares have a strong viral effect, triggering more shares.

Overall Multimedia News Release Results

The social sharing was just one aspect of the visibility the MNR generated for MultiVu.  Over all, adding distribution paid off for this project, tallying thousands of reads of the press release — and tens of thousands of video views.

mv explainer Multimedia News Release Results

It’s very satisfying for us to put on a “customer” hat and use our own services to promote our messages, and witness first-hand how our networks deliver lasting results and visibility.  And based upon the results of this campaign, you can look for more from these animated characters created by MultiVu – several more videos are in the works!

Want to explore creating your own “explainer” video or learning about how multimedia distribution can increase discovery of your brand’s messages?  We’d love to hear your ideas, and help turn them into reality. Contact us for more information.

sarah avatarAuthor Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the e-book “Unlocking Social Media for PR.”  Follow her on Twitter at @sarahskerik .

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Content We Love: A Message in a Bottle (and a Multimedia News Release)

Posted on March 22, 2013 by | 1 Comment

ContentWeLove

Sending a message in a bottle across the ocean, hoping for it to be found by someone faraway, is an idea as old as the Ancient Greeks. Christopher Columbus did it, NASA has done it, The Police sang about it. We all recognize the romance, the adventure and the endless possibilities of communicating with the unknown. So it was only a matter of time before a message in a bottle got its own Twitter account: @solosoftdrink.

Norwegian soft drink company Solo has launched the World’s Largest Message in a  Bottle into the Atlantic from the island of Tenerife. Their perfect press release combination of a fun story, great images and an accompanying Multimedia News Release made sure that a good idea caught all of the attention it deserved.

solo mnr

Click on this image to access the full multimedia press release for Solo’s Message in a Bottle campaign.

The best content has to quickly grab readers’ attention as you have only around ten seconds to convince them to keep looking. Solo’s use of images in this release is a perfect example of engaging content. People will want to see the largest bottle in the world, and get answers to: “How big is the world’s largest bottle?” “Will it float?” “How will it sail?” Note the dramatic Norwegian icescape, the promising ocean blue and the magnificently over-sized bottle.

The videos are action-packed, showing exactly how you go about building a two and a half ton bottle complete with a 12m2 letter, satellite tracking technology and the ability to survive the Atlantic Ocean. Then there’s the glamour footage – the sun soaked island, and the inevitable presence of Miss Tenerife, who obliged by falling off the bottle and getting a soaking.

This story will run and run, thanks to clever use of social media. The bottle is live tweeting its journey across the ocean and fans can chart progress on Solo’s great looking Facebook page. Additionally, on the MNR an Instagram widget displays Solo bottles in attractive and fun settings, making the page even more visual and interactive so viewers are more likely to click the Follow button. These are all great examples of engaging people with a campaign and letting them have their say, which is essential if you want readers to stay interested in what you have to say to them.

Author Andrew Woodall is one of PR Newswire’s social media ambassadors and is  MNR & operations manager for the PR Newswire EMEA team based in London. 

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Content We Love: Empire State Building’s Visual Storytelling

Posted on December 14, 2012 by | Leave a comment

ContentWeLove“Content We Love” is a weekly feature written by a team of our content specialists.  We’re showcasing some of the great content distributed through our channels, and our content specialists are up for the task: they spend a lot of time with the press releases and other content our customers create, proof reading and formatting it, suggesting targeted distribution strategy and offering SEO advice.  In Content We Love, we’re going to shine the spotlight on the press releases and other messages that stood out to us, and we’ll tell you why. We hope you find the releases enjoyable and the insights gained from discussing them enlightening.

 

Are you a storyteller?

Stories shape us, mold us, and impact us. It has brought us around campfires, grandparents, and friends who weave a delicate tale into our minds. Every message is a story! Finding the way to tell your story can be beyond difficult in this modern age.  Add the pressure of being the “World’s Most Famous Office Building” in the wake of Hurricane Sandy along with the incredible Alicia Keys… all eyes are on you!

empire gawkerThe Empire State Building put out a press release unlike any other– taking our visual world and telling a visual story! When I first read the release, I couldn’t help sharing it with friends and colleagues, exclaiming, “this is awesome!”

Because it is. Seriously awesome!

Not only are the LED lights impressive (especially in tandem with Alicia Keys singing), but the streaming video, the pictures, and the story compiled in a manner that is clear and visual bring me to a mental campfire to listen and pay attention.

