Press Release Video: Should You Make One?

You’ve seen them. A talking head appears on screen, delivers a corporate announcement in a robotic cadence, and vanishes. The whole thing costs less than lunch. This is the modern press release video, and it’s everywhere.

But should you make one?

The honest answer: maybe. Not because video is inherently better than text, but because the wrong press release video costs money, wastes time, and damages credibility. The right one multiplies your reach and gives journalists a tool they actually want to use.

Let’s walk through when a press release video makes sense, what formats actually work, and whether those AI avatar creators living in everyone’s marketing budget are worth the hype.

The State of Press Release Videos Today

Five years ago, video press releases were rare. Newsrooms found them gimmicky. Reporters deleted them without watching.

Today, press release videos are normal. Trade publications expect them. Broadcast outlets (TV news, financial news networks) almost demand them. Even written press release platforms like Business Wire and GlobeNewswire now integrate video uploads as standard features.

This shift happened quietly. It wasn’t driven by journalists suddenly loving video. It was driven by distribution. A press release video performs better on social media. It plays in email clients. It gets picked up by news aggregators that favor multimedia content. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit amplify video before they amplify text.

The economics changed the format, not the other way around.

But there’s a cost. A bad video press release damages your brand more than no video at all. It signals that you cut corners. It suggests your company prioritizes speed over substance. Journalists notice this. They factor it into coverage decisions.

So the real question isn’t whether video is better. It’s whether a video serves your specific distribution goal.

When a Press Release Video Actually Works

A press release video makes sense in three scenarios.

First: broadcast media outreach. If you’re pitching a local news station, a morning show, or a financial news network, they will ask for B-roll and interview footage. A polished press release video gets you halfway there. It shows you have quality footage, you understand the visual story, and you’re not asking them to shoot from scratch. CNBC won’t air your press release video directly, but they’ll use clips from it.

Second: social media distribution. A 60-second video press release gets 2 to 5 times more engagement than a text post on LinkedIn or Twitter. The raw metrics are there. If you’re announcing a product, a partnership, or a major hire, a video clip performs. Post the video on your channel, share it with employees, seed it to friendly accounts. The reach compounds.

Third: internal communications and investor relations. A startup raising capital benefits from a video announcement. So does a company announcing layoffs, restructuring, or a major pivot. Your team needs to understand the news before journalists get it. A CEO-delivered video announcement (real, not AI) hits different than a memo. Employees watch. Investors watch. Then journalists watch. The precedent is set.

Outside these three scenarios, a press release video is a cost center without a clear return.

The Formats That Work

There are four functional formats.

CEO or founder talking head. 60 to 90 seconds. They stand or sit. They deliver the news. Professional lighting, real audio, minimal cuts. This works because it’s authentic. Journalists see a real person, not a production. Investors see conviction. Employees see leadership. The bar is low: look presentable, speak clearly, avoid corporate jargon.

B-roll with voiceover. Footage of the thing you’re announcing (a product, a location, a feature) paired with a voiceover reading the press release. 30 to 60 seconds. This format works for product announcements and facility news. Broadcast outlets will extract and use the footage. It’s versatile. The voiceover can be done by a professional narrator or by you.

Motion graphics and text. Animated headlines, numbers, logos, and transitions with a voiceover or music. 45 to 90 seconds. This format works for data-heavy announcements, fundraising news, and earnings updates. It’s clean. It’s repeatable. Production costs are moderate.

Interview format. You and someone else (a client, a partner, a journalist) talking about the news. 2 to 3 minutes. This format works for partnership announcements and story-driven news. It’s more intimate. It creates a narrative. But it requires a second voice and real conversation, not a script.

What doesn’t work: an AI avatar reading a press release. It’s cheap. It’s fast. But it reads as hollow. Journalists see it as a shortcut. Employees recognize it as corporate theater. Investors wonder why the CEO isn’t talking. AI avatars are fine for internal webinars and FAQ videos. They’re not fine for press announcements where credibility matters.

AI Avatar Creators: The Hype vs. Reality

Tools like Synthesia, HeyGen, Runway, and D-ID promise to solve the video problem. You write a script. The AI generates a talking head. You hit publish.

The cost is genuinely low. A 2-minute AI avatar video costs 20 to 50 dollars, plus subscription fees. You can generate a video in 30 minutes.

