Secret #5: You Really Need A Press Kit.
What is a Press Kit? Sometimes also known as a media kit, it includes information and resources for reporters and sometimes investors to gain insights about your company in a clear, succinct way. A press kit usually includes high level details about the company, important past articles, logos, high resolution images and video demos.
There are various frames of thinking when it comes to a press kit. In the olden days, people would build an actual physical press kit filled with print copies of media clippings, a one sheet about the company or product and maybe even include a physical sample. These press kits would be sent to reporters for consideration of coverage. As you can imagine this got extremely costly, but sometimes those fancy press kits really made a difference on the type of coverage you got for your client.
The New Economy Press Kit
Of course, times have changed greatly. Everything lives on the innerwebs. So should your press kit, and yes, you should definitely create one. The biggest reason why you need a press kit is because it gives you another level of legitimacy. Every single company should have some form of press kit even if it’s short or doesn’t have that many media articles in it yet.
The press kit will show that you are serious and it will make a reporter’s life much easier. Reporters will make less mistakes when they are reporting on you because they will have all the details clearly spelled out and readily available for them as they write their piece. Reporters hate having to do Google search after Google search to find basic information, and they are usually rushed under a deadline.
There are quite a few online tools that can be used to create a press kit. Some of the ones I have used include: Storyboard — paid, Tackk — free, & Presskit — paid.
You can also do something in Google Docs or directly on your website. We recommend that you put your press kit on your website, so it’s easy for the press to find and you get good SEO karma. At a minimum, link to one of the press kit tools above on your Press page. Don’t have a press page? Geez, we got lots of work to do! 🙂
Components of a Stellar Press Kit
As I mentioned before, a press kit shows that you are serious and really want to make a reporter’s life easier. Nothing gets on a reporters good side like helping them out. Helping A Reporter Out gets you massive karma points.
A press kit needs to be rich in information and visuals so it’s Sesame Street simple to find what you are looking for. The essential components include:
- Logos: In high-res with the proper way to place them. Also make sure it’s on a clear background and in multiple formats.
- Company overview: Of what your company does, how big it is, what industry it is. Think elevator pitch.
- Product list: A list of the products or services you offer.
- Key Staff List with short bios: Of the management team and key people in the organization. Also have high-res head shots
- Product Images: High-res with names that make sense.
- Press coverage: News stories, blog posts and press releases all organized in chronological order with the most recent first.
- Company fact one sheet: That is more in-depth than the overview. Include details like mission, vision, etc.
- Contact info: Names, telephone numbers and emails of the media and marketing people to get more information from.
- Client testimonials: That show how much your customers like your product or how great your customer service is.
Don’t worry if you don’t have everything right away. A good press kit does evolve over time, but it should always be the most up to date based on the status of the company.
For Goodness Sakes, Keep it Up to Date
I know I sound like a nag, but this happens way too often to not mention. It’s important to have your kit done ahead of time and keep it updated. Nothing will turn off a reporter faster than an outdated press kit with old bios, stale products, low res images and antiquated press. Your press kit is within your control and making it shine will tell the word that you are ready for the big leagues.
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This post is part of a 7 part series titled 7 PR Secrets Every Founder Should Know But Are Not Told. If you stumbled upon this searching the innerwebs, please join us for the full series. I would really appreciate it.