Do's and Dont's while preparing a Media Kit

Media Kits can make or break an organization

Public Relations and communications are the branches that have helped businesses across the world spread their message, indirectly increase sales, improve brand image, overcome crises, and maintain rapport among their clients and media. Whenever public relations experts are looking to make an impact with their work, using a media kit can help businesses to best represent their brands through targeted means. Media kits are primarily used to impart information quickly and accurately about a business, product or event. Al Lautenslager, in the article “The Ingredients of a Media kit,” said, “a press kit is like a resume for your company. In it is a collection of company information and articles put together to address questions from the media, investors, potential clients and others.” What goes in a Media kit varies and it depends on its purpose but they generally can contain a few or all of the following things.

· A letter stating the purpose of the Media Kit,

· history of the organization/company,

· information regarding the organization’s products/services or product samples

· organization/company’s mission, vision, and values,

· press releases,

· lists of important clients,

· relevant quotes from clients and company officials,

· information regarding important company officials (CEO, President, Vice President, etc.),

· relevant Articles regarding the company,

· company logo and other images,

· digital Media kits sometimes include videos,

· organization’s sales and statistics data or an annual report, and

· contact details.

According to the editorial team at BIT.AI Blog, a media kit is a compilation of materials that are relevant to an organization and would generate interest among media to cover a story and other companies to partner with the organization. These kits are commonly prepared for special occasions such as launch events and as information packages for journalists to help them write their stories. It’s a simple way for the media and clients alike to be able to gather all the information they need to know at a glance. Lautenslager, in the article “The Ingredients of a Media kit,” said, the purpose of a media kit is the same as any other tactic marketers apply. The purpose of a media kit is to grab a potential customer’s attention, enhance brand image, and create interest, which will persuade customers to take determined action, Lautenslager added. 

There are a lot of important things that can go in a media kit and they all must be carefully selected. While adding all of the above-mentioned things will provide clients and journalists with the most information to play with, it will also make it a really long read which can lead to important information being missed out. The data that should go into the kit must be carefully selected and must only contain relevant information. 

In order to determine what information should be selected for the kit, it is imperative to know the purpose of the media kit, for which it is being prepared as it would help segment things accordingly into what is relevant and what is not. For example, if you are preparing a media kit for a launch event, it would be best to add information regarding the product being launched, the team of people that built or developed the product, and also about how it can benefit the community, if applicable. While media might only be interested in the human-interest aspect of the product, the potential investors, board of directors, and potential partners might only be interested in the numbers and statistics. So, what goes in the media kit must be relevant to the audience and what it is being prepared for. 

Another factor that must be kept in mind while preparing a kit is how it is going to be distributed as the contents of the kit would need to be changed and altered accordingly. For example, videos are not effective when distributed as a CD with hard- copy media kits. Typically, kits can come in many forms. The most common ways to distribute media kits are in hard copies, though depending on the type of launch/event, in earlier years, they were also distributed as DVD/CDs. However, most businesses, these days, prepare a media kit and add it to their website. Once they have added the kit to the website, an email is drafted for the press and a call to action asking the journalists to take a look at the kit is embedded in it. Corey Ferreira, in the article “How to Create a Press Kit That Gets Publicity for Your Business,” said, “Digital press kits are a common and convenient format to create and distribute content for press, especially in the e-commerce space. Simply create an easily accessible press kit page on your website so reporters can find it.” This is a general practice when it comes to distributing media kits but still the most effective method of distributing media kits, Lautenslager argues, is in-person during events or press conferences, etc.

There are a lot of things that every media kit, irrespective of the audience, must have. While compiling a media kit, it’s ideal to include a letter stating the purpose of the document. It helps to explain to clients and journalists why this business, product, event or launch is important. For people who’ve never used or received a media kit before, stating the purpose of the document helps to ensure that readers are aware of what they are going to experience. 

It’s essential to include an “About Us” section that describes the company’s mission statement, values and key messages of the organization. It provides an overview of the organization and what they stand for. It’s ideal to include biographical information of all the important officers in an organization. This portion describes their roles, what they do, and may include quotes relating to the event. These should include headshots of the officers with digital files available for the media to use if desired. It is one of the most important sections of any media kit, as this section helps organizations control the way they are perceived by the media and public. In the article “The Importance of a Media Kit,” flottman said, if PR officials don’t provide media and journalists with enough information regarding their organization, people will end up making assumptions about what the company is regarding, which is highly unlikely to be a positive assumption.

Following the letter of purpose, and the company overview, communicators should include a fact sheet to illustrate quick facts for readers about the business, product or event. They should be formatted in a simple way with bullet points, using headings and subheadings to keep it organized. The more organized it is, the easier it is for the media to identify the important facts to include in their story. Depending on the complexity of the event, you may need different fact sheets for different purposes. There are a variety of different fact sheets that can be used to convey messages and information, so it’s best to know the differences between them depending on what kind of event you’re hosting. 

One of the basic examples of fact sheets would be Standard fact sheets.

Standard fact sheets are single sheets that include information about the officers, the office addresses, contact info, and a description of the organization. Fact sheets that offer historical information about an organization usually include a timeline of important events that are significant to the business-particularly highlighting noteworthy developments or events in their history and are usually a part of special media kits. 

Special media kits are specifically prepared for important and special events. Special media kits are really important and are developed for almost every event where media is expected to show up. Although there is some overlap of information between special and general media kits, special media kits are only relevant to one particular event and cannot be used as a general media kit for an organization. Special media kits need to go the extra mile to show journalists why your event is significant. While it may seem tedious, taking the time to craft a well put together kit will ensure that the media reports on the event accurately and effectively for your brand. 

For special media kits, it’s best to include a basic fact sheet about the event, a historical fact sheet, a program or schedule of events with a list of all of the significant sponsors, participants, bios of all the significant leaders and attendees. This information can also be accompanied by a press release, a feature story, photos, and video B-roll. However, most journalists prefer to receive digital content in the digital form only. 

The opportunities and benefits offered by having a media kit are in abundance. From helping a business control messages to promoting products, services to highlighting achievements and community services initiatives, a media kit is one of the best tools to reach out to media, clients, and customers and provide specific relevant information to each of the key audiences. Although media/press kits are an important asset for every organization, it still does not guarantee media coverage for an organization. According to Corey Ferreira, if communicators want to ensure that media reports about their organizations, they need to go out there, network and constantly develop connections within the media. A media kit only makes it easier for journalists to find information about the organization but in order to ensure media coverage, networking and connecting with the media is still the key.