Have a story to tell? Be sure to include visuals.

By: Scott Stein, VP of Client Services, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

We live in a visual world. I was reminded of that just recently when I came across a piece about pitching TV news stations. 

As I read the story, I thought back to a recent conversation I had with a client about the visuals we could include as the client launched a new effort. We discussed providing some video to the TV stations to demonstrate what will be taking place.

But in today’s media world, you really shouldn’t limit that visual discussion to what you can provide to the TV media. Visuals, in the form of still photos, have always been important for the print media. But more and more newspapers today have adopted a multi-media approach to the news, providing photo galleries and video on their websites. You may even find an occasional radio reporter who pulls out his or her cell phone to videotape an event and post to the radio station’s website.

There’s no doubt that we live in a world that is more visual. Look at what is successful in the social media and even how social media platforms have changed to allow greater use of visuals. You don’t have to look any further than the two most popular on that front, Facebook and Twitter. The two keep evolving to give users more options with photos and video. Then add in the platforms that were created for visuals, such as YouTube, Instagram, SnapChat and more.

So the next time you have a story to tell, be sure to think about the visuals that you can use and the different ways you can deliver them to your targeted audiences.

Do you incorporate visuals in your outreach? What’s worked for you?