Ingredients of the Effective Media Kit

No matter how cool your product or service is, you won’t get the success you want if no one knows about you. There are many marketing channels to promote your brand to the masses, but the most important thing is to get your message right. In order not to check the credibility of information about their brand and its activities, many companies create their own portfolio for use by journalists, influencers, media, and other sources of possible mentions of your company. It is called a media or press kit. In this article, we will talk about how to create it properly and how it can help you in business.

What is a media kit?

A press kit, press folder, or media kit is information about your company gathered in one place. This is a compilation of key aspects of your company’s physical shell, along with key intangible aspects like philosophy.

The press kit should always be available on the company website. You need the press kit to provide journalists with all the information they need about you and to get all the barriers out of their way. If you have an event or a new product launch coming up, check your press kit and put the latest, most up-to-date information in it beforehand.

Suppose a journalist writes about your new product launch and collects data about your company: when it was founded and what its indicators are, what the logo and the new product look like. Instead of scouring the contacts of the communications manager, sending an e-mail, and waiting for a response, the journalist can simply look in the press folder on your website.

This is the main purpose of the press folder: it helps journalists who write about your brand. It’s essentially a brand image. It should contain brief and clear information about your company, products or services, executives, and so on. In addition, this information can help potential partners or investors learn more about you and make a choice to work with you.

What should a media kit look like?

Don’t worry — you don’t need to hire a public relations professional or graphic designer to make a media kit. You can do it yourself with good copywriting, free tools, and ready-made templates available online. We’ve prepared some tips for you to make it as successful as possible.

Like content in general, press kit content can be divided into two types: evergreen and newsworthy. Evergreen content never goes out of style: company mission statements, corporate colors, logos, etc. News content includes the latest press releases and the latest product information. This block should be updated regularly.

Of course, you can be guided by individual criteria. After all, you should know which sides of the company are best highlighted in the media. However, in marketing, there is a basic list of things that are usually mentioned in the media kit. These things are:

• General information about the company. A brief history of your brand, its mission statement, the names of key team members with their short biographies and photos, and statistics (e.g., number of customers and growth rates).
• Logos. Provide several versions of your logo in different resolutions and with transparent backgrounds, so journalists will thank you.
• Multimedia files. The press kit should include visual elements such as high-resolution photos, videos, and GIFs. Don’t forget to include horizontal photos that match the markup of most websites and square images for social media. Make sure you have the right to use the images and cite their authors.
• Product or service information. Include a brief description of your products or services with their prices.
• Contact information. Add an email address and links to your social networks so journalists can contact you with additional questions.

Additional elements:

• Name styling. If your brand has a complex name or special capitalization, you should emphasize that in your press kit.
• Recent news articles. Let journalists know what they write about you: this will add credibility to your brand.
• Testimonials and cases. It is better to show rather than tell, so include testimonials or use cases of your product or service in your press kit. Heartfelt quotes will be a plus.
• Awards. If your product has won awards and accolades, include a list of them in your press kit.
• FAQ. Include answers to frequently asked questions so journalists don’t have to do extra work.

Tips for maintaining the media kit

Following the rules for creating a media kit will help you make an effective marketing asset. At the same time, you should not forget that the industry is constantly evolving and the market has new requirements. That’s why you should pay attention to three rules:

1. Regular updates. One of the biggest mistakes a company can make with a press kit is not updating it. Set up regular reminders to check your materials and keep them up to date.
2. Journalists’ needs. Think about what information journalists will need about your brand, and include everything from the prices of your products to the authorship of your images in your media folder.
3. Simplicity and accessibility. Sure, professional design is beautiful, but what is more important for a media kit is to present the information in a thoughtful, accessible way.

Final thoughts

A media kit is an essential tool for any business looking to promote its products or services through various media channels. It provides a comprehensive overview of the company, its products, and its achievements, and helps to establish a professional image for the business. A well-designed media kit can also help to attract the attention of journalists, bloggers, and other media professionals, and increase the chances of getting media coverage. 

By investing time and effort into creating a high-quality media kit, businesses can improve their chances of success in marketing and gain a competitive edge in their industry. Therefore, it is important to prioritize the creation of a media kit as part of their marketing strategy.