Custom Media Lists
The main goal of a media kit is to help any media outlet who would like to feature you learn about your company without any additional follow-up information other than what you have provided them and your online presence. The intention is to communicate important facts to journalists. An effective media kit is a document or webpage that contains contact information, details about your business, your mission statement, vision statement, your team, and your products. It should be provided to media outlets along with your email pitch and your press release.
One of the main struggles with startups is that they are unable to create effective media kits even if they have the required information. For this reason, our services also focus on designing media kits. Our PR experts have created hundreds of them for various startups and companies and have learnt what works and what doesn’t.
Would you like Pressfarm to help your company come up with a media kit?
Check out our packages and pricing to get yours done.
In this guide, we will look at:
What is a media kit
Components of a media kit
How to create it
Media kit templates
What is a media kit
As mentioned before, a media kit is used as a promotional pre-packaged set of materials that provides information about your company, your team, organization or cause. It refers to a set of documents, photographs and other relevant materials packaged together and designed to be sent media outlets as part of an organization’s public relations.
They are typically used in these situations:
- Product launches
- New company launch
- Mergers and acquisitions
- News conferences
- Announcements of special events, industry trade shows and exhibitions
- Accompany a press release or media release
- Notify the media of any newsworthy event within a company’s sphere of activities
Common components of a media kit
- Background with historical information on the company or individual
- Fact sheet listing specific features, statistics, or benefits
- Biographies of key executives, individuals, artists, etc
- Past press coverage
- Photos and other high-resolution images of key executives, logos, products, etc.
- A press release detailing the latest news
- Media contact information (usually from the public relations department or spokesperson)
- Collateral advertising material
How to write a media kit
Decide on the Purpose
The purpose of a media kit determines its content, format, and how you’ll distribute it to journalists. In the same way that you can send a press release to journalists, a media kit can be used to announce the opening of a new business or location, promote a product or service, or market events and promotions. You should start by determining the purpose of your media kit then include information and images to further that purpose.
Generally, the purpose of a media kit is one of the following:
Introduce your new business
If you just opened your business or recently moved to a new community, use a media kit to introduce yourself to local press and consumers.
Promote an event
Hosting an event or starting a new promotion? Use a media kit to share the details with your community as part of your marketing strategy. A media kit is a great way to get your event on community calendars and on local news outlets.
Share a product or service
A media kit is a great way to introduce a new product or service or share details about what your business already provides. Use the majority of the media kit to describe the features and costs of your products and let customers know how to reach you.
Introduce a new team member
Sometimes, media kits are used to announce that someone is joining your team. This is a great idea if you’re bringing impressive new talent to the region or if you have a business where staff members regularly interact with the community.
Depending on the purpose of your media kit, there are also two primary methods of distributing it: digitally or on paper. Traditional kits, distributed in paper folders, are less common, but may still be used for in-person events. Instead, we recommend creating a digital kit to post online and share via email because digital media kits are easy to access and less costly to produce and distribute.
Provide Contact Information
The most important feature of your media kit is the contact information. Journalists writing a story or otherwise covering your business may wish to contact you to gather more information. Include the name of your marketing manager, your website, email address, location, and telephone number to make it easy for journalists to get in touch.
Write Your Business Story
A business story is a brief description of your business’ history, mission, and product or service you’re promoting in the media kit. It’s often referred to as the “company overview,” and should go at the top of the front page of your media kit. Draft a 50- to 100-word description that’s tailored to the kit’s purpose.
For example,
if you’re promoting the opening of your business, you should include your founding date, locations, and target market. Broadly describe the products and services you offer and provide any important information about when you’re open and any special promotions you’ll have to celebrate your new business.
Create a “Company Facts” Section
The fact section should list five to ten data points about your company, product, service, or event. Make the facts easily accessible by listing them on the front of your media kit just below the Business Story. Tailor facts about the purpose of your media kit to help journalists focus on the information you want to share.
Some of the points you may want to list in your fact sheet include:
When your company was founded
Where your company was founded
Location of your headquarters
Number of stores or office locations
Total annual revenue
Number of employees
Type and number of products
The volume of customers served
Names of senior leadership
Notable clients
Media mentions
Historical milestones
Depending on the nature of your business and the type of media kit you’re creating, you might include general information or details about a specific event, product, or service. For example, a bakery may include the number of doughnuts produced daily and a lawn service company may list how many lawns they’ve serviced. However, if a bar is featuring a new promotion or menu, the media kit may focus solely on that rather than the business as a whole.
Highlight Your Business with Photos
Photos of your products, personnel, or locations make your media kit visually engaging and more informative. Use professional photos that feature the best elements of your business and the purpose of your media kit. If these photos are available for publication by the press, note this and provide high-resolution copies on your website’s kit page.
Include Team Member Bios
Your media kit should include brief team member bios and, if possible, professional headshots. CEO, president, or founder bios are ideal additions to your kit, but make sure they advance the purpose of the kit. Describe the individual’s career history and facts about their contribution to the company on the back of the media kit.
For example,
if your media kit is focused on a new product line at your retail store, highlight team members who specialize in the products or were responsible for bringing them onboard. Media kits designed to promote an event can include key contacts for event details or employees responsible for organizing and setting up the event.
