Video In PR

Video News Release

A video news release is a nice addition to any PR campaign. But before you can use them effectively, you need to know what they are and how they can benefit your business. Here's the vital info you need to get started . . .

In PR circles, video is king.

Everywhere you look companies are using video as a tool to inform, shape, publicize, and promote their brand and product lines. If your company isn't leveraging the power of video, you're missing out on a powerful element of a balanced PR strategy.

Although there are several PR uses for video, one of the most common is a video news release. Video news releases are essentially the video versions of press releases. But instead of being written on paper they are recorded on tape.

PR professionals use video news releases to put raw footage in the hands of news producers and reporters. If the producer decides to run the story, he may or may not use your script. But it's guaranteed that he will edit clips out of the news release to formulate the station's own version of the story.

Here's some other things you should know about video news releases.

Quality counts. It goes without saying that the quality of your video news release is a factor in determining whether or not it will air. In addition to being newsworthy, successful video news releases typically feature a professional news reporter or at least someone with significant on-air experience. A good VNR is organized and filmed according to industry standards. With so much riding on the quality of your VNR, don't try to produce it in-house - hire a professional production company that is experienced in producing successful VNRs.
Interviews tell the story. Quality video news releases use interviews with qualified experts and others to articulate their story. Since the idea is to produce video content that is suitable for news broadcasts, your experts need to be legitimate third parties who will generate informational sound bites rather than over-the-top promotional claims. Depending on the subject, you might also want to consider interviewing average people for a "man on the street" sequence.
Think like a news producer. As a PR conscious business leader you need to think like a news producer, especially when it comes to technical requirements like B-roll. The average business leader doesn't give much thought to B-roll footage. News producers, on the other hand, think about B-roll all the time because they know it's impossible to piece together a decent video segment without adequate background footage In the world of video PR, there is no such thing as too much B-roll - but if you don't have enough, it could send your VNR straight to the trash.