They say a picture tells a thousand words – and never has this been truer than in the world of consumer PR. Whether in print or online, imagery is a crucial component in the art of compelling storytelling and securing quality editorial coverage.
Your imagery is a reflection of your brand, so it’s important to get it right. What works well in a brochure does not necessarily translate well to the pages of a glossy home interest magazine. You only have to pick up a copy of House Beautiful or Grand Designs and flick through their pages to realise that editorial photography is quite a different beast.
Lighting, styling, framing and composition and picture narrative can all make or break a shot. That’s why we always encourage the clients we work with to invest in photography – because I promise you, you will reap the rewards.
A few years ago now I worked with a bathroom manufacturer who refused to believe me when I told them their imagery wouldn’t cut the mustard in an editorial arena. After all, they had brochures full of images. “We’ve got hundreds of lovely photos!” they protested. Eventually, we reached a compromise and shot one bathroom suite over two days in a custom-built set using an interior design specialist, stylist and professional home interest photographer.
A tailored media relations effort ensued to maximise our client’s aspirational new photography and we secured more editorial coverage from those images than we’d ever done before for any other consumer client. This included a number of double-spread spreads and a front page lead as well as multiple inclusions in bathroom features across national, consumer and trade publications.
The results were so good we scooped the Best Use of Photography accolade at our industry awards – in part because of the consultancy we’d provided to our client around the importance of good imagery – and our client reported a sharp increase in brochure downloads on their website following the campaign.
After this, they invested in a suite of editorial photography across all of their bathroom collections.
This was almost ten years ago now but when it comes to exciting people, especially in the home interest arena, the landscape hasn’t changed that much. Everyone wants to feel inspired and a picture really does tell a thousand words.
I continue – along with the rest of the team here at Whistle PR – to encourage our clients to invest in creative imagery that showcases their brand and products at their very best. And we’re always just as thrilled as they are when we see the results.
Not convinced still? Why not check out our short showreel illustrating the power of photography in helping achieve real business objectives.
[Image courtesy of Optiplan Kitchens]
Claire Gething is a Director at Whistle PR which offers a range of integrated communications services including strategic consultancy, PR, social media and internal communications. For further information email info@whistlepr.co.uk or contact us here.
