SHOULD YOU USE IMAGES WHEN PITCHING JOURNALISTS? [NEW DATA]

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Images in PR pitches rarely improve engagement and should be used selectively based on story type. Only 18.8% of pitches include inline images and just 0.1% use attachments, while open rates rise only about 1.25% when images are present. Journalist surveys show moderate interest, as 30% want multimedia and 36% want high resolution images, but most reporters say the strength of the pitch matters more. Images are most useful for product PR, expert credibility, and data visualization, while excessive or large images can hurt deliverability and increase spam risk. The best practice is to include relevant visuals when they add clear value and provide links to full assets instead of relying on heavy email embeds.