A dress of 1,200 flowers blossomed across the UK media this week.
Created and devised by Kallaway to promote M&G Investments sixth year as title sponsor of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the photo call reached M&Gs core audience of business and broadsheet readers.
Here are our 11 top tips to help your photo story get on the page – and shine on social.
1. Be Striking. It sounds obvious, but how many pictures are genuinely striking? Get creative and strive for the WOW factor.
2. Be relevant. Your idea either needs to chime with the news agenda or be entirely counter to it. Be more than average.
3. Consider the target audience. Be mindful of the audience youre trying to engage and ensure your image resonates. This is as true for digital and online outlets as it is for trade and national titles.
4. Have a clear narrative. Theres truth in the adage that a picture tells the same story as a thousand words. Make sure your image speaks for itself.
5. Write a pithy caption. Keep it to three sentences maximum. This is not the time for pages of brand values. Remember contact details and links for further information.
6. Consider picture desk deadlines. Youve done all the hard work, now make sure the media get your photo story with plenty of time to consider if theyre likely to use it.
7. Optimise images for Google. Make sure the file name and the alt text include appropriate keywords. This makes them easier to find when people are searching on Google.
8. Resize images for each social media profile. Send to social outlets, making sure youve got a range of images the right size for each platform, so they look great and dont need to be cropped or reduced.
9. Post images on your online newsroom and social feeds. Think about creating a Facebook album or Pinterest board so your beautiful photography continues to engage beyond the news story. See our media centre.
10. Recycle and reuse. Think creatively about how to use your pictures beyond the original story. How else can you use your photography to create social content?
11. Capture the build up. If youre developing a particularly interesting photo shoot, why not film the shoot in preparation and the creative activity that made it happen and release the footage online? This will give the brand and story more traction.
