How To Design Shareable PR Assets

Creating PR assets that get widely shared requires careful planning and strategic design choices. Social media and digital channels have transformed how audiences consume and distribute content, making it essential for PR professionals to adapt their asset creation approach. Research shows that visual content receives 94% more views than text-only materials, while properly optimized videos can increase sharing rates by up to 1200% compared to text and images combined. By following proven design principles and optimization techniques, you can develop PR assets that naturally encourage sharing and amplify your message.

Brand Consistency in PR Asset Design

Strong visual branding serves as the foundation for shareable PR assets. According to a 2024 study by Lucidpress, consistent brand presentation across platforms increases revenue by up to 33%. Start by establishing clear brand guidelines that detail your visual identity elements:

Your brand style guide should specify approved colors with exact hex codes, RGB values, and Pantone numbers. Include primary and secondary font families, showing proper usage for headlines, body text, and callouts. Document logo variations and clear space requirements, along with examples of correct and incorrect usage.

When designing PR assets, maintain this consistency while adapting to different formats and platforms. For example, your press release header should use the same fonts and colors as your social media graphics, just scaled appropriately for each medium. This visual cohesion helps build recognition and trust with your audience.

Consider creating modular design elements that can be mixed and matched while maintaining brand standards. This might include:

• A library of pre-approved background textures and patterns
• Icon sets in your brand style
• Photo filters that align with your visual identity
• Standardized text overlay styles
• Consistent button and CTA designs

Optimizing Assets for Social Sharing

Social media platforms each have unique requirements and best practices for shareable content. According to Sprout Social’s 2024 data, posts with images see 180% more engagement than those without. When designing social-optimized PR assets:

Size your images correctly for each platform while maintaining quality. Facebook prefers 1200x630px for link shares, while Instagram performs best with 1080x1080px square images or 1080x1920px vertical content. Twitter’s ideal image size is 1200x675px.

Video content requires special consideration for social sharing. Most users watch videos without sound – up to 85% on Facebook according to internal data. Include clear captions or subtitles, and ensure your message comes across visually. Keep videos under 2 minutes when possible, as engagement drops significantly after that point.

Test different formats to see what resonates with your audience. Many platforms now favor carousel posts, which see 1.4x more reach than single images. Consider breaking longer content into slide sequences that tell a story.

Embedding Effective Calls-to-Action

Strategic CTAs guide viewers toward desired actions while maintaining the asset’s shareability. Research from HubSpot shows that personalized CTAs perform 202% better than basic button text.

Position your CTA where it flows naturally with the content rather than interrupting it. For videos, include a clear next step in the final frames. With images, integrate the CTA into the design rather than tacking it on as an afterthought.

Some effective CTA approaches for PR assets include:

• Asking viewers to share their thoughts or experiences
• Directing to additional resources or related content
• Inviting participation in upcoming events
• Encouraging newsletter signups for updates
• Promoting downloads of full reports or guides

Repurposing Event Content

Events provide rich opportunities for creating shareable PR assets. According to the Event Marketing Institute, 98% of attendees create digital content at events, and 100% of these people share their content.

Start by planning your event content capture strategy:

Record keynote speeches and panel discussions in high quality, then edit into shorter clips highlighting key moments. Take professional photos throughout the event, focusing on engaged audiences, speaker reactions, and networking moments. Collect attendee testimonials and quotes for use in follow-up content.

Transform this raw content into various PR asset formats:

• Video highlight reels
• Quote graphics featuring key insights
• Photo galleries showcasing event energy
• Infographics summarizing main takeaways
• Blog posts expanding on presentation topics

Digital Asset Management and Distribution

Effective sharing starts with organized asset management. A centralized digital asset management (DAM) system can increase team productivity by 28% according to Forrester Research.

Choose a DAM solution that offers:

• Robust search and tagging capabilities
• Version control and approval workflows
• Easy sharing with internal and external stakeholders
• Usage analytics and tracking
• Integration with common design and social tools

Set clear permissions and access levels to maintain control while enabling collaboration. Create collections of assets grouped by campaign, event, or topic for easy distribution.

Measuring Asset Performance

Track key metrics to optimize your PR assets over time:

• Share rates across different platforms
• Engagement metrics (likes, comments, saves)
• Click-through rates on CTAs
• Time spent viewing content
• Conversion rates from asset to desired action

Use these insights to refine your design approach and focus on creating more of what works best for your audience.

Conclusion

Creating shareable PR assets requires a strategic blend of consistent branding, platform optimization, and audience-focused design. Start with strong brand guidelines as your foundation, then adapt your content thoughtfully for each sharing channel. Include clear CTAs that add value rather than interrupt. Maximize event content through smart repurposing, and maintain organized asset management for efficient distribution.

Remember that shareability comes from providing genuine value to your audience. Monitor performance metrics to understand what resonates, and continuously refine your approach based on these insights. With careful attention to these principles, you can create PR assets that naturally inspire sharing and extend your message’s reach.