press release vs third party media

They sound similar, but they're licensed differently. What matters is who wrote it and whether anyone paid for placement.

Press release: included with your session

A press release is written entirely by the company, usually to announce something. The company sends it to media outlets, and each outlet decides whether to run it. The outlet adds no text of its own.

Images that run with a press release are usually small, but any size is covered. No money changes hands. The company doesn't pay to place it, and the outlet doesn't pay to run it.

Paid placement: not included, available for a fee

If the company pays to have the press release placed, that's paid advertising. It isn't covered by the session license, but it can be licensed for a fee.

Third-party media use: not included, available for purchase

Third-party media use is when a newspaper, magazine, or website writes its own article about a company or person. The article may borrow text from a press release, but the outlet writes it.

These articles often run images large, like a full page, across two facing pages, or on a magazine cover. But even a small image in an outlet's own article counts as third-party media use.

The outlet is the one who should pay for this use. Media outlets know they need to license an image before they run it. But to skip that cost, they'll often ask the person in the story for a photo, without checking whether that person has the right to give it to them. Your session license doesn't cover it.

So if an outlet asks you for an image, send them to me and I'll take care of the licensing. Or, if it's easier, you can purchase the license for them directly from me.