Picture Perfect: Finding the Best Image to Convey Your Message
Multimedia content adds to the visibility and engagement of text press releases. To get the greatest return on multimedia elements, it is important to choose a photo that best represents your story. The right photo can grab the attention of the media and raise the chances of the story being picked up – reaching the eyes and attention of those that you hope to reach. Alternatively, using a bad photo can actually devalue your news.
It is imperative that your photo be shot by a professional photographer to ensure its both high quality and that the content is compelling. When doing a photo shoot, whether it is a product shoot, headshot or snapshots from an event, take as many shots as possible so you have a collection of photos to filter. A few key things to think about when choosing the image are lighting, resolution and image quality, color and composition, and content (the image successfully communicates the message of the story that it’s representing).
First filter out photos based on technical aspects. Photos should be clear, properly exposed and properly lit. The viewer should be able to easily see the main subject or subjects of the photo clearly. Slight underexposure (the image is too dark) or overexposure (the image is too light) can be corrected using photo editing programs, but it is preferable to choose a photo that is already properly lit.
Photos should be clear, sharp and perfectly in focus. The larger the image is, the more the viewer will notice if it is blurry and out of focus. The entire photograph does not necessarily need to in focus, but the main subjects must be. Sometimes a short depth of field (the background blurry and out of focus) can help direct the viewers’ eyes to the main subject and not distracting with unimportant objects in the background. This is especially true in photographs of products or people.
After you have filtered out the photos that do not work in a technical aspect, go through the remaining images and choose some that are the most aesthetically pleasing. The photos that grab your attention based on the actual photograph alone, as these are the most likely to attract your audience. Is the photo taken from an interesting angle, or does it capture something compelling that catches your eye? Does the photo work artistically and have an interesting color, composition and content? This is an important aspect because this is what will initially draw in viewers and spark their interest.
Resolution and image quality can play an important aspect as well. Depending on where you want your photo to go, resolution can be a large factor. It’s important to remember who your primary target is when distributing the image. If you are hoping the image will be “picked up” by the media and reprinted in a magazine or newspaper, or if you are considering posting it on an outdoor billboard, it is vital that the image be high-resolution. In these instances, a low-resolution image will appear pixilated and be out of focus and unreadable. If your photo is going on the internet, you can get away with a lower resolution photo.
The last and most important aspect to look for in the photo is making sure that it successfully communicates the message of the story it’s representing. A good way to test this is to look at the photo alone, and imagine you know nothing about the story. What will the viewer read into after a quick glance at the photo? Does this photo adequately explain the story it represents? If there are important people mentioned in the press release, are they present in the picture? Does the photo tell the story? Consider asking a friend or family member unfamiliar with the story what comes to mind when viewing the photo.
Once you’ve chosen the right photograph, it’s essential that you craft a caption that adequately describes the image and optimizes it for search engines. Captions are usually limited to 2,000 characters (an 80 word maximum is optimal) and should explain who or what is in the photo, the company name, pertinent keywords and common industry terms. A good caption will go a long way in getting your image to display in search results on Google and other search engines.
Hopefully these tips have helped you choose a compelling image based on a few simple factors- lighting, image quality, content, and ability to grab the viewer’s attention. Good luck!