Adding multimedia components to tell your story automatically boost its visibility.  It is often said, “pictures are worth a thousand words.”  Seeing images across the world of different events, disasters, elections, victories all fuel this as being true. Imagery is important!

Empire huffpoThis multimedia news release** not only had a panoply of great images that showcases the message, but also a video (!!) which perfectly captivates you in the moment, in the hype, in the excitement for the Empire State Building.

 

Wrapping up the beauty of this release is my adoration for all things social. Not only are we supplied with a compelling message, but we can take the next step! Empire State Building on Facebook? Check.  iHeartRadio’s social aspects? Check. More pictures on Flickr? Yes.YouTube? You bet.  Twitter?! YES!

empire mashableAre you a storyteller? Never forget the power of multimedia when you distribute your news– it can leave a lasting impression that is seriously awesome!

In case you missed it, a couple weeks ago we release the results of a study of press release formats, and the results  they generate.  In a nutshell, our findings revealed that more multimedia within a message increases that press release’s results.

**Want a Multimedia news release like this? Contact our Multimedia Team, MultiVu, and they can help! And you can see the original multimedia press release here:  http://www.multivu.com/mnr/59258-empire-state-building-first-ever-led-tower-light-show

Author Emily Nelson is a Customer Content Specialist for PR Newswire. Follow her adventures on www.bellesandawhistle.wordpress.com or on twitter www.twitter.com/emilyannnelson.

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Using Multimedia to Power Content Marketing & Tell Stories

Posted on December 12, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Last year, you may have watched State Farm’s PSA about the dangers of deep-frying a turkey. Even though William Shatner added some silliness to the PSA, the campaign proved to be effective, with a decrease in the number of turkey-frying incidents.

It became a successful example of a content marketing campaign many companies will strive to replicate — and now can, with the information provided from last week’s webinar, “Brands as Storytellers: Powering Content Marketing Campaigns through Multimedia,” co-hosted by Online Marketing Institute and PR Newswire.

Kevin Wilk, divisional vice president, PR Newswire’s MultiVu, began the webinar with the discussion of paid, earned and owned media, breaking down the individual media types, and then offered some tips to increase the effectiveness of the content a brand publishes.   Some of his key points included:

  • Paid media is when a brand pays to place ad or content on a channel.
  • Earned media is publicity gained when an influencer promotes a brand.
  • Owned media is when a brand owns a channel.
  • The lines between paid, earned and owned media are blurring.
  • Earned media is gaining importance.
  • More multimedia = more views. Text + photo, video and downloadable files can increase views by up to 9.7 times.
  • Distribute content to different channels to increase earned media, and this will increase in the number of views.

Maria Pergolino, senior director of marketing for Marketo, Inc., followed by introducing six types of visual content that can be used in a content marketing campaign: comics, memes, infographics, photos, videos, and visual note-taking.

  • Comics: They can be used to introduce or transition into other content, e.g.,    introducing a white paper.
  • Memes: They are not only funny, but they can share quotes or a customer case study by including a quote, photo, brand logo, etc. A meme helps tell the story in a condensed way, similar to the function of Twitter. Memes are also easily shared on Facebook, Pinterest, etc. They are a powerful form of marketing.
  • Infographics: They are a little bit harder to utilize. One idea is to use a white paper as the basis of the infographic. Visual content, and not just stats, are important in an infographic, so it needs to be creative and stand out.
  • Photos: They can tell a whole story and, like a meme, can be posted on a photo-sharing website. Photos help viewers get involved in the company’s story.
  • Videos: It is increasingly difficult to improve video quality, as well as use it to tell a story. It is an investment to create a video ($10,000 per minute – but it ranges), and much more expensive than taking a photo. If you decide on creating a video, you need to weave in your story.
  • Visual note-taking: Pergolino mentioned this is one of her favorite types of visual content. It is very engaging. This type of visual content can trigger memories of the topics discussed at an event, meeting, etc. After the event, you can take a picture of the storyboard and post it immediately to your company blog, without having to wait to write up a blog post. Visual note-taking tells a story in a visual and engaging way.

The keys to visual marketing success include: 1) create a compelling story, 2) choose the right type of content, 3) partner with others while telling your story, 4) focus on great design and branding, 5) promote your content strategically.

