Type of news
There are several types of news, and a project’s press kit can span multiple types and themes. A residential architecture project usually attracts more media coverage than an institutional project. Because there are multiple factors to consider, it doesn’t always work out that way. But statistically, there are many more publications specializing in residential design, because there’s a bigger target audience. The net result is higher chances of getting coverage.

Originality of the news item
Hundreds of new apartments, houses and dwellings are announced to the media each day – there’s a constant barrage of new projects, of every description. How do you make yours stand out? The media are looking for that special something, the “wow” factor that will make them decide to publish. So you have to highlight your project’s most distinctive feature.

For the Bal House, that element was the curved wall that draws the garden inside. It appears in the vast majority of articles about the house; it’s the touch that inspires people, and it’s usually the featured image. It even made the cover of a magazine! That’s also why this particular photo is on the cover of the press kit. It’s an immediate eye-grabber for the media. In a nutshell, you have to identify the one key detail that can make you stand out from the crowd, and put it front and centre in your copy and photos.

Exclusivity and relevance of the news item
Here’s the catch: the project was finished in 2011, and the release happened in 2015 – a four-year gap. A project should always be as recent as possible; typically, the media focus on projects from six months to at most two years old. Ideally, you’ll tell the media about your project a few months before it’s complete, or open if it’s a public building. But some media make exceptions and will publish regardless of the project’s age – as long as the project is still interesting and relevant to readers.

What’s more, the project had already appeared in some publications, but wasn’t widely seen. That’s why it was still appropriate to share it with other media. As far as possible, it’s essential to put fresh, exclusive news out there. It can dramatically increase your coverage.

Quality of the press materials
Terry & Terry’s press kit is a comprehensive, high-quality document. The press release is simple, effective and relevant. The copy is well-written, making it easy for editors to use. The higher a press release’s editorial quality, the easier you’re making it for editors, and that increases your chances of getting published. The press kit also includes a detailed technical sheet – a particularly popular feature with specialized media – and a short description of the firm. Beyond the project itself, media outlets like to know more about the designer or architect, the firm’s philosophy, a studio’s creative process.

The high-resolution photos are excellent, having been taken by a well-known professional photographer (@Brucedamonte). The architects also included plans and technical drawings. All of these elements are crucial factors for creating a strong media impact. Image quality is probably one of the most important success factors of all.

No doubt, your smartphone makes a great camera for your social media needs, and architects often have a good eye for composing a photo. But architectural editors have extremely high standards for image quality, and they strongly prefer professional photographs. They have their publication’s reputation to safeguard, and they want to deliver a high-quality article to their well-informed readers. The same goes for copy. A journalist will appreciate a press release written by a professional. Just as in architecture, there’s an expert for every specialty.

Number of images
It bears repeating: in design and architecture, images are crucially important. And that’s why v2com was launched 12 years ago – to deliver high-resolution images that would be adapted to our industry, easy to access and provide a comprehensive overview of a project. In addition to quality, quantity also affects your media impact. We see a clear pattern when comparing the impact of image-light and image-heavy press kits. Those with more than 15 images get more coverage. Those with more than 30 – and sometimes as many as 60 (photos and plans) – often see considerably more downloads and therefore media interest.

It’s simple. More images equal more possibilities for the publication. By being able to select images themselves, editors have the advantage of being able to publish an article that’s clearly different from others based on the same project. Lastly, the most important reason to offer dozens of images is that you help print publications write thorough, multi-page articles. In other words, press kits with more images often generate more in-depth articles.

In the case of the Bal House, the press kit included 12 images. That’s slightly less than the recommended minimum of 15 to 20. But that didn’t stop a large number of outlets from publishing articles, some of them several pages long. That’s why we stress the importance of all the factors combined, not just a single factor.

Media relations
Doing media relations using a media strategy and personalized follow-ups can undoubtedly be a success factor. Whether your in-house communications team handles media relations or whether you hire a specialized firm like v2com, it is often a good idea to send your project to several targeted editors, offering exclusive interviews and publication windows. We will explore the subject of media relations in more depth in a future article.

In the case of Terry & Terry Architecture, the project was released on the v2com newswire without media relations services, but with media monitoring to retrieve the articles.