A Picture is Worth … 53% More Likes and 104% More Comments

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, VP – Account Services)

We have said it before … “everyone reads pictures.”

And according to a recent study by HubSpot – which evaluated 8,800 Facebook posts from B2B and B2C companies – posts with photos on Facebook pages received 53 percent more likes than the average post. In addition, photo posts attracted 104 percent more comments than the average post. 

The findings of this social media engagement study emphasize a big opportunity for business.

Using photos to increase likes and comments, can increase a businesses’ EdgeRank – Facebook’s visibility algorithm – helping to boost page content to appear in the news feeds more often.

And increased visibility, in all forms, is key when it comes to marketing a business.

Here are five tips gathered from our staff and Inc. magazine on using photos to boost your company’s online engagement:

1. Use the Right Stuff. Make sure the photo is interesting, good quality, pertinent to your business and customers, as well as appropriate for your audience. Also, if you use someone else’s photo, make sure you have permission and provide appropriate credit.
2. Show Your Stuff. Use photos of your product or service to bring your words to life and provide a descriptive caption that will interest your audience and lead them to a link where they can find more information.
3. Show Your Staff.  Using photos of your employees on the job or participating in community, charity or civic activities can help your customers and prospects connect on a more personal level with your company.
4. Make it Tight and Bright. Make sure the photo’s subject is well lit and that the key subject fills the frame, so that the product or person is easy to see in the online thumbnail.
5. Make it Searchable. Replace the image’s original, unspecific file name (i.e. IMG0123.jpg) with the name of your product or service and optimize it for online search algorithms, so the right people find the photo.

Do have any photo posting tips to add to this list? Come on, shoot …

5 Tips to Keep Your Newsroom Newsworthy

(Guest post by Leslie Dagg, Account Supervisor)

With 2013 quickly approaching, you might be taking a look back on 2012 to take stock of successes, lessons learned and improvements to be made. During this review, setting aside time to review your company’s website – and most importantly, the online newsroom section – can be valuable.

Having a newsroom and simply posting occasional updates just isn’t enough in today’s 24/7 “I need it NOW” news cycle.

There is an increasing need for accessible, updated content, and journalists – especially digital journalists and bloggers – are in a frantic quest for the information they seek.

If a reporter needs background information, images, video, people to quote, etc. they usually need it FAST. They’ll likely turn to the web first. Even when a reporter doesn’t have a split-second deadline, making your company’s information accessible and worthwhile can help build solid relationships with journalists over time.

So as you look to build momentum for the new year, here are some tips to help make your newsroom a premium asset to your targeted media:

1. Don’t Hide Your Contact Information. Make sure to list contact names, phone numbers and email addresses so reporters can reach the right person. One of the most frustrating things to encounter on a website: a general, nameless, indirect “contact us” form listed as the only contact option. Avoid this at all costs.

2. About You. Post a corporate fact sheet which gives a quick, accurate overview and perspective on the company in terms of size, revenues, employment, products / services, markets served, locations, etc., all in one place. Reporters find facts and numbers like these essential to building their stories.

3. Put a Face On It. Include short biographies and a professional photo for each of your top executives and spokespeople – list their backgrounds, specialties and achievements to help introduce them to media visitors.

 4. Gallery of Options. Don’t underestimate how much hi-res images, video clips and other multimedia options can help you gain media coverage and repeat visitors. Remember our mantra: Everyone reads pictures. Media need these at their fingertips. Maintaining an accessible multimedia gallery section is absolutely key.

5. Update. Update again. Update some more. Be sure to keep your online newsroom current and fresh with new entries to help guarantee more consistent traffic and to prevent media from using out-of-date or incorrect information. Update bio sketches for executives as soon as they’re named to a new position, keep financial figures up-to-date, and post background and images on new products as soon as they are available.

Everyone Reads Pictures: 5 Photo-related Tips for Greater PR Success

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, VP – Account Services)

I’ve got a confession.

I don’t like to read. Never have (even though I wish I did). I can remember two times in my life where I got grounded. First, for failing to do a book report in grade school, because I refused to read the assigned book. And the second … well I’ll keep that one to myself. However, I do enjoy “reading pictures,” about as much as I enjoy taking them.

In these fast-paced times, where a click of a mouse or a tap of a finger on a cell phone can lead you to more information then you may have ever wanted on a particular subject, it’s critical to make your news stand out.

Images can help you do this.

I asked one of my favorite freelance reporters (who at the onset of all interview requests always asks for images) to share his thoughts on the importance of images to telling a story, Here’s what he had to say:

Most of the magazines I write for won’t run a product or short news story without a photo. I won’t start writing that type of article until I have an image, so some good articles have fallen to less interesting ones for lack of art.

For features, we like to use several images for an article. When different people say roughly the same thing, I’ll often pick the comments I use based on who supplied art to go with the comments. We usually pick the best image to open the article, the first company mentioned will be the one tied to that image.

So let’s not allow your news fall to less interesting status just because of a lack of images.

Here are five photo-related PR tips that can help you achieve greater PR success:

1. Hire a professional. But that costs money! Yes, but it will be money well spent. If you’ve invested the time and energy to develop a product, host an event, make an announcement, etc., then it’s certainly worthy of the cost of a professional.
2.  Include an editor’s note or link. Rather than attach a large image file to the release that you email to a reporter / editor who has not specifically requested the image, put an “editor’s note” at the bottom of your news release stating where images can be obtained or provide a link to your website media center’s image bank. 
3. Meet the publications’ size & format specifications. Publications each have their own set of guidelines, so be sure to check them out. Most will require you to provide a high-resolution image at 300 dpi (dots per inch) in a JPEG or TIF file format, so that the image can be manipulated by using photo editing software for print.
4. Provide a cutline. Many publications will require not only an image to tell the story, but also a cutline to accompany it. Make sure the cutline provides context, is concise and includes the all-important “who, what, when, where and why.” And, if there are people in the photo, be sure to provide the correct spelling of their names and titles. 
5. Extend your media list. Did you know that many online publications and online versions of print and broadcast media allow you to upload your own information and images and they will appear on their site in an instant? So, consider doing some homework and developing a go-to photo submission media list.

And one final bonus tip: If you can’t afford a professional photographer, hire the next best thing … a photography student. If you’re working for a non-profit and your budget simply will not allow for a professional, contact your local creative arts college to see if a photography student may be willing to donate some time to cover your event / announcement. As a result, you’ll get higher quality images and they’ll get samples for their portfolio. A win-win.

Remember: To maximize your PR success, picture this!