Is your press release lacking interactive content?

Josh Baker, Business Development Specialist at markettiers discusses the increased need of video content and how to generate maximum engagement through a press release…

“It is not enough to just use carefully curated video content, without using a press release. The two pieces of content should complement each other and give the end user both options of a visual experience as well as a simulating read simultaneously.”

Since we launched our Dubai offices, roughly four years ago, PR in the Middle East and more specifically the UAE has considerably changed and undergone intense evolution.

A few years ago, the marketplace was heavily dominated by agencies winning PR retainers and projects with clients almost on a one-pronged approach. PR plans were dominated by a series of press releases as part of the output and many agencies were (and still are) tasked with delivering a minimum number of press release content as part of their scope of work. Typically, there were not as many people accompanying this with video content.

Placing video content and live streams along with a strongly worded press release ensures that an agency’s PR strategy is as broad and engaging as possible, while capturing a wider and more targeted audience.

In today’s world, audiences like to read content that is accompanied by stimulating videos, as is very evident with the recent growth of visual social media channels. They enjoy and get more involved with a brand through textual information that is paired with interactive video content, giving them the most hedonic, energetic and emotional experience.

This does not mean that written content is dead or is even fizzling out. In fact, we always say to our clients that it is not enough to just use carefully curated video content, without using a press release. The two pieces of content should complement each other and give the end user both options of a visual experience as well as a simulating read simultaneously.

Each video produced to go along with a press release should be strategically thought out and curated, so the finished product is not interpreted as an advertorial piece. The video needs to fit with the news agenda and should be carefully developed to include statistics and figures that will play along as the press release reads.

So why do clients like seeing news worthy video content? Their target audiences can visualise the product or services and also because media outlets are happy to feature video content – If you look at most stories now on websites, you’ll find plenty of video content. Websites like it because it increases dwell time on their site, which in turn means they can charge advertises more to have their banner ads displayed for increased engagement and a longer lasting impact. Most clients today like to see their product or service in both written and video content format.

Video content creation should always have a flexible approach. Having worked with government entities and corporate clients as well as consumer brands in the past, we have learnt that each client has different needs and content creation should always be in sync with the brand’s goals.

When working with broadcasters, video content gets the editor listening to you. They are more drawn towards your news and it builds their interest to work around your proposal to best suit their agenda. If well written and well shot, more times than not, the article will get featured and produced in the right manner.