There’s no doubt about it. Favourable media coverage will increase the credibility of any business. If the news media report on a company’s press release or interview its executives, that business will benefit from the “media blessing.”
A business that gets mentioned in the news will have its image enhanced and gain public attention. A favourable public perception also means that company can avoid competing on price. When the media “blesses” a business by running a positive story on that company, the public will consider that business to be reputable and worthwhile. This can help justify that company’s pricing.
Paid advertising only increases name recognition but good public relations can increase consumer trust. People do business only with those they trust.
When sending out press releases, the number one rule is to always include high quality editorial photography. A good photo can mean the difference between being published or being ignored. It can be the difference between being published big on an upfront page or being published small somewhere deep inside.
All news publications today are under-staffed and under-budgeted. So when “free” pictures arrive, that will get the editor’s attention. Media handout photos and other press release photography can give an editor a good reason to publish a press release or create a news article from that release.
The only catch is that the photography has to be first-rate. The pictures must be newspaper quality in terms of both aesthetics and technical requirements. Pictures must have the right editorial look and be properly captioned and formatted.
The best photographer for this type of public relations photography is a photographer with editorial experience and a journalism background. Yes, hiring this photographer will cost more than having an employee-with-camera do the pictures but that’s a blessing in disguise.
