Why a picture boosts the power of your press release

It's true that a picture tells a thousand words and editors often choose to publish a story with a picture over one without.

If your media release is really interesting and relevant to an industry publication, the editor might go to the trouble of contacting you and asking for a picture. It's essential you have one ready for these moments, especially when an editor is on deadline.

Better still, if you make sure each press release you send out is accompanied by a good picture, you save the editor the trouble and make it easy for them to slot your story straight in.

The format you send your picture in is also very important. You can't go wrong with a jpeg file, as this is something every journalist can access, regardless of the platform their system is on.

You also need to sit back and think about where your media release is going. If you're sending it out to only online publications, then the resolution and quality of the file can be lower - around 75dpi. However, if you're hoping to get the press release published in print, it's essential you attach a high-resolution image.

WriteRelease recommends images are at least 300dpi in resolution and 15cm x 10cm in size at that resolution. This means an editor will be able to run your pic at a good size if they have space available. A small or lower-resolution picture will only be suitable for publication at a small size, or it will look fuzzy.

Is it all worth the effort? Yes, because there's another big benefit once you've got your story past the editor and published. Your story has to compete with all the other articles on the page. A great picture - like a great headline - gives readers an instant snapshot of your story and why they should spend time to read on.