When is a video news release [3] in danger of looking or sounding like a commercial?

"A VNR is aired on the news at the discretion of news personnel," Amy Goldwert Eskridge of AGE Productions told PR Week. "So it's important to produce a story that looks and sounds like it was done by the station."

The trade publication's PR Toolbox advises potential VNR sponsors, "VNR script should focus on information TV news viewers can use, with a subtle mention of your product as a solution to a problem. ... Avoid anything that looks or sounds staged or over-produced, [Eskridge] says. An experienced VNR producer knows the techniques of getting a newsy shot and can conduct an interview that results in natural-sounding sound bites that impart your key message, while still appearing spontaneous."