When promoting your content, use different social channels to tell your story. Use the right content for each channel.

Todd Wheatland, VP of marketing for Kelly Services, began his discussion with “what is driving this change”:

  • Mobile is driving change, because people want content that is quick and easy.
  • Being social is driving change, because people want to share content they think makes them look cool. They also want to consume and not leave the platform providing them with the content.
  • Content needs to work everywhere, e.g., laptop, iPad, cellphone, etc.
  • B2B marketers need to learn how to entertain, because people learn from people, not companies.
  • There is content inflation – the volume of content is increasing dramatically. However, you need to find a balance between expensive video content and a good story.
  • The sharing of video content on mobile devices has doubled.
  • There has been an increase in the amount of online video consumed, and the average length of B2B videos has decreased. People are watching videos to be entertained — keep videos short.
  • Trends in video marketing include the use of humor and case studies (people buy from people – relate to a human story).
  • There has been an increase in video content on landing pages.
  • Don’t skip on costs when making videos – it is a showcase for your company’s products and services.

Interesting Facts

  • The number of companies with YouTube channels increased by 39 percent in the last year.
  • There are six types of Facebook posts, but image posts get 20 times more engagement.
  • LinkedIn Today, which shows daily trending news and shared content, prioritizes heavily. When tweeting from LinkedIn, every RT counts as one LinkedIn “like.” This will help your news trend.

Wilk then concluded the webinar by giving an example of a successful campaign created by Multivu for Apple Vacations. He explained it is a perfect convergence of paid, earned, and owned media using one platform. In addition, it can be easily found on search engines and the content can be shared on different channels. You can view the campaign here: www.multivu.com/players/English/51242-ap…

The webinar ended with a Q&A. Here is some of the info shared during the Q&A:

  • B2B means businesses selling to businesses. B2C is businesses selling to consumers.
  • If your company decides to produce a video, keep the video under two minutes. There is a higher abandonment rate (the point viewers stop watching) after two minutes. You can test the abandonment rate for your videos by creating videos with different time lengths.
  • The best way to make sure your content is mobile-friendly is by testing it. Load your content and see. Also, there are sites like YouTube that make your content mobile-friendly.
  • The goal for a company using social media is to establish a presence on the social networking site and keep people coming back.
  • Video content should not be telling people how awesome your company is, but needs to be engaging and entertaining to your audience. The cheapest way is to have a “talking head,” but you need to be unique and entertain. You can have a “talking head,” but should add another dimension that is more entertaining.
  • Don’t create accounts if you are not creating videos, posting images, etc. It doesn’t look good to create an account and then not post to it.
  • When using images for your content marketing campaign, you can use iStock (purchase images) or grab from your company’s material. Stay away from images that don’t belong to you, and include images your company is comfortable with you using.

You can follow these presenters on Twitter:

Kevin Wilk: @MultiVu

Maria Pergolino: @InboundMarketer

Todd Wheatland: @toddwheatland

Access the archived webinar here: Brands as Storytellers

Author Polina Opelbaum is an editor with ProfNet.

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Press Release Best Practices: Accuracy, Newsworthiness & Illustration

Posted on April 26, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Last week I penned and article for Ragan’s PR Daily titled “The 5 Mistakes Press Release Writers Make” and followed that up with a more detailed post here titled, “The 6 Mistakes That Can Sink Press Release Visibility.”  I shared these on several PR discussion groups and solicited additional feedback from my fellow members, asking what other press release tips they would offer.

Newsworthiness

Newsworthiness was a prevalent theme, and was in fact echoed in a video interview by Steve Farnsworth (@steveology on Twitter) in which he asked EE Times editor in chief Junko Yoshida for her opinion on press releases (see the video at the top of this post.)

F. John Sbrana, Communications Coordinator at Vineland Public Schools near Philadelphia noted, “ I try to write short, interesting news stories and not “press releases”.

Tonya Hayes, a Bay Area PR pro, said “ I say “no” to some press releases. That means having the energy to say “no” to a CEO. If there is no news, it’s better to put the brakes on than to tick off the media. Or worse, have them ignore your next one. “

Images

Tracey Paleo, blogger and editor at Gia On The Move, noted in a comment on the Ragan story the importance visuals play when she’s evaluating a story. “When receiving press releases I almost 100% will follow up with a pr rep or whoever is sending when photos are included. Online readers are visual. So am I. Especially when talking about non-corporate content, i.e. arts & culture, events etc. It’s essential. Often what I see also are embedded links to internal host sites/pages (other than press release sites) where photos or video can be downloaded with a password. It’s a great alternative to getting caught in a spam blocker and completely helpful.”

