A good photo is your best shot for coverage
Sharing a photo with the world can feel daunting, but in a press release or pitch, a picture is truly worth a thousand words.
In the past, media outlets were better staffed and could take any pictures they needed, but in recent years, it has become essential for organizations to have their own imagery on hand. Media outlets often are stretched too thin to attend an event or may count on photos and press releases to fill gaps in the paper on a slower news day, so having a good photo really impacts your chances of exposure.
Why are photos important?
Press releases are often filler in print media when an editor needs to fill space, and a photo is good to have on hand, even if they end up passing on it. Photos also grab the eye when scanning online or in print, increasing the odds of your news being read.
At the same time, broadcast stations like seeing a visual accompany a pitch or release, as that may give them a hint as to whether a story has enough good imagery to send a film crew.
At Broadreach, we also look at communications holistically, taking into account both internal and external communications. A good photo is as good for your Facebook and public image as it is a press release. What you publish once, you can push elsewhere, so having good imagery across the board always helps.
Whether you are looking to post on social media, pitch a story idea or send a press release out, a photo just improves your chances of exposure all around.
What makes a good photo?
Capturing a good photo requires some basic knowledge and an understanding of the context of what you are promoting. It is worthwhile to strive for a good photo, keeping in mind that editors are not expecting photographs at the level of professional photographers. With how few solid photos are sent in, the bar is low for a good shot.
When it comes to anything related to people, candid photos are always appreciated far more than a posed photo. Instead of the photo of a big check accompanying a press release about a donation, editors and readers like to see photos of people raising that money, or of the benefiting organization in action.
Otherwise, a good photo is well lit, framed properly and is of decent quality. This is easy enough to achieve, even without a nice camera or photography experience.
For lighting, just make sure that it is bright enough that you can distinguish faces while not washing out any color.
When taking a portrait photo, have your subject fill up most of the frame. When taking a photo of an event, look for people moving and fill the frame with action. For photos of objects like bags of canned goods being donated, the same rules apply.
No matter what you are shooting, avoid a cluttered or patterned background that distracts the eye. You should be able to look at your photo and naturally focus on the subject.
What if I don’t have a nice camera?
Most cell phone cameras are just fine. No one is expecting a perfect photo with a release, the key is just making it nice enough that it stands out more than other organizations’ release photos.
Larger media outlets may send their own photographer if needed, but your ‘good enough’ photo could prompt them to invest the time and energy.
Basic photo checklist
- Background – Have you removed as much clutter and distractions as you can?
- Framing– Is your subject taking up most of the photo?
- Lighting- Can you make out your subjects facial features, and are the colors like they were in real life?
- Quality- Is your photo a large enough file size to be placed in the release without worsening the quality?
- Format- Is your photo in a format that people can open easily on a laptop, like .pdf, .gif, .jpeg, etc.?