If a company’s press release gets published but no one reads it, did that company get its money’s worth?
News editors know that a photo can increase readership of a story by up to 300%. In fact, just any picture can boost readership by at least 34%. Readership studies have always confirmed that the first thing a viewer notices on a page is a photograph. The last thing they read is the copy.
If a press release is published without a picture, it literally may be the last thing a reader sees.
A photograph is the entry point to a page and the invitation to read the article. Studies have proven that including a photo with the text will increase both reader interest and comprehension in that article. The corollary to this is that readers feel more involved with a story when it’s accompanied by a photo.
The average Canadian adult newspaper reader spends about 42 minutes with a weekday daily paper. That averages to, perhaps, 30 seconds per page.
Online news readers spend about 9 minutes per day on a news website. That equates to a few moments scanning the site’s front page and then skimming a few stories. Most online stories are not read to completion.
Press release photography must be strong enough to stop readers and entice them into the story.
Most readers pay attention only to the story headline, photo and photo caption. This means that the primary contact with a reader will be through the photograph and caption, assuming the company made certain to include photos with proper captions in its press release. This also means that the pictures must echo the business message since the story may not be read.
Photography included with press releases and media handouts must be capable of standing alone.
Readers want information because that’s why they’re reading the news. They enjoy a slice-of-life view with real people doing real things. Real life painted with the brush of human interest is exactly the picture that earns a closer look from both news editors and readers.
A good public relations photo should always contain some timely, real news mixed with human interest. Such a picture comes only from thinking photographer who cares about the working value of their photos.
In today’s economy, space on a newspaper page is very limited. A company must supply not only good visual pictures but the also good technical pictures. The best publicity pictures used for business marketing must meet correct digital standards and must have full and proper IPTC information.
All of the above indicates that the best photographer for press release photography and other types of public relations photography is someone who has direct news photography experience — a photographer who has worked for a newspaper or wire service.
