Why Photos Are Powerful PR Assets

It’s mid-afternoon and you are finishing an interview about your startup. You did everything right: prepared talking points, updated Zoom, and made sure the dog was in another room. Overall, you’re feeling good about the conversation up until the journalist asks, “Could you share some photos with me?”

Do you even have photos?

Pictures are frequently an afterthought, even for the most seasoned brands. It can be easy to forget about them when you’re busy rolling out a new product or service. Often, it isn’t until someone asks for visual assets that you realize they are missing from your files.

Failure to capture your company’s journey visually means that no one knows what your product or service even looks like. It also means you do not have anything that shows your company’s culture. That’s not just a PR problem, that’s a sales and hiring problem also.

In the age of generative artificial intelligence, it can be tempting to rely on this software to fill in the gaps. No visual assets? No problem! But the truth is that authentic images are more important than ever. Photos taken with a camera or smartphone are an indicator of trust, not just to reporters, but to followers on social media as well.

So, what’s the solution?

Document the journey. You don’t need fancy camera equipment or editing software. Most smartphones can take high-quality pictures. If you’re not sure whether something should be photographed or not, ask yourself:

• Is this a milestone moment?  

• Does this reflect our company values?

  
  

Next Steps: 

Build time into your workweek to snap a few pictures and appoint trusted employees to do the same. Whenever a new product is developed or service is created, schedule time to do a photoshoot.

And, if you need help, ask your public relations consultant for guidance.