Kim Stevens, publisher of State Aviation Journal and Arizona Aviation Journal concurred.  “I believe in running photos with every article or brief we use in our aviation journals. I’m amazed at how many releases we get that don’t include any photos or even company logos – and this from major companies or organizations. Fortunately, we’ve built up quite a library, but it is frustrating to send an email asking if a photo is available. Although not my first choice, I find myself hitting delete more often rather than going photo-less or holding a story while we wait, and wait, and wait even longer for a photo.”

Michael Crabtree agreed. “ Always try to include images. From a recent survey, access to high res images was highly valued with 87% (of journalists) saying that’s (very) important.
http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/site09/archives/2011JournalistSurvey.html

Formatting basics:

In an interesting twist, many of the participants in the discussion highlighted issues that could be best described under the header of “Press Releases 101.”  The PR Newswire Content Services team would agree – though the end of the first quarter 2012, they found (and fixed) 27,414 client mistakes in press releases.  In particular, numerous people noted that spelling is a prevalent problem.

Gwen Watkins, the Botswana-based director at entreprenuers for Africa Ltd. was adamant, saying, “ Learn to spell! I sub 10-15 press releases every night for an online marketing magazine and am horrified at the careless spelling. The cardinal sin – misspelling your own client’s name, or company name, followed by misspelling an internationally recognized name or brand. It’s not as if Microsoft doesn’t help – more than half the mistakes are picked up for me by its Word spell check.”

Brevity was also a recurring theme.  From a user (and search engine) standpoint, a 400 word release is more effective than an 1800 word tome.

Yassir Islam, a Washington DC-based communications professional talked about how to combine brevity but still offer detail to those who need it, “I like to keep press releases to one page, if I can. You can always add links to fact sheets for those who want to dig deeper.”

Tactics for keeping the key messages of the press release front and center were also discussed, and to the points I made about developing focused messaging in both articles, I think that these tips are particularly important.

Caryn Starr, NYC-based owner of StarrGates Business Communications, noted that having a boilerplate about the company to keep too much ancillary information from creeping into the release.   That’s an excellent point, and segues nicely into some advice about the lede (or “lead” as some prefer.) Staci Harvatin, interactive communications & media melations coordinator at Saint Louis University Hospital, said, “One of my favorite press release tips is “don’t bury the lede.” Part of this falls under the “don’t lose focus “point, but I think it is important enough to restate. Also, I still write down my top three key messages before writing the release. I know many people do this in their head, but I like checking them off as I go along.”

When combined with the tips offered earlier that were really geared toward driving social interaction and online visibility, I think that these suggestions will really help communicators produce more effective content.  Do you have a favorite tip that we missed?  If so, share it below!

Author Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR.

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9 Tips to Make Your Next Video Production Successful

Posted on March 29, 2012 by | 7 Comments

See examples of well-produced videos on PR Newswire's web site (just click this image.)

Nowadays, most brands need to create compelling content to fuel social media and content marketing campaigns.  Multimedia assets generate more audience engagement, and video is the most compelling format of all.  But video production can get a little complicated. To help ensure your success, here are some important tips from the team at MultiVu for shooting and producing video content for the web.

