Your branding and reputation are more important than ever, you need to take them seriously. In today’s day and age, it’s harder to maintain your image when there’s hype starting to build around your product from various sources.
You’ve probably heard the term “media kit” before, but you might not be sure what it is or why you need one. A media kit is a document that contains information about your company and its products or services. It’s a critical tool for any business that wants to promote its brand to the press.
In this blog post, we will discuss what a media kit includes and why it’s important for businesses of all sizes. We will also provide several examples of effective media kits.
Keep reading to discover more about the utility of media relations, brand awareness, and press kit creation.
Plus, I’ll give you 12 press kit examples.
What Is a Media Kit?
A media kit is a document that contains information about your company and its products or services. It’s a critical tool for any business that wants to promote its brand to the press.
Besides that, a media kit can also be a great way to give potential customers an overview of your business. If you’re a startup, for example, you can use your media kit to explain what your company does and why it’s unique.
What’s In A Media Kit?
A media kit usually includes:
- An overview of your company
- A personal bio if you’re a small company in a long and short form
- Your company’s mission statement
- Your company’s mission statement
- Information about your products or services
- Press releases
- Links to your social media profiles
- Links to important resources (your website, podcast, free things you give away)
- Contact information
- High-resolution photos of your products or staff
- Customer testimonials
- Media coverage (links to articles, interviews, guest podcast episodes, etc.)
- Topic ideas the press could write about your company
- 8-10 questions typically asked in interviews
Certainly, this list is not meant to be exhaustive but represents the most common aspects of a media kit.
Why Is a Media Kit Important?
A media kit is important because it helps you control the narrative around your brand. It allows you to tell your story in a way that is positive and appealing to the press. A well-crafted media kit can also help you secure press coverage and build relationships with journalists.
Furthermore, a media kit gives you a professional way to present your company to the world. It makes you look organized and prepared, which can give potential customers and partners more confidence in your business.
Not to mention, a media kit can save you a lot of time. If journalists or bloggers are interested in your company, they will likely request a media kit. Having one on hand will make it easy for you to send them the information they need without having to put together a custom package for each person who asks.
Are There Different Types of Media Kits?
Yes, there are different types of media kits depending on your needs.
If you’re a small business or startup, you might want to create an online media kit that is easy to share with journalists.
If you’re launching a new product, you might want to create a product-specific media kit that includes high-resolution photos and detailed information about the product.
If you’re organizing an event, you might want to create an event media kit that includes information about the speakers, sponsors, and agenda.
Besides that, you might want to create a general media kit that can be used for all purposes. This type of media kit would include an overview of your company, your products or services, press releases, and high-resolution photos.
Advertising Media Kits Versus Press-Oriented Media Kits
Sometimes the concept of media kits gets confused because the advertising world also uses the term media kit to describe the documents you use when offering people the ability to advertise on your website and other properties.
An advertising-focused media kit can include all the elements of a traditional media-based media kit listed above, plus:
- Traffic, viewership, and engagement statistics
- Advertising rates and options
- Demographics of your audience
- Advertising contact information
- Case studies of past partnerships
- Information about your affiliate program and how to register for it
What’s the Difference Between A Media Kit And A Press Kit?
This gets a bit complicated because there aren’t fixed definitions and many people use the terms interchangeably.
Here are several ways to think about media kits versus press kits
- The terms are oftentimes used interchangeably. You can use either media kit or press kit to describe the same set of documents.
- Some people use press kit to describe the information that’s designed to be used to help people in the media write stories about your business and a media kit as the information that’s designed to get people to advertise with you or put together a promotional deal.
- Some people use press kit as information on a certain time-based event or product (like a grand opening, press conference, or convention package) and media kit to be the more general information about your company and products.
As I said, it’s confusing. We’ve found the easiest way to talk about media kits versus press kits is to either use the term media kit for everything or use them interchangeably then define terms where necessary.
Press Kit Examples
Now that we’ve discussed what a media kit is and why it’s important let’s look at some examples of effective media and press kits.
Here’s Uber Great Britain’s Media Kit – showing simple design and communication.
