Why do I need a press kit? The press kit is an essential tool for every creative entrepreneur who wants to leverage the power of the media to build their brand. The purpose of the press kit is to provide media partners and other interested parties with a clear, compelling “snapshot” of you and your business. Having researched many individual press kits, as I’m currently building my own, I’d like to offer you some dos and don’ts to consider when you’re ready to create your press kit for your business:
• DO be brand-consistent. Every piece of collateral you send out should be branded with your logo, color suite, and contact information. Remember, consistency is the key to effectively building brand recognition.
• DON’T give too much information. This is a mistake I see all the time. Of course, you want to be thorough and represent yourself in the best possible light, but the people you’re trying to impress don’t care about that. They want to see something interesting that creates a story in a minute or less. Give it to them.
• DO give the press kit some personality. Your press kit is a reflection of your business and is therefore a reflection of you. It should have some spark & show the way your business shines over all the rest. Be professional, but use language and copy that’s consistent with the tone and feel of your brand.
• DON’T forget to include photographs. Whether you are selling products or selling yourself, strategically using photographs breaks up otherwise static text and adds visual interest to the presentation. If you are selling products, ensure the photographs are professional quality and show some features and benefits of the piece. Also, try to have consistency in your photos to give them more of a “catalog” effect—try to use similar backgrounds and lighting to give a unified product statement. You should always include a photograph of yourself, preferably a professional-level headshot, on your bio sheet.
• DO keep it up to date. Ensure that you’ve got your most recent press releases and product assortment included in the press kit collateral. If you’re including a page of links to write-ups, mentions, or your online work, make sure that the links are valid. Much like a resume, your most recent work is what matters most to media professionals.
Are you ready to start building the press kit for your business? A great way to start is simply to collect links and articles to anything that mentions your work. Set up a Google alert for your name, business name, and any specific products to see where your work is sprouting up on the internet. Then, check out this great article to put together the components of the perfect press kit.
{Featured image via OMFG Co.}
Thanks for bringing up the dos and donts related to press release kit. It’s the most efficient way of sharing information to the media most.
It’s pretty uncanny, Megan, and I’ve never been able to figure out why, but …
I always seem to magnetize toward bloggers and online marketers from PA. I guess the reason might be that really “good people” hail from PA. Or it might be that my roots (and family) are in Pittsburgh. 😉
Appreciate the tips you’ve shared here about constructing a press kit. They look rock solid to me! I especially love your advice to not go overboard. I’ve looked at lots of media/press kits on people’s websites and I’m not kidding … some of them make me dizzy! I can only imagine what reporters and journalists are thinking. 🙂
Thank you,
Melanie
Melanie,
I’m so glad you liked the article and thanks for connecting with me at Method & Madness! That’s too funny that you’re so connected to the PA crowd…there aren’t too many of us out there! And thanks so much for sharing the article with your followers–much appreciated.
Truth be told, Megan …
It’s a piece of cake to share content as good as yours. 🙂
It really is funny how I seem to bump into the PA folks online and it’s tons of fun when I do. I guess my heart is still there. BTW, I think you’d enjoy connecting with Jen from PA:
I LOVE to introduce people to one another — hope you’ll head over to Facebook and say hello to Jen. And tell her I said Hi, too. 🙂
P.S. Megan, I wanted to “share” this post with my social media fans and followers but your sharing icons are hidden along the side of my screen so I’m unable to click them. All I’m seeing is a faint red line and about 1/16th of an inch of the box they’re contained in. Any way you can reposition it? Thanks.
Thank you so much, Melanie! I just forwarded this to our website developer. I’ve been looking at the site from my extended screen so I didn’t realize it was cutting off. So sorry! We’ll have it fixed right away!
You’re speedy, Megan! 🙂
I’m glad your webmaster is going to move your sharing buttons over a bit so readers like me (with smaller monitors) can get to them and give them a click! Thank you.
Megan, I hope you don’t think I’m some kind of nut case or someone who goes around telling other bloggers what to do. I’m not that person at all. But I would like to make one suggestion which I believe will be helpful to you. When I went to Re-Tweet this post (I know I already Tweeted it, but I love it so much!), your Twitter button shows @twitter_username as your Twitter ID instead of @CreateHype
Okay, I promise … no more suggestions. 🙂
Thank you so much! Haha. I generally use hootsuite so I never see it from that side. What would I do without ‘nut cases’ like you? 🙂
🙂 Thanks for being so gracious, Megan. You are truly one of a kind.
You’ve got it in one. Couldn’t have put it betetr.
Thank you for the great article, Megan. I’ve been avoiding the press kit for quite some time, but I see that it’s necessary. I’m not in a position do sell wholesale right now, but this still sounds like a necessary step. – Jeanette