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6
tips for writing a winning VNR
by
Steve Slaunwhite
If
you're like most business communicators, you've written your
share of press releases, backgrounders and media kits. So
scripting a Video News Release (VNR) can be an exciting change
of pace.
That
is until you realize how high the stakes are. If your VNR
isn't picked up by the media, thousands spent on production
will go down the drain.
Don't
panic. A VNR is essentially a press release on video. The key
difference is how it is planned and written. Here is a
five-step process that can help.
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Start
with a treatment.
This is a one-page description of what you envision seeing
and hearing. A treatment helps you and others determine if
the VNR is newsworthy and worth the investment. It also
helps your production company establish a preliminary
budget.
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Get
the interviews right the first time.
In a press release, you can edit a quotation for clarity
and impact, and delete the ums and aahs that infiltrate
everyday speech. On video, however, what you see is what
you get. So carefully review questions and key messages
with interviewees. Be there during the shoot to ensure you
get the sound bites you need.
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Write
for the ear, not the eye.
Just because a voiceover reads well on paper doesn't mean
it will sound well on screen. Here's a tip I use: Read
your script into a tape recorder and then play it back.
When you do, I guarantee you'll rewrite it.
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Stay
with the fundamentals.
Given all the sight and sound possibilities of video, it's
easy to get carried way. However, don't forget your public
relations 101 lessons. You're not scripting a
Hollywood
blockbuster, you're writing a newsworthy, broadcast-ready
press release. Keep it simple and informative.
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It's
a release, not a commercial.
We all know that a press release should not be overly
promotional. The same holds true for a VNR — times ten.
In general, broadcast journalists are even more sensitive
to hype than their print and online counterparts.
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Don't
forget the b-roll.
This is additional footage that broadcasters use to
customize the news segment. If your VNR is an automotive
launch, for example, your b-roll might include shots of
the car in the driveway, on the road, surrounded by a
happy family, on an adventure trek. As the writer,
scripting the b-roll is just as important as the VNR
itself.
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©
2004, Steve Slaunwhite. All right reserved.
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