How to Create a Press Kit

Create a Press Kit 

One of the most effective and efficient ways to get your business out into the world is to be written about in any form of media publication. For that to happen, you can’t just exist, you need to be proactive and take action. In the world that we live in where everyone is constantly online, it is very important to have an online presence.

When journalists want information about a business or a product, the first thing they do is they do their online research about it. Which is why having a website is very important and highly recommended. It allows a company to establish their brand online as well as attract potential clients looking for a specific business.

While it is all good and well to have a website, you want press to cover your story, which means that you need to create content for them in a form of a press kit/media kit. 

In this article we will look at:

• What is a press kit?

• What goes into a press kit?

• Press kits for Tech Startups

What is a press kit?

 

Companies can think of a press kit as their online resume. It is a page on a company’s website dedicated to providing fast, resourceful information for media coverage. It showcases highlights that you want any media outlets to mention in a way that is easily accessible. A thorough one should include media files that journalists can download and use easily.

Media kits can attract both national press and local news sources that will give companies free PR. When companies get that kind of media coverage, they will gain more exposure, traffic to their website, and in the future more business and sales. Companies such as Pressfarm explain that they are also great to build a website’s SEO and provide unique, quality, and updated content on your pages.

A press kit is not just good for corporate businesses, people in the art and music industry also use them to promote their businesses. People in the music industry created an EPK (electronic press kit) which is an essential component of any music website. Even though the end goal is different, the principle is the same as a traditional press kit. Photographers tend to remain with the traditional media kit to market themselves to brands to sum up their achievements through stories and visual elements.

A media kit is just one of the many components necessary when it comes to reaching out to brands to work with. Whatever background or business you are in, a press kit is basically the most organized presentation of who the company is and how the business or the individual behind the company has succeeded.

What goes into a press kit?

 

The things that go into a media kit will vary depending on the business and industry. The most common and important elements that go into media kits include:

Company overview: Companies would be answering the questions “who are we?” “what we offer?” and “why should people care?” There is always a story or mission behind why a business got started and with the storytelling trend in marketing, it has become popular for businesses to share it. It is also a way to express originality and let people understand businesses’ mission statements. You want everything to be short and straightforward because the easier it is for someone to understand the concept of your business, the more likely they are to write about it accurately.

Company starts and facts sheet: It is also important to provide the media with relevant and important data about the business and its customers. It can be anything that is considered to be impactful, memorable and relevant. It is an opportunity to show how much the business has grown and why the business is relevant in the industry.

Quotes: Quotes make it easier for the press to write about you and reference your opinion. The phrases should be inspiring and impactful, but also short and written in a personal way.

Biographies: Tell the short story about the people behind your business, like the founders and top management. If it is just a one-person business, an individual bio works just as well.

Link to social accounts: Adding links to any social media account is definitely an added benefit for businesses. When press decides to cover your business, they should also be able to share their social information. It is another way to help further PR efforts.

Details about products and services: You want to show what you are offering to your consumers. You need to decide what it is you want to highlight in a clear description and also important to give some context by adding a description of the benefits of each of your offerings. It might be advisable to give our product samples so that the press can experience your products firsthand.

High quality media: The press will use high quality photos and videos across multiple platforms, so you want to make sure that they look good no matter what. Quality means more than just using the most adapted image file format. For your logo, it is important to add several options like ones that are resizable and another with a transparent background to make it easy to use for any purpose and size.

Press releases and PR brochures: A press release is a written announcement of what a company wants to share with the world. It should answer the 4 W’s and H of your news update along with a good hook.

Contact details: After media outlets are hooked on your content, you need to give them contact information so that they can reach out to you. You do not want them to have to put so much time and energy trying to find your contact information. Do not only add the traditional phone number and social media links, you should also add an email address that you frequently use for business. You should definitely use a business email address because you want to present yourself in a professional way.

Press kit example

 

For people that know Dropbox and what it does, they used their format to their advantage by putting their press kit in a folder on their own “Dropbox.”

There are so many different types of press kit depending on what kind of industry you are in. Whether you decide to go the traditional route or tweak it, the basics need to be there so that media outlets know exactly what your company is about and don’t have to take a lot of effort to find what they need to find.