MEDIA 101: 3 Photo Types You Need to Have Ready for Media Coverage

By: Brandi Fowler

Your brand’s photos and the story behind it are your calling card.

As I've interacted with independent fashion and beauty companies for various features, I’ve noticed that more often than not brands don’t have certain things ready and available when media outlets reach out to feature them.

This is a big mistake.

Hi-res photos are a necessity for your brand. These are high resolution images of your products that look professional, attractive, and show the products that you are selling in a clear and crisp way.

When media outlets feature your brand, products, and/or you, they are giving you free publicity. So, you need to make sure the photos of your products entice readers to buy them. Your hope with media coverage should not only be to raise awareness about your brand but to land sales too.

Here are the three types of photos you need to have ready to roll when media outlets reach out to you.

Make it easier for writers/editors and put these images into a Dropbox so that they have access to products they want to feature now and in the future. Share the folder with those journalists, so that it notifies that when you add in a product.

Photos of Your Products

I was surprised to find that there are brands that are selling products, but don’t have hi-res images of those products. The best way to obtain hi-res photos for your brand is to hire a professional photographer who has experience shooting products and people. That way you can knock two things out at once - professional photos of the founder(s) and your products (if you need help determining a brand strategy for those photos, we can help you with that).

*Budget Friendly Hack: If your budget is tight, pull out your iPhone (if you have one). You would be surprised how much you can do with it. You’ll need a backdrop that fits your brand (I love faux marble backdrops) and a cheap light kit wouldn’t hurt either, but you can take the backdrop out in the sun for a similar effect. Yes, iPhone photos can look professional and give you hi-res images.

Professional Photos of the Founder(s)

When I reach out to brands for press opportunities, I don’t always need photos of the founders. Most of the time, I just need photos of products for round-up posts. Round-ups or listicles are a list of beauty or fashion products geared towards a certain theme. “5 Beauty Products We’re Packing for Our Pandemic Staycation”, is an example of that.

However, when I feature a brand on its own, photos of the founder(s) are helpful to have on hand, and if you have a beauty or fashion brand, you should be wearing your products in them. You never know what opportunities that write-up could lead to in the future, so having a founder brand photo ready to roll is always a good thing.

Photos of Someone Wearing Your Products

I will always need standalone photos of the products I’m featuring, but it helps to have photos of someone wearing your products on hand too. Think about what you look for when you’re shopping online. I like to see what the clothes I’m interested in look like on a body, and what beauty products look like on a face. The photos of your products are your selling point, so you should have those on hand in case the writer needs them.