You know this, you’ve heard it so many times: “A picture is worth 1,000 words,” yet you let things such as “I don’t have enough time,” or “who cares about one small image” dictate the success of your PR content.
Don’t believe me?
How many articles have you read this week without an image or a video?
How many times have you thought it would have been great if a particular post had a compelling image?
Too many times, right?
While curating content for Spin Sucks, I often find good PR content which I would like to share on our social media channels.
However, when I open some of the articles, I notice they don’t have visuals.
It’s 2017, yet many marketers fail to understand just how important visuals are for their PR content.
Let’s look at the benefits of having the right visuals in your content.
Four Reasons Why You Need Visuals in Your PR Content
Communications
Your PR content communicates with readers through title, page layout, subtitles, and visuals.
Did you know 65 percent of people are visual learners?
That is a lot!
You want to make sure your content is appealing and interesting to them.
How can you do that?
Choose the right visuals.
Whether it’s images, videos, infographics, etc., you cannot afford not to have them in your content.
Let me put it this way: Think of your PR content as a shop display.
It’s the first thing a potential client sees before entering your virtual “store”.
You open the door for them through the article’s title and make them stay through imagery, layout, and the quality of your content.
The title needs to be compelling, the visuals need to emphasize and complete the content.
Everything should work together.
Information Overload
In a world where readers’ attention span decreases every year, you want your PR content to be the best through quality, imagery, and title.
You want them to stay on your page longer than 15 seconds, the time it takes viewers to scan the content.
You want them to be wowed and fall in love with your content.
Visuals can help you do that, as long as they are a continuation of your content’s story.
Why would you use great visuals that have nothing to do with your content?
It would be like having click-bait titles, which we all dislike so much.
There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a title on the web, clicking on it, only to find out it has nothing to do with what it promised.
Pretty sure you won’t return there.
Same thing happens with the visuals in your article. You want people to stay, period.
It’s About Emotions
Like it or not, we are emotional creatures.
We make purchases based on emotions, we engage with content based on how we feel about it.
Did you know certain colors and color combinations can generate a particular type of emotion?
This is the result of the psychology of colors.
Moreover, studies have shown that colors can influence how we take action, especially when we make a purchase.
Bottom line is visuals play a big role in how viewers interact with your PR content.
Branding
Another important aspect of using visuals in the content you create is branding.
By creating specific, branded imagery for your content, you make your brand recognizable on the interwebs.
Take for instance this image Gini created for an award-winning PR campaign article.
How do you feel when you first see it?
It’s funny, right?
It’s in line with the title, and it offers a glimpse into what the article is all about.
Plus, it has the Spin Sucks logo, which means, every time it’s shared, people will see our logo.
Hello amplification!
Let’s look at this example on Instagram takeovers.
From the first moment you see it, you know what it is about.
Even if you haven’t heard of Instagram takeovers, you can put two and two together and figure it out.
The image delivers on its promise and spreads the word about the Spin Sucks brand.
Creating your own imagery for your PR content takes time and creativity.
But creating visuals that extend user’s experience on your content, is not a would-like to have, but a must-have.
Do you use visuals in your content?
What would you add to the above?