The quality is impressive from a technical standpoint. The avatar speaks, blinks, gestures. Expressions are readable. Lip sync is accurate. For an internal announcement, an all-hands meeting, or a FAQ, it’s good.

But for a press announcement, it falls short.

Here’s why: authenticity compounds. When a journalist sees an AI avatar, they know the company chose the cheap option. They infer the announcement isn’t important enough for real effort. They cross-reference your press release for what you actually invested in. If a video is all you invested, they’re skeptical.

This is unfair but real. The format carries a signal. A real CEO on video signals commitment. An AI avatar signals cutting corners.

There’s an exception: if your company is an AI company announcing an AI product, an AI-generated video is thematic and defensible. It shows confidence in your own tech. Otherwise, skip it.

What makes sense instead: hire a freelancer to film a 60-second CEO talking head. Cost: 500 to 1,500 dollars. Timeline: 1 to 2 days. You get a real video that journalists and employees value. You can repurpose the footage for social, your website, and other announcements. The per-announcement cost drops.

Or use an AI tool for internal communications and hire a real production team for media announcements. Clear separation. Different tools for different audiences.

The Math on Production Costs

If you make a press release video, understand the full cost picture.

AI avatar: 20 to 50 dollars per video. Subscription: 300 to 3,000 dollars per year depending on the platform. Turnaround: 30 minutes to 2 hours. You do all the work in-house.

Freelance filmmaker: 500 to 2,500 dollars for a simple talking-head video. Turnaround: 3 to 5 days. You describe what you need, they handle shooting, editing, and delivery.

In-house camera operator and editor: 2,000 to 5,000 dollars in overhead and equipment. One-time investment. Ongoing turnaround: 1 to 2 days per video after setup.

Professional production agency: 2,000 to 10,000 dollars per video depending on scope, location, talent, and revisions. Best for announcements that need polish. Turnaround: 1 to 3 weeks.

The break-even point depends on volume. If you make one video per year, hire a freelancer. If you make one per month, set up an in-house operation. If you make 2 to 3 per year with high visibility, hire an agency for the big ones and use freelancers for the rest.

When NOT to Make a Video

Don’t make a press release video if:

Your news is text-based or data-heavy and your audience is journalists. Journalists prefer a well-written press release they can parse in 60 seconds. A video doubles the time they spend on your announcement.

You don’t have footage or visuals. A talking head alone, especially an AI avatar, isn’t compelling. If your announcement doesn’t have a visual component, text is better.

Your CEO or founder isn’t available or comfortable on camera. A substitute reading a script doesn’t work. Find someone who can speak with authority and authenticity.

You’re making dozens of announcements per year. The cost becomes prohibitive. Use text for routine announcements. Reserve video for major news.

Your budget is under 500 dollars. Below that, you’re choosing between a low-quality phone video and an AI avatar. Neither serves the announcement. Save the budget and do it right, or stick with text.

The Right Approach

Here’s the decision tree:

First, write the press release. The video is a supplement, not a replacement. Text is your foundation.

Second, identify your distribution goal. Broadcast? Social media? Internal communications? Investor relations? Each requires a different format.

Third, match the format to the goal and your budget:

Broadcast media: Hire a freelancer for a real talking-head video or B-roll with voiceover.

Social media: Film a 30 to 60-second CEO clip yourself or hire a freelancer. Repurpose the footage across platforms.

Internal communications: Use AI avatars or a simple in-house recording. Quality matters less. Turnaround matters more.

Investor relations: Hire for a professional CEO video. This news drives decisions. The investment in production pays for itself.

Finally, measure what matters. Track plays, engagement, and downstream coverage. Don’t just count views. Track whether journalists embed your video in their coverage, whether employees retweet it, whether investors reference it in follow-ups. These signals tell you whether the video worked.

The Takeaway

Press release videos work. They expand reach, they engage audiences, and they help broadcast outlets tell your story. But they only work when they match your goal, your budget, and your ability to deliver authenticity.

An AI avatar video costs nothing and takes 30 minutes. It’s tempting. But it also broadcasts that you cut corners. If your announcement matters, invest the time and money to make it real. If it doesn’t matter, don’t make a video at all.

For guidance on structuring your announcement itself, see our article on how to write a good press release. If you’re planning media outreach, check our piece on press release marketing explained. And if you’re wondering about distribution strategy, read about how to get a press release picked up by Google News.

The video is the amplifier. The press release is the message. Get the message right first.