It happens every day in the world of PR: A blog, press release or article is finally ready to be submitted to an editor, posted to social media or company website. Hours have been spent getting the messaging right. It’s gone through multiple approvals. The lawyers may have even given their blessing – just in case. But there is still one paragraph in there, though approved, that contains a mass of hard-to-follow statistics. It’s a death knell of good writing – and a sure-fire way to lose an audience.
Make it Fun
Infographics are an excellent, sophisticated tool to visually dazzle and entice your reader to read your compelling data news – reaching beyond the catchy headline or stunning photo.
In fact, according to PR Daily, 2017 is the year of the infographic. Apparently, the popular number-cruncher is finally getting the respect it deserves. PR Daily says this is precisely because:
- They’re data-driven. New technology allows us to harness more data, and infographics allow us to simplify those numbers for audiences.
- They’re visual. Millennial audiences are drawn to visual content – it’s a major reason Snapchat and Instagram are so popular.
- They’re easy to share. You wouldn’t post a research report on Pinterest, but you would share an infographic.
Best Practices
SCORE, a nonprofit association working in partnership with the Small Business Administration, is a fantastic example of an organization that does an excellent job at marrying design with important data points. They have entire pages of infographics that tell their statistical story. One example breaks down small business owners’ relationships with credit, capital and cash flow. When paired with bullets of information in a press release, it truly provides the big picture for readers.
However, before you even begin to form a visual, take a step back and take the time to figure out the right idea for your message. According to Business 2 Community, too many brands try to make infographics for themselves – not for the people they’re trying to reach. Keep putting yourself in your core audience’s shoes.
During a brainstorming session, it’s easy to get excited about quirky, outlandish ideas, but it’s only worthwhile to invest the time and energy on creativity that excites your target readership.
The next time you have a complicated survey or study to tout, remember to simplify the stats for your reader. Most people are visual beings and will respect and reward your well-designed digital marketing content with more clicks and social media shares, retweets, hearts and likes.
Ready to start using your own infographics to illustrate your numbers? Any good PR firm can help with that. Shameless plug, if you’re lucky to be in Nashville, Tennessee, come on by. But if not, that’s perfectly fine too. Contact us from 10-3000 miles away here. Or if your budget is non-existent you can find 15 basic templates for free here.