With the rise of the internet and social media, the way media is consumed has altered significantly in the past 10 years. Where once public relations hinged around words on paper distributed to select news outlets to create more words on paper, now delivering a message is more about visual storytelling than ever before.
Here is how to ride this wave using video in your media releases and the power it yields.

Trend

In a 2015 study of media trends PR Newswire noted 42% of releases now include visual elements, with multimedia usage becoming standard practice, and the use of videos only expected to rise.
The reason its garnering so much attention is because a release that features video is 2.8 times more likely to be viewed than a text only release.
Here’s why…

Storytelling

If a picture paints a thousand words then two minutes of moving images and voiceover expands on that significantly. A video can cover a lot of ground in less time than it takes to read a release. It can show consumers how a product or concept works, how it feels and what it offers to them.
Humans consume with their eyes and savvy marketers are seizing upon the visual communication element of storytelling to show the “how and what” quickly and efficiently, reinforcing their message of “when, where and why”.
Importantly a video also touches on multiple receptors via visual demonstration, audible information, and readable text.

It’s sharable

The key element of video is that it’s sharable. Numerous data sources reveal video is more likely to be re-shared on social media or websites than text only information.
That’s partly because journalists and bloggers seek visually appealing content for their sites, but also due to the fact a great video will gain its own traction via likes, re-posts or hits.
Statistics also indicate media consumers will spend 30 seconds longer with video content than with images and text.

 Adds creativity

Video isn’t about talking heads. The piece has the capacity to create a “feel” through music, editing, lighting and style while delivering facts through voiceover, charts and graphs. This “feel” says something about your company, product or event that words may struggle to encapsulate.
But before you get caught up in the creative process it’s worth remembering about 2 minutes is the maximum time period you will hold a viewer’s attention.

Part of a greater strategy

So now you have a video, what do you do with it? The key to successful implementation of videos in your publicity campaign is how you use it, where you place it and how you link to it. Experts suggest a video should be embedded in your release (we have seen this work well at Media Connections), linked to via your blogs, and have keywords attached when you upload it to ensure search engines can index it.
Public relations is becoming an increasingly diverse field when it comes to how we deliver messages and the way the media distributes it.
With video a rising and affordable component of the storytelling game, it is must do in your next release.