Slack also does a great job with their media kit, demonstrating that they don’t have to be fancy and time-consuming to produce, they just have to give the media the information they need.
Brandland does the opposite in their media kit – turning it into a gorgeous design heavy kit designed to impress while communicating.
Dropbox focuses primarily on press mentions in their media kit.
Mastercard uses their digital press kit to feature their different programs.
Mailchimp’s media kit is primarily devoted to sharing their brand guidelines
Balsamic choose simplicity of design for its media kit.
Rand has done a great job of focusing on how to interview them for their media kit.
This online media kit from Casper Sleep provides an overview of the company and its products. It also includes links to press releases, high-resolution photos, customer testimonials, and media coverage.
This product-specific media kit from GoPro includes press reprints, detailed information about the product, as well as high-resolution photos and videos.
Here’s Evernote’s brief media kit and and good example of brand guidelines. This event media kit from Content Marketing World includes information about the speakers, sponsors, and agenda. It also includes a list of FAQs for attendees.
Here’s an advertising media kit in Spanish – notice that media kits can be as simple as an infographic.
As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a media kit. The most important thing is to include the information that will be most useful to your target audience.
If you’re not sure where to start, you can find templates and examples of media kits online. You can also hire a professional designer to create a custom media kit for your business.
No matter what approach you take, remember that a well-crafted media kit is an essential tool for any business that wants to promote its brand to the press.
How to Make a Media Kit
Now that we’ve discussed what a media kit is and why it’s important let’s take a look at how to create one. Here are a few tips:
Keep it simple: A media kit should be easy to read and understand. Avoid using jargon or overly technical language.
Make it visually appealing: Use high-quality images and graphics to make your media kit stand out.
Include contact information: Be sure to include your name, title, company name, website, email address, and phone number.
Customize your content: Tailor your content to each specific journalist or publication, this is critical, and it’s your responsibility.
Update your media kit regularly: Make sure your media kit is up-to-date with the latest information about your company.
Creating a media kit is a simple process if you know what to include. Be sure to tailor your content for each specific journalist or publication, and update your media kit regularly. By following these tips, you can create an effective media kit that will help promote your brand to the press.
Is It Expensive to Make a Media Kit?
The cost of creating a media kit will vary depending on your needs. If you’re hiring a professional designer to create a custom media kit, you can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $2000.
If you’re creating an online media kit, the cost will be much lower since you won’t need to print copies. You can create an online media kit for free using a service like Canva or hire a professional designer to create one for you.
No matter what approach you take, remember that a well-crafted media kit is an essential tool for any business that wants to promote its brand to the press. By following these tips, you can create an effective media kit without breaking the bank.
As we’ve seen, a media kit is a valuable tool for any business that wants to promote its brand. While the cost of creating a media kit will vary depending on your needs, you can create an effective media kit without spending a lot of money.
Common Mistakes Made When Creating a Media Kit
Creating a media kit is not as simple as throwing together a few pages of information about your company. There are a few common mistakes that people make when creating a media kit, which can ultimately lead to their media kits being ignored by journalists.
One of the most common mistakes is including too much information. A media kit should be concise and easy to read. It should only include the most important information about your company.
Another common mistake is failing to update your media kit on a regular basis. As your company grows and changes, so should your media kit. Be sure to keep it up-to-date with the latest information.
A third mistake is not tailoring your content for each specific journalist or publication. Remember that each journalist is looking for something different. Customize your content to meet their needs.
By avoiding these common mistakes, you can create a media kit that will be well-received by journalists and help promote your brand to the press.
Media Kit Done Right
A media kit is an important tool for any business that wants to promote its brand. It allows you to tell your story in a positive way and build relationships with journalists for the short and long term.
There are different types of media kits depending on your needs, so be sure to include the information that will be most useful to your target audience. You can find templates and examples of media kits online or hire a professional designer to create a custom media kit for your business.
By following these tips, you can create an effective media kit that will help promote your brand to the press. Please get in touch with us if you’re interested in having a curated press release made for you and your organization.