Tips for Using Multimedia News Releases to Power Improved Press Release Results and Impactful Engagement
Ask any public relations professional if they’d like to increase engagement with their media audience and 100 times out of one hundred the answer will be a resounding yes!! All PR pros seek to find new and creative ways to broaden the scope, breadth and depth of the way the media covers their “news.” One relatively new way to ensure your “stories” not only get better play but are more comprehensively covered across the entire spectrum of news media is the Multimedia News Release (MNR).
The MNR is a tool offered by most news services (PR Newswire, BusinessWire etc.) that allows the PR pro to develop and distribute a variety of eclectic content for the media in one simple package. Not too long ago, the typical press release consisted of simple words. Even the most gifted wordsmith was left to tell his/her “story” in a black-and-white, flat, one-dimensional way. The multimedia news release changes all that.
It allows you to integrate content that enhances how your story is received. It adds value in context, understanding and excitement. For example—you can add B-roll, an infographic, hi-res pictures, charts, graphs and explanatory text to the same basic old-style press release to come up with a product that is richer, deeper and more exciting than anything we’ve had before.
The media is now becoming accustomed to going to the hosting sites developed by the news providers for a deeper way of getting and understanding the news. It is fast for them and provides essentially one-stop shopping for all their reporting needs. They can supplement their stories with a variety of reader-friendly content.
What makes a good multimedia news release? First—the content must be relevant to the story, and, as has been the case since the first press release ever issued, the content must be newsworthy. Whether it’s a hi-res picture or B-roll, the content has to be of superb quality—you can’t expect a simple etch ‘n’ sketch to be picked up by the mainstream media.
Do they work? Yup. At Schwartz MSL, we recently developed a comprehensive MNR for a client that resulted in more than 700 TV pieces using our B-roll, and scads of print outlets that supplemented traditional print news stories with our infographic and pictures. Was it a good story to begin with? Yes. But the simplicity and integration of the MNR made the coverage even better.
And best of all, the cost is really not prohibitive at all. Depending what kind and type of elements you decide to incorporate into the MNR, the incremental cost over and above the traditional PR Newswire or Business Wire investment is around $2,500.00-$3,000. That is more than justified by the increase in coverage—measured both by quality and quantity. Want more tips for using multimedia news releases, or have questions on ways to use an MNR for your next campaign? Contact us here and Schwartz MSL can help.
Posted by Lloyd Benson on July 25, 2012 at 3:13 PM
