Go viral with a visual press release

By Amy Roberts

If you think back to elementary school, there’s a reason you’re more likely to remember a show-and-tell experience versus a book report. Research suggests we remember only 20% of what we read compared to 80% of what we see — a stat you’re likely to soon forget. But maybe not if you see it like this:

Paul Martin Lester, “Syntactic Theory of Visual Communication.” 

This is just one of the reasons including videos, images, and other visuals in your press releases enhances visibility and engagement. Plus, journalists love nothing more than a well-done infographic to help them distill complex information. And in the health-tech industry, there’s always something complicated to explain. But if you’re still skeptical that a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a few additional reasons to include more than copy in your next press release:  

• Adding video to a press release can make it 4.3 times more visible, leading to more shares and broader reach.
• Viewers report retaining 95% of a message when watching a video, compared to only 10% when reading text. 
• Google and other search engines prioritize content that includes videos, which can boost your press release's visibility in search results.

Of course, adding videos and images doesn’t mean taking a few quick shots with your iPhone or adding a simple pie chart and calling it good. Visuals are an element that requires PR strategy, planning, and budgeting. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

• Videos should be concise and compelling. Capture the attention of your audience with a powerful visual, and keep the length to 90 seconds max.  
• Host your video on a well-known and reliable platform like YouTube to ensure smooth playback and optimize SEO.
• Make sure videos are compatible for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.
• Use original footage to tell your story, not stock video. Being authentic adds value to your announcement. 
• Narration is ok to explain complex ideas, demonstrate a product, or make the message memorable, but it’s generally best to avoid text overlay.
• Caption and copyright all images.
• Infographics should cite all sources of information.

Here’s an example of what a video accompanying a release looks like when done well. SC Johnson released a series of short clips to humanize the plastic pollution crisis in tandem with the news that the company’s cleaning product bottles would be made from 100% recycled ocean plastic. Getting the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world to squeeze into a wetsuit and document his experience swimming through a plastic-laden swath of ocean wasn’t a last-minute photo opp decided on a whim. It was part of a creative and well-executed strategy the team committed to months in advance. And that’s why it still gets media traction years later.      

While visuals are poised to reinvent the press release, written content is still king, and journalists will skim the copy before they decide to click on a visual.

While visuals are poised to reinvent the press release, written content is still king, and journalists will skim the copy before they decide to click on a visual. They’ll stay engaged with press releases that follow these basic rules: 

They don’t rely on AI.

Human-driven storytelling isn’t just preferred, it’s required. Skip the dry, robotic, computer-generated language and give the readers conversational content that evokes emotion.

They stay on point.

Your press release is about one announcement. It’s not a summary of every great thing your company has accomplished this quarter. If everything is important, nothing is important. 

They avoid promotion.

Press releases should include a newsworthy and reportable angle. They are not a tool for sales and marketing. 

If you have a great biotech story to tell and need help getting coverage by the life sciences media, ask KNB Communications how to incorporate visuals into your next press release today.