Are you an entrepreneur looking for new ways to use photos in small business PR efforts? Check out this list of useful tips that explain how to use photos, images and illustrations to obtain publicity for your small business.

First, a quick story on the use of photos, which can make a good PR opportunity really great. I worked with an advocacy company that was once involved with drilling sites for oil off the coast of Florida. The press conference in Tallahassee was rather routine and all critical talking points and messages had been delivered. But it was boring and there was no reason for the media to get excited about the event, which may have equaled tiny coverage.

Then the bottle came out.

I advised the head of the association to pull out a bottle of dark, thick oil and hold it up for all the media to see. Flashbulbs ensued. That photo opportunity was included in virtually every daily newspaper in the country the next day, turning a potentially two-inch news brief into a quarter-page story in many major daily newspapers - some even larger.

When figuring out how to use photos in small business PR, think creatively and always consider what you want the story to look like the next day in the newspaper. Just like the ideas we provide in the PR Toolkit for small business, use your imagination to think ahead.

Here are some additional tips on how to use photos in small business PR:

Quality photos for headshots: An important tip for photos in small business PR, it’s always important for you to have professional-quality headshots of your executives ready for any member of the media that may run a story on your, your company or any member of your executive team. If there is absolutely no budget for a professional photo, learn how to take your own photo. These photos should be in a variety of sizes, both color and black and white, and be high quality of at least 300 dpi (resolution).

Descriptive action shots: In addition to executive headshots, it’s also a good idea to have action shots of you in different poses in action (you working with a customer, or in some type of action depending on your business). For example, if you are the owner of an ice cream shop, have a few photos of you making ice cream or of you handing ice cream to children.

Careful of cliché photos: Whenever possible, try to avoid the cheesy staged shots that include executives smiling and talking on the phone (when you and I both know there’s no one on the other end of the line). A lot of stock photography is of this caliber.

Get customers into photos: Similar to the rules of using testimonials for marketing, it’s always a good idea to try and get some action shots of you interacting with customers. This shows people that you have a good rapport with people that trust you enough to use your products and services.

Plan for the photo opportunity at press conferences: Most news agencies and reporters dislike the press conference unless there is truly groundbreaking news or your name is Tiger Woods. If you’ve called a press conference or a gathering of reporters at an event, try to think of taking some sort of action or holding up a prop that would prompt lots of camera flashes (no, we’re not talking about a handshake). Again, if you’re the owner of an ice cream shop you may want to hold up an ice cream cone, for example (this would especially work if you were doing a publicity stunt to announce the world’s largest ice cream cone, by the way).

Have downloadable photos on your Web site: In this day and age it’s important to have lots of information downloadable via your Web site or blog. This is also true of photos and other images. In a future blog post we’ll discuss the online press center, which is a virtual collection of information, data and multimedia of you and your company. You need to give reporters access to an area where they can quickly and easily download any photos you have available for them.

You can’t control the media’s photos: If a reporter shows up at you event, or if a photojournalist has covered your story, you can’t demand to see the photos before the run in the story. Ever. Don’t do this.

Call the photo desk at a newspaper for photo opportunities: Great use for community events that may not call for a news reporter, try sending a press release with a catchy headline or calling the photo desk at your local newspaper and tell them about your event. You may be surprised to know their level of interest, especially on a slow news day.

Include a photo in any press releases that call for a visual supplement, as well. Check out this press release example from Expedia.ca, which notifies reporters of a special link to a photo and video.

Have images of bar charts and illustrations: Charts and illustrations contain critical data that can also be used to tell a story or support your message. Again, have these available on your virtual press kit.

John Sternal is the author of the PR Toolkit for small business and a PR veteran of nearly 20 years who currently works with small businesses to obtain publicity through media exposure. To learn about how John can help your business get more PR send him an email: jsternal (at) understandingmarketing dot com.