  • Pre Production:  Develop a concept and an outline before you start shooting.  People respond best to personal stories…the more storytelling you do the more engaged your viewers will likely be.
  • Shoot in High Definition.  Consumers are used to it and anything less is starting to look cheap.
  • Consider hiring a make-up artist.  Imperfections are exaggerated on camera.  You can also have someone on staff (who is skilled in make-up application) handle make-up.  Just go to any Sephora and purchase foundation and a brush.  The people who work there are helpful and can direct you to the right products.  Remember, though, that a professional make-up artist understands the nuances of video you may not consider.
  • Create original, short and honest content that’s easy to share.  90 seconds or under is usually best.  Anything over 3 minutes is really pushing it.  People like to snack on web video; attention spans are usually very short.
  • Avoid teleprompters and jargon:  it’s obvious when a prompter is being used and consumers can become distrustful.  Also, try to avoid jargon like “best practice,” “game changer,” “customer-centric, “and “synergize,” to name a few.  Wikipedia has a great page on jargon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_corporate_jargon
  • Producing and uploading video properly is complicated.  If you have some budget, hire a production agency to help.  A good producer can help you generate video that appeals to online audiences and doesn’t compromise your brand’s identity/aesthetic.
  • Uploading content on the web: Make sure you get the specs that will work best for the site you plan to upload your video!  Resolution matters. The kind of file – like Windows Media or Quicktime – matters.  A codec – like h264 – matters a lot, actually.  It’s important to know the options that are out there, and which is best for your particular video upload.
  • Humanize your brand: bring your executive/senior leadership team out of the boardroom and into the online conversation through social video.
  • Bloggers like video.  Are you giving them anything useful?  Have you asked your influencers what they might like to see?

People appreciate short video that’s honest and useful.  If you take some time to learn who your audience is, what they want to see, and then produce video based on their feedback/interests…you should be in good shape.  If you can hire the professionals to help guide you along the way, you’ll be in great shape.  Whatever you do, good luck and try to remember the aforementioned tips on your next production. :)

Author Evan Horisk is an emerging media & live events producer for MultiVu, a PR Newswire company.

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Infographics in Press Releases: Tips & Examples

Posted on February 21, 2012 by | 6 Comments

The issue of food waste disposal, made visually appealing by Emerson.

Let’s face it- we’re a visual society.  Since our earliest years, images have been capturing our attention; entertaining and exciting us.  They have been at the heart of storytelling, one of our first methods of expression, and a fundamental tool for education.  Through illustrative graphics, we learned how to read & write, add & multiply.  And so, the rapidly mounting use and influence of infographics by professional communicators, during an era when a minute -or even just seconds – of our audiences’ attention is highly coveted, should come as no surprise.

Late last year, PR Newswire analyzed press release data and found that the inclusion of multimedia significantly improves press release results. An infographic, which is more detailed than a photo and conveys information more quickly than a video, successfully extends the core message of a press release, bringing text to life by highlighting the important components.   Due in part to social media, information is so abundant it can make your head spin, so an infographic, as a diversion from plain text, gets right to the point, simplifies complex information and creates another opportunity to impact the reader in an instant.  All this considered, it is no wonder that multimedia news releases get more play.

As with any piece content, however, an infographic must be relevant, interesting and meaningful; it should not rely solely on eye-catching artwork.   Nor should the content be overwhelming; they can pack a big punch and carry a significant amount of information, but if successfully done, are displayed in a way that flows sensibly and is easily digestible.  An effective infographic both elicits an instant reaction, but also makes us think and want to learn more.

What I like most about an infographic isn’t its ability to concisely tell a story or the fuel it becomes to drive a message forward – (though both notable features), but the opportunity for free creative reign.  As soon as I’m tasked with writing a press release – and as a PR pro, you can imagine is quite often – I begin outlining the draft in my head – going through a checklist of elements that make it up:  concise, informative headline – witty, if appropriate; strong lead sentence and paragraph to catch my readers’ attention, while also providing significant insight to what will be covered; shareable quote from appropriate source, and so on.

The press release fits into a fairly standard format.  Infographics, on the other hand, allow us to detour from our usual template and color outside the lines.  This doesn’t mean we have to be “artists” or “designers,” but just requires us to revisit our early days and think a bit more visually.

And while infographics have a place in almost any message, they are especially great making data sets more appealing and instantly understandable, such as:

  • Packaging survey results that may otherwise be cumbersome in lengthy text format; 
  • Summarizing statistical data that can otherwise lose the fleeting interest of a reader;
  • Offering comparison research that will have a more a dramatic effect with visuals;
  • Messages targeted to multilingual audiences (images are a universal language, right?)

Examples:

Infographics can be used to illustrate a variety of subjects, and in addition to data, are also useful for expressing lifecycles, processes and flow charts.  Here are some recent examples we’ve spotted:

So, let’s get back to basics of dynamic storytelling and start communicating visually.

Related reading:

Tips for Creating & Using Infographics

Weaving Visual Cues into PR

Author Meryl Serouya is a marketing & communications associate for PR Newswire.   A version of this story titled “Infographics as Press Releases” ran earlier this month in Ragan’s PR Daily.

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