Press Kits, Press Kit vs. Media Kit, What is it, How to Make a, Template, Sample, 20 Feb 2010
Press Kits for starting a product launch, planning an event, or begin and developing a business need to be done well,
If Press Kits, or Media Kits as some prefer to call them are done right
it’s vital to promote your news to the media in order to generate sales and enquiry. After all, a feature story in a highly visible media outlet can significantly boost brand awareness and foot, phone, or web traffic to your business and bottom line. More importantly, this kind of coverage provides third-party endorsement and respect based credibility that you cannot buy with paid advertising or above the line campaigns (especially without the budget - getting an A-List celebrity to act as your spokesperson for pennies on the dime would be the only obvious exception here). The good news is that you can increase your chances of earning some free publicity by creating a compelling media kit for your business.
What is a Press Kit?
A press kit is a packet of information (digital, hardcopy, or both) about your business that is created primarily for use by the press. Keep in mind it's going to be on the public record and in the age of the internet that means other audiences may include industry peers, internal staff, and customers. Its purpose is to provide media with the necessary data to report on your business either in short or long form journalist pieces.
Why Do You Need a Press Kit?
At almost any media outlet you could walk into around the globe today you can be assured of finding the majority of reporters on a tight deadline to finish multiple stories. Generally, they are going to look for the fastest and easiest way to get the facts and sources they need to do that. If your competitor has a press kit with this data on hand and you don’t, guess who’s going to get the free media coverage on that day?
Press kits are also great tools for communicating important news about your company and products to potential new customers and stakeholders. We recommend you make both a hardcopy for any personal jouralist packs you're calling to mail or deliver and then replicate that same information in an online format.
If you're not technically minded you can draft the Press Kit in a word processing Program like MS Word and then print to PDF (if you don't have the full Adobe suite that allows you to print from Word to PDF just google "cutePDF" and download the free shareware program that will do the same thing. The importance of a PDF is to make it easy for you to get it up online in a timely way. If you need to get it out quick you can upload it to the web via email at http://posterous.com and the link will appear in seconds to allow anyone around the world to access and download.
Posterous will also allow you to password protect the account if you are trying to keep the information confidential from the public or exclusive for a journalist you've made a story arrangement with.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line on format for the Press Kit is that is should be easily accessible in one central location (especially if it is online), and you can still print copies of your media kit for conferences, tradeshows and targeted media members as needed. But by posting the information on your website, you can save a significant amount of time and money in printing and shipping fees.
What Does a Press Kit Contain?
Most media kits include the following information:
(Other Related Articles of Interest)
(Small Business Marketing Articles)
Business Facts
Write a brief summary of what your company does and why you are unique in your sector. Include your mission statement if you have one, goals and any other relevant information about your business. You can write this in the form of “Frequently Asked Questions” or use brief paragraphs to describe the important facts you want to communicate.
History
This page contains all of the data about the history of your business. You’ll want to include photos, the date you founded your business and why you started it. To interest readers, also add your thoughts and personal stories on how your business evolved from idea to startup business to present day. If you don’t have a lot to share, you may want to include this information on your “Business Information Facts” page.
Products/Services
It is very important to list your products and services and the benefits of each in your press kit. An outsider should be able to read this in just a few minutes and know exactly what you sell and why people buy it. Depending on the data, consider using brief paragraphs with headers or even a short list with bullet-points.
Biographies
On this page, provide short biographies of the key managers in your company and their photos. Write short paragraphs that are interesting and compelling. And rather than using a pre-written resume, add interesting anecdotes, quotes and other unique content that will help establish credibility for each individual listed.
Include information about birthplace, hometown, education, business experience, awards, and any other facts you want journalists to know. Also, some people like to add some personal facts, such as marital status, family information and hobbies enjoyed outside of work so readers can relate to their reader.
Current News
Entice the media, and let readers know that your business is updated regularly by including current news, industry trends, and exciting events in your press kit. List all of your press releases, previously published press clippings, videos, client testimonials, any case studies, completed or booked speaking engagements, articles, and other activities.
Also include company brochures, logos, photos, identity standards, and potential story angles to help the press get necessary data quickly. If you are in the process of obtaining press clippings, just include whatever information you have now, and make an effort to add to this section on a regular basis.
Ready To Roll!
When you have finished preparing your press kit, confirm that all of the information is up to date, the website links work and that contact information is readily available. If you need additional help, search and analyse media kits offered by your competitors and successful companies in your sector. You may also want to hire a professional public relations expert to create your press kit and add a professional touch. A PR consultant will also be able to book media interview for you and assist you spread the word wider than your local press corps or media market.
It takes time and effort to craft an effective and compelling press kit. But when the press start calling to offer free publicity and then follow up stories, you’ll be ready.
Dan Brian
PR Link
The Not So Humble Press Kit
A media kit, sometimes called a press kit, is an information packet about a brand, company, person, artist, message, non profit, or product. It is called a media kit or a press kit because in the “olden days” PR didn’t really exist as we now know it and people would call press for advertising mediums and ask for more information on the potential advertising channel. Since most of this advertising is press and media related, the term media kit was adopted.
A CV for Your Message and Brand in a Press Kit
A press kit is like a CV for your company. In it is a collection of company information and articles put together to address questions from the media, investors, clients and others. The goal of the press kit is It should grab the reader's attention, make a lasting impression and create enough interest that they will contact you for more information.
Sample Press Kit, Media Kit Electronic Press Kit, EPK, Template Press Kit Step by Step
