A company’s visual marketing content is one of its most important assets when it comes to news media. The war in Ukraine, global warming, COVID-19 and domestic crime waves are flooding the news with little room for a positive business story. Couple this with the shortage of camera crews, and company news seems like the last thing media will cover.
However, companies that tap into their visual digital assets will jump to the head of the newsroom’s production schedule. Video, photography, animation and B-roll are prized in newsrooms because they lack the people and resources to shoot unless it’s a breaking news story. Professional digital assets automatically legitimize a company when decisions must be made quickly. Here are some DOs and DON’Ts for creating and sharing digital assets to get your story told:
DO create and provide compelling digital assets: For example, B-roll is video or “secondary” footage used as a cutaway to provide context and visual interest in a broadcast story. A company’s graphics department or a video production service can create this content. Product animation videos, often already on a company’s website, elevate a story on a broadcast segment. Click here for an example of a visual animation that tells a story. Other powerful assets are graphics with industry statistics or third-party data, like a PowerPoint slide with charts and diagrams for visualization, and even social media content, like TikTok videos of real company customers using a product. Producers value footage that makes the story more interesting to their viewers.
DO make access easy: Producers appreciate it when content is buttoned up in one place they can quickly reference when putting a story together. Uploading digital assets to a public Dropbox or other shared folder saves time and makes it easy to grab for a news segment. Medical device company Abiomed has a media kit publicly available on their website for reporters to access and download clips and images of their heart pump, the Impella. When OWC sent this link over to the producers at the local ABC affiliate WPLG Miami, they featured the video created by the company demonstrating the heart pump being inserted into the heart so audiences could see how the device works. Not only did this ensure the story ran, but it made the segment almost a commercial for the company.
DON’T send sales materials: Be aware of what resources a reporter needs and what type of stories they usually cover. They don’t want a company commercial. Invest in video footage of actual customers – not paid actors or influencers – using your product in real-time.
DON’T repurpose news coverage: Sending an interview from a competing news station only suggests that the story was already covered and discourages a news station from covering it.
While many businesses invest millions of dollars into advertising efforts, it’s much more cost-effective to invest in crisp, professional digital assets when pitching media. OWC is here to guide you through elevating your digital media kit.
Best,
Tracy
Olmstead Williams Communications
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