An image or video can make an announcement easier to understand when it shows the product, place, person, or change being reported. It cannot substitute for the essential facts. Build the written release first, then select only assets that add evidence or context. Give each asset a caption, source, rights record, and accessible alternative before it is distributed to a newsroom or media service.
Choose assets for the story
Photographs
Use a clear, accurately captioned image of the actual subject. Confirm who took it and where it may be republished.
Video
Keep a short demonstration or interview available with a descriptive title, transcript or captions, and a stable link.
Charts
Label axes, dates, sample sizes, and sources. Add a plain-language summary of the essential finding.
Logos and product files
Offer current approved versions and state usage terms; do not let a brand graphic stand in for documentary evidence.
Publish accessibly and accurately
The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative recommends meaningful text alternatives for informative images and fuller descriptions where a chart carries complex information. It also explains the need for captions and other alternatives for audio and video. A caption should identify the image's subject and relevant context, not simply repeat a promotional slogan. If a visual was staged, rendered, or altered in a way that affects its meaning, label it accordingly.
Keep file names, dimensions, contact details, and rights information with the media kit. Avoid embedding important facts only in a graphic, because those facts can be missed by screen readers, search systems, and anyone reading without images. Link to an accessible text version of the announcement and underlying data when appropriate.
Check the distribution requirements
Distribution providers differ in file limits, formats, link policies, and extra fees for multimedia. Verify the exact package terms before preparing assets. Test that every file and link opens without a private login and that the media contact can supply a higher-resolution original if requested.
After publication, inspect the release on the destinations that matter. A thumbnail may be cropped, an embedded video may be removed, or a caption may be separated from the image. Correct errors where the publisher allows it, and maintain an authoritative version in the organization's own newsroom. PRSA's ethics guidance applies to visual claims as much as written ones.