We see them on television every day: video of the new car being unveiled at the auto show, the latest pharmaceutical breakthrough, footage of the newest semiconductor and its applications. More often than not, the video you see over the shoulder of your local anchor on a wide range of feature stories comes from Video News Releases (VNRs).
A VNR is the television version of the printed press release. Instead of words on paper, VNRs are sound and pictures produced on behalf of companies and distributed, primarily via satellite feeds, to the newsrooms of television stations.
A VNR is a great tool but not for every opportunity. They are appropriate if the story can be judged as newsworthy and if the story can be shown in a visual way. To be newsworthy, a story must combine the right amount of broad human interest, useful information and dramatic images. And the VNR must be honest– most newsrooms will research the story and discard a VNR lacking a balanced perspective. Editors are looking for a strong news story, not a promotional piece. Because television news is a powerful medium, broadcast coverage is the holy grail for many companies. Getting broad exposure through a news segment or other broadcast translates directly to awareness, credibility and, ultimately, sales opportunities. A VNR is often an effective tool to gain that coverage if executed properly. Some key considerations:
Stay with the fundamentals. You’re producing a newsworthy, broadcast-ready press release. At the end of the day, don’t forget this is news, not a movie. Keep it simple, focused and informative.
It’s a press release, not a commercial. Much like press releases should not be overly promotional, the same holds true for a VNR. In general, broadcast journalists are even more sensitive to hype than their print counterparts. By producing VNRs the same way news stations produce their own stories – no actors, interviews conducted by a reporter and editing done newsstyle – it will make it easier for a TV newsroom to use the story.
Incorporate B-Roll. This is additional footage a station can use depending on the angle it wishes to take. B-roll might contain visuals of how the product is manufactured, executive interviews, how the product is used. TV reporters will edit the B-roll and adapt it to their own purposes.
Get a journalist involved. Incorporate the point of view of a journalist and shoot the video as a news videographer would shoot it. Don’t make it too polished. It must fit in the style and context of a newscast, so it can’t appear too “produced.” Many companies offering VNRs staff former camera operators, producers and reporters for precisely this reason.
The VNR is a unique and powerful tool for a business to communicate its ideas to the public. The VNR can effectively target television viewers to receive important marketing, sales and public relations messages with quantifiable results. Credibility from incorporation in a newscast, low cost, and the ability to measure results make the Video News Release a high impact form of communication.