Online Video: A Vital PR Channel

Four reasons why publicists should shoot their own videos:

1. It provides another avenue for communicating directly with your target audience. Uploading a clip onto a site like YouTube creates a permanent home for you to convey your message, long after the story pitch's original timeframe.

2. It is a helpful tool in making your story pitch to the media.

For example, consider the video on this post (Five Seasons Sports Club personal trainer Mike Nishimura training a client). In e-mail pitches to local media, I have included links to the clip, as well as a few other related videos, to augment a written release on a July 19 event dubbed Slug It Out For Special Olympics.

3. It eliminates copyright issues, since you are the creator of the content.

4. It's just plain fun.