Getting Graphic: 
How Journalists Are Minding Multimedia 

We know that journalists are increasingly focused on audience metrics and driving engagement with their content, so it makes sense that many are turning to multimedia to inform and extend their stories. 

Not only do photographs, videos, audio clips, infographics and illustrations help contextualise a story, they add a visual or aural dimension that has been proven to increase consumer engagement.

Source data from PRNewswire

Which multimedia or data elements have you included in your articles over the past 6 months?

What’s more, 1 in 5 journalists (22%) explicitly say that publicists can do them a favour by including multimedia content in their pitches and with their press releases. More than half of journalists (54%) go so far as to say they would be more likely to cover a story if provided with multimedia.

Going by journalists’ most-used multimedia elements from the last half of 2021, images may be the fastest way to get out of journalists’ inboxes and onto their editorial calendars: worldwide, 81% of journalists have recently used photos to accompany content. Video is also popular (47%), followed closely by infographics (41%) and social media posts (39%). 

Although images and videos top the list across the globe, we did notice a few regional differences. For example, APAC journalists reported the highest usage of livestreams (28%), web polls (28%) and user-generated content (20%) among all regions. And nearly 20% of North American journalists included logos in their recent stories, compared to only 13% in EMEA and 4% in APAC.

Multimedia Best Practices

Tips for Publicists and Brand Marketers

In addition to helping journalists with their stories, providing multimedia helps you express a narrative and visually represent your story the way you want. Without an image, video or other content to go by, media outlets may skim and move on.

Start with quality 
High-resolution images are a must. Full stop.

Caption your content 
Include captions and credits with all visuals (so journalists don’t have to chase you down for details) and make sure you’ve secured the rights to share any assets you offer up front. 

Link, don’t attach
Not only do attachments eat up space, but many journalists also automatically delete emails that include attachments to protect against viruses (if those emails don’t already end up in the spam folder). Do everyone a favor and include links to a landing page, press kit or a cloud storage folder where journalists can easily find and download the assets they need.

Make them easily accessible
If a journalist has to register or get special permission to view your assets, you’re giving them more work to do and eating into their already limited time. 

BOTTOM LINE - Do your homework.

Different companies will have different guidelines around multimedia submissions. 

Take the guesswork out of what you can or should include by going right to the source: most outlets will provide guidelines on their websites (link vs. attachment, file format and size, etc.). 

If available, look at the pitching profile of the journalist to whom you’re reaching out – online or in a reliable media database – to learn their requirements.

Regional Differences Across Social Media

While Facebook is the media’s preferred social platform overall, a closer look at how social media is used across North America, Europe and APAC tells a slightly different story. For example, Twitter shares the top spot with Facebook in North America, and it ties with LinkedIn as the second most often used platform in European markets. Over in the APAC markets, however, Instagram is second only to Facebook, and journalists are just as likely to use WhatsApp as LinkedIn. WhatsApp is also significantly more popular with journalists in Europe and Asia than with those in North America. 

These findings underscore the importance of keeping in mind cultural and regional differences when planning a multinational communications strategy. 

illustration of people on their phones around the world

What social media platforms do you use most often for professional reasons? Check all that apply.

illustration of the top half of the globe