Provide Your Company’s Media Assets
Online media kits should include downloadable logos for use by journalists and news agencies. Provide several high-resolution variations of marketing images and logos (e.g., .jpg and .png). Optimize your digital kit by linking to media assets and including images and files on your website with branding guidelines for how and where to use them.
To get the most out of your company’s online media kit and marketing website, check out our review guide to the best website builders for small businesses. If you’re ready to set up your website and maximize the impact of your digital media kit, check out Bluehost’s range of domain names and web hosting services.
Link to Past Press Releases
Include links to past press releases on the back of your digital media kit to give journalists context and further background on the company. Make the most of your media kit by linking to these resources on your website’s marketing and press release page. Organize press releases chronologically to illustrate your business’ events and milestones.
If your company has received positive press from an outside news source, be sure to include this in your media kit and on your website. Reporters will benefit from hearing how other journalists and media agencies have handled your business story, and including this information usually reflects positively on your company.
Sending a press release may prompt journalists to look for your company media kit, especially if your press release receives wide distribution.
Optimize with Additional Features
Media kits are supposed to adapt to the needs of your business and the interests of your audience. Include helpful features like product guides, testimonials, or awards and recognition related to the purpose of the kit. For example, a band’s media kit should include a discography, press coverage, and recordings of the band performing.
Here are some other things you may want to include in your kit or on your website:
A list of awards and recognition
If your business has achieved a variety of noteworthy awards, create a list and devote a section of your media kit to it.
Social media accounts
PDF or online media kits can include links to the company’s social media channels. If you only have a downloadable kit, you can include these links on your media kit webpage.
Testimonials from customers or clients
Testimonials aren’t just a sales tactic; they’re a powerful addition to a media kit, too. If you feature some testimonials, try to include names and photos of those who provided the testimonial and be sure to get their permission in advance.
Product guide
For businesses that develop or sell a unique product, including a product guide is an excellent idea. Your product guide may include technical specifications, dimensions, capabilities, or other information relevant to people within your target audience.
List of clients
If you are in a client-centric business, include a client list (unless your company has policies against it). This list of clients can help journalists and others know what kind of businesses best work with yours. Again, always get your client’s approval before including their name in your media kit or website.
Interviews
Journalists may be interested in interviewing company leadership or founders. If there are existing video, audio, or print interviews, include these in the media kit. Doing so informs journalists about previous interviews and may inspire additional press coverage.
List of patents
Depending on the nature of your business’ work, you may have several patents. Patents set you and your business ahead of the competition and can be an important addition to a media kit.
Product sample
Product samples are a strong addition to any media kit. Obviously, if you have a physical product and a digital media kit, your options are limited. There are ways, however, to give reporters a feel for some products and services. Videos can help. Guest logins to a web app, for example, may be an option for some businesses.
Mission statement
If your mission statement is a key part of your business, you can add it as a section of the media kit.
Advertising collateral
If your mission statement is a key part of your business, you can add it as a section of the media kit.
Media Kit Examples
The format of your media kit will vary depending on the information you want to share. Use Pressfarm to create your own media kit template as a starting point and check out some examples for inspiration.
Media kit examples include:
Design Roast
This band’s media kit is a single page and includes the brand’s bio, members, contact information, and an overview of their audience.
Rick Smith Jr
This is an example of a longer media kit that includes a biography, relevant events and services, clients, testimonials, and booking information.
HappyFox Chat
This company’s media kit includes a variation of its logos, photos, product screenshots and videos.
When creating and sending a press release, we recommend using Pressfarm due to our wide level of distribution. We also do a lot of due diligence before writing or guiding your press release creation to ensure that the release has a concrete and interesting story angle and will appeal to your audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to design a media kit?
Developing a basic media kit should not take too long if you know what you are doing. However, startups often need to collect all required material and compile this data. Eventually, it ends up taking too long. If you need to write everything
from scratch, budget more time for the project. If you’re creating an elaborate media kit with custom graphics or photography, plan to spend several days on the project. With Pressfarm doing this for you, a lot of this work is removed from your desk and handed over to professionals.
What is the quickest and easiest way to design one?
Developing a basic media kit should not take too long if you know what you are doing. However, startups often need to collect all required material and compile this data. Eventually, it ends up taking too long. If you need to write everything
from scratch, budget more time for the project. If you’re creating an elaborate media kit with custom graphics or photography, plan to spend several days on the project. With Pressfarm doing this for you, a lot of this work is removed from your desk and handed over to professionals.
What’s the best way to distribute my media kit?
Developing a basic media kit should not take too long if you know what you are doing. However, startups often need to collect all required material and compile this data. Eventually, it ends up taking too long. If you need to write everything
from scratch, budget more time for the project. If you’re creating an elaborate media kit with custom graphics or photography, plan to spend several days on the project. With Pressfarm doing this for you, a lot of this work is removed from your desk and handed over to professionals.
Bottom line
A media kit is the standard method of communicating business information to the media. Reporters use media kits to get relevant information quickly and easily, saving them time and effort. Creating a media kit requires collecting the right information and sharing it in an easily accessible place, and will result in more positive press for your business.
For the design and distribution of your media kit and press releases, talk to us here at Pressfarm and we will have you set up and running in no time.