Want more free publicity, without lifting a finger? Read on.

A media kit, also known as a press kit, makes it easier for reporters and journalists to feature you and your business, resulting in valuable press coverage. You can make a media kit on your own, and might be able to make it in one sitting. A good press kit helps with media relations, and you can host it on your business or company website, giving you a competitive advantage.

A bare-bones media kit template will include promotional materials, company information, social proof, and a style guide. A more comprehensive media kit might include things like customer testimonials, past media mentions, visual assets, case studies, and/or your company’s history. When you send out a press release or media pitch, a media kit helps journalists, reporters, and marketing managers who want to contact or feature you.

Let’s go over what a media kit is, what it does, and what you should include to be more attractive to media professionals.

What Is a Media Kit?

When journalists or reporters write about you or your brand, they need some context for their reporting to be accurate. They might want company history, contact details, or high resolution images to supplement their assignment. It can be helpful to have a link or page on your website that has a digital media kit of downloadable assets.

A media kit accomplishes several things.

• It helps both journalists and users talk about your brand with accuracy.
• It often results in more coverage or better coverage, since the person covering your brand has more information about you or your business at their fingertips.
• Offering success stories, case studies, performance stats, product samples, or potential interviews with your leadership team may shape a journalist’s reporting on your business or brand.
• New customers often come through as a result of earned media coverage, because earned media — other people talking about your company — is considered trustworthy. We want to get as much positive coverage from public relations as we can.

Some business owners keep it simple and just host their media kit on their website as a blog post.

What Is the Purpose of a Media Kit?

Media kits make it easier to move quickly on press inquiries. They can help your business direct phone calls from the media, provide the most up-to-date information about your brand, impress potential customers, and bring more attention to social media accounts or your existing website.

When your company hires a public relations agency or publicist, the first thing they will do is develop a media kit and host it on a file sharing service like Google Drive. This digital press kit makes it easier for journalists working in an online newsroom to feature your brand, particularly if you are sending media pitches to newspapers or magazines for print coverage.

What Is Included in a Media Kit?

The essential elements of a media kit are as follows. Think of this section as an easy step-by-step guide.

Bio options and essential contact information.

This document is probably the single most important element of any media kit template. When you make a media kit, include a document that has your short bio, company history, and links to social media accounts.

Headshots or brand images.

Include at least one headshot or brand image that has a transparent background so that your headshot can be incorporated seamlessly into any designs. Also include other high-resolution images if you have them. Put the name of the photographer in the file name so that journalists know who to credit, or if you own the photos, you can also attribute them to yourself.

Got those? Next, focus on these things.

Valuable information.

Think about what you want people to know about your company’s success. What important milestones have you reached? What social proof, case studies, or customer testimonials might you want media contacts to be aware of? Most journalists will skim these details to help orient themselves to a company.

B-roll.

If you aspire to land video placements, either on television or another video platform, having pre-recorded b-roll can help you amplify your publicity.

When a producer is putting together a video segment, they will use what is known as b-roll. This is the video footage that plays on the screen while the reporter or news anchor delivers the story. Think footage of people walking down a street.

If you’re being interviewed for a broadcast segment, and you have b-roll already available, the producer is more likely to show that b-roll during the story that you were involved in. This can be a great way to increase the amount of time you and your business are on screen, though results vary depending on the producer’s style.

Press Kit Examples

I’ve tracked down a press kit example from a number of different industries to get you inspired. Comb through these media kit examples and see what you might like to include in your own communications.

Leadpages

Leadpages is a landing page builder for online business, and the company has one of the best press kit examples. You can easily find the press page from the footer of their website.

This page has recent media mentions, the brand story, performance stats, opportunities to engage the leadership team, and folders of downloadable brand assets. Here’s a big ol’ screenshot of the entire page.

If you were covering Leadpages, you can pretty much get everything you need from this one page.

Dave’s Killer Bread

Dave’s Killer Bread is an American bakery brand and second chance employer. Their press page is easy to locate from the home page of their site. Their media page has sections for brand assets, past coverage, press releases, and their powerful brand story.

Instacart

Instacart is an on-demand delivery service. A link to their press page is on the footer of their website. Since Instacart is a large company, they choose to show a number of press releases and a contact email.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are press releases?

Press releases are when a company announcement or pitch is sent out on a wire service. Media professionals are bombarded with press releases, and press releases are considered less effective than individualized media pitches.

What are the differences between press kits and media kits?

Press kits focus on landing press coverage. Media kits, in contrast, might focus more on general marketing communications with both journalists and future customers. They may also include a style guide to ensure proper logo usage.

How can I track my media mentions?

If you sign up for a service like Google Alerts or Talkwalker alerts, you’ll receive an email whenever you or your business are mentioned online. On the marketing side, you can use a service like Google Analytics to see where website traffic is coming from.

Does an online media kit have press materials?

The key features of a media kit are media assets, promotional materials, photos or images, and a short bio. Media outlets need these materials to report on your business accurately.

Create Your Media Kit Today

Your media kit really can be in a Google Drive folder. Make it easy for press and visitors alike to learn more about your business, and you’ll see bigger and better earned media coverage in the long run. ◆

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