Press kits are a method for getting a lot of information about your company to the press. The purpose of a press kit is to inform a reporter or editor about your company. The goal is to intrigue them enough to take your press releases seriously and to give them the information they need to write a good article with confidence.
In the past, physical press kits were a necessity and they still are for things like events and trade shows where you’re likely to meet the press face-to-face. But now that we get most of our news online, creating an online press kit is also a good option.
Press kits can vary quite a lot. You want to give the media enough information about you but not so much that it gets hard to go through. Start with the basics. Here are things that every online press kit should include.
Letter of Introduction
This is a brief letter thanking the media for their interest and gives a brief description of the contents of your press kit. This can be a paragraph of information on the main page followed by a list of links to the different components. Also, include a note about when your online press kit was last updated. This information should be examined at least every three months and updated if necessary.
Basic Company Information
This tells the media who you are. Give a brief history of your company, its major accomplishments, and its vision or plans for the future. A couple of paragraphs are enough. Give it in the third person and remember that it may be printed as-is.
Contact Information
Include the company’s physical address, website URL, social media URLs, and the phone number and email of a media contact point within the company.
Brochures/Product Descriptions
If you have brochures for your products already made, include a link to them. Choose ones that explain your offerings rather than ones that lean toward an emotional appeal. If you do not have these, a simple fact sheet of bullet points covering the features and benefits of your products will also work. Remember, these may be printed word-for-word, so study them for readability before including them.
Past Press Coverage
This is a tricky category. It’s good to show that other media outlets have published past stories about you, but if you’re trying to place an article about your product in competing publications then others may hold off after the first one goes live. But if you’re covered by a major media outlet, that’s usually safe to include.
Along with this core material, you could make a separate page of press kit materials for that specific story or attach additional material with your press release. These can include:
- A list of quotes that can be used for the article (one page is enough)
- Contact information and brief bios of the people quoted
- Contact information for anyone related to the piece that a reporter might want to talk to
- Hi-resolution images specific to the piece (e.g. a picture of a new product)
- Supplementary information that’s relevant to the story
This is enough to get you started on creating a great press kit. When you start to make media connections, it can be good to ask them what they like to see in a press kit so you can tailor your materials to their needs. For more information on how to get your press releases noticed, check out our latest eBook on the topic.
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