Why is it important to include multimedia elements in a news release?

Visuals grab attention, tell a story, and expand coverage.

A camera taking pictures for a news release. Companies might focus entirely on crafting the perfect headline and copy to earn media coverage from a news release. However, the power of compelling images, videos, infographics, and other visual assets is just as important for catching a journalist's attention and getting your story covered.

There are three key reasons why multimedia is essential in your news releases.

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Reporters need visuals to tell a story.

For print, online, and broadcast media, visual elements are crucial to give life to content. Reporters want to cover stories they can easily turn into dynamic, engaging articles for their audience.

A release with generic stock photos or no visuals at all forces the journalist to hunt down or create images and multimedia, which boils down to extra work for a journalist likely under a tight deadline. Releases with custom photos, videos, and graphics that clearly illustrate the story make it much easier for reporters to visualize the end content.

Provide visuals like headshots of key people, infographics illustrating data, location shots, product photos, explanatory diagrams, and more. The more visuals you provide, the better.

Visuals grab attention in an overloaded media landscape.

With journalists bombarded by hundreds of releases daily, yours needs to stand out. Including strong visual assets helps grab their attention as they scan through releases, especially if the images convey what the story is about.

Eye-catching photos, bold infographics, and video thumbnails will get your release clicked and opened rather than passed over. When journalists review releases, visuals also help reinforce and emphasize parts of the story.

Multimedia expands your coverage potential.

Different media have different needs. Print outlets require high-resolution photos and clean infographics. Websites want those in addition to embedded videos and shareable social graphics. TV and radio need b-roll footage and soundbites.

A multimedia newsroom with photos, videos, audio clips, and graphics across formats makes your release relevant to more media channels. The assets provide what they each need to cover your story in a way that resonates with their audiences.

Tips for Enhancing Visuals in Your Release

Include a mix of photos, videos, and charts — variety appeals to more outlets.
Ensure high-resolution and print-quality images.
Captions should summarize the context and credit the source.
Infographics should simplify complex information and data visually.
Custom graphics with key stats draw attention.
Get b-roll video and soundbites from your spokespeople.
Use authentic visuals — not just generic stock images.

Releases with engaging visual and multimedia elements give reporters what they need to efficiently develop your story for publication. Photos, videos, graphics, and other visuals will enable broader, richer coverage across different media platforms. Bring your news to life and make it hard to ignore with strong visual storytelling.

Learn more about media relations best practices on our videocast, On Top of PR. For more information about how we can elevate your PR strategy, contact us today or book a one-on-one consultation.