Your competitor is releasing a new product or service. They offer something similar – but much better, of course.
Then suddenly it is your competitor’s product all over. News articles, online reviews, best-of lists, buying guides, even TV segments.
How does that happen And your real question: why doesn’t this happen? you?
To hold your own against your competitors, you need one thing in your wheelhouse: a media kit.
Here you can find out what a media kit is and how you can use it to increase brand awareness and ultimately sales.
Plus how to make one for your own brand.
What is a media kit?
A media kit is also known as a press kit. It is a series of promotional materials that provide members of the news media with information on how to write articles.
Media kits can be fully available online rather than responsive online Press pages. Or companies can make their press kits available as static, downloadable resources like a presentation deck.
Regardless of which format you choose, one thing is clear: companies of all sizes benefit from a professional, easily accessible media kit. This important resource is a key to deserved media coverage All companies covet – from massive Fortune 500 companies to individual influencers and solo preneurs.
A comprehensive media kit should include a description of the company or person, contact information, social media statistics, case studies, information about partnerships and collaborations, and testimonials from previous customers.
Basically, this is all the information a journalist needs to get your brand featured in breaking news – without the headache of a last-minute information request.
How to Create a Media Kit: What To Include
So you want press coverage and partnerships (which brand isn’t?). And you understand how a media kit makes all of this possible. But how are you? do a media kit?
Here’s some good news: most of the content and creative resources you’ll need to build your press kit are likely already there.
Key elements of a media kit include a bio or about us page, social media statistics, case studies, partnerships and collaborations, and testimonials. To make it even easier for the press to cover your work, include high quality brand identity images (think of logos as well as other brand images or product / service images).
It’s up to you to (1) find this information, (2) make it look spectacular, and (3) find it painfully easy on your website. The rumors you heard about journalists and how overworked are they? Quite right.
To get someone’s attention to tight deadlines with an internet full of story prospects, do this simply. Most brands choose a direct page name like “Presse” or “Medien” – or, if you really want to, “Newsroom” – and make it accessible directly from their homepage (often in the footer).
Even if you’re prioritizing a web version, it’s worth downloading a downloadable media kit or deck. Some media users may prefer the traditional form of this resource, and you have the best opportunity to control your pitch and tailor content to suit all audiences.
Biography or About Us
Let’s start with the star of your media kit: you. Here you present your name, your logo and your mission. Make sure your media kit design reinforces your overall brand identity by using the colors, fonts, and other visual traits listed in your branding guide.
Evernote This section brings together the information about the press kits in the wider About Us section of the website. All the essentials for journalists and partners are also there, but the values of the organization are central.
Social statistics
For social stats, you need to do one Social media audit or collect this data from anyone who manages your social channels. Remember your audience for the press kit: media and PR professionals.
Your media kit needs to effectively target your brand to people who specialize in grabbing people’s attention. So show them that you are capable of having conversations – and show them that they exist already an audience that craves stories about you and your work.
Kickstarter Gives this section of the media kit page a unique stamp and highlights some of the key metrics that show a massive commitment to their service.
Media kits aimed at partnerships and collaborations should be a priority Engagement rates and similar actionable metrics In addition to the bread-and-butter statistics, how followers counts. Savvy marketers want to partner with brands and influencers who get people to act.
[Note: If you are a HubSpot Social user, you can use Reports to analyze the performance of your social posts and determine how well your social media efforts are performing.]
Partnerships and case studies
In this area, you can let previous partnerships and brand collaborations speak for themselves. Leave the old adage “Show; Don’t tell“Be your guide here. The right partnerships – either through logos or through brief case studies – are a subtle but powerful tool for positioning your brand.
International football influencers The F2 Highlight past campaigns and focus on reputable brand names and logos. They also record key engagement stats for those campaigns
credentials
Testimonials are another great way to get around show Media professionals assess the impact and effectiveness of your brand or product.
Keep this section short: Just a single testimonial should be enough. Just a few lines of text (even just a quick quote) and a single related image get the point on point and add more credibility to your pitch thanks to them social validation.
Briogeo does a fantastic job, highlighting testimonials on his Press & Buzz page just below the rewards section for easy access:
Visual assets (downloadable files)
Your media kit is not a style guide, but it should incorporate key elements of your visual brand. Would you like your logo and this nifty product screenshot to appear correctly?
Provide exactly the images and files you want to showcase. Do you have a killer data visualization, infographic, or product video? Include that too.
Journalists will particularly appreciate portraits of your management team. They are most likely to tell stories that involve people. So show them the people they want to write about.
Birchbox make it easy. They highlight “press materials” and point to a short but comprehensive collection of resources. Having everything in well-organized cloud folders is a nice touch – especially for those who browse on mobile devices.
Without downloading or unzipping a large number of images, visitors can quickly confirm that you have visual resources to make their post look good. Remember that for your media kit, the audience will be the most busy, juggling many competing priorities. Jump to the top of your “potential” pile by making your job as simple and painless as possible.
(Added bonus: your external media resources can be easily updated – saving you the worry of outdated media kits and image files that misrepresent your brand.)
Maybe not surprising Instagram also really crushes it in this part of their press resources. They even offer brandable, editable templates for use in broadcast media, making it easy for publishers to maintain their iconic visual brand.
Now you know that What and the As Creating a media kit to get beneficial coverage for your brand. Click here to download our free media kit template and get started.
And go ahead, pat yourself on the back when this feature story comes out. You won’t see your name on the line, but we both know who it is real Hero is here.