Hope you’re all having a good week and that you’re all staying safe. This is another more technical and technological post that is based off of research and my own experience in furthering the promotion of me, my brand and my blog. So, onto the subject of media kits!
What is a Media Kit?
Though also known as a Press Kit but different, it is a document or set of pre-packaged promotional materials that gives information on you, your business, your product or an event. It links to public relations and is used to raise awareness and provide knowledge for prospective clients and/or employers. The media kit can be either print, electronic/digital or both (I would suggest saving it as a PDF file).
Media/press kits are utilised by many major well-known brands, which are available to see online if you’re struggling to start producing one and want to look at professional examples. Most are from the magazine industry or are by bloggers. This is because, in general, they are usually given to or viewed by advertisers, marketers and other brands.
Why Should I Need One?
Whoever you or your company are, whatever industry you are in; if you have a website, blog and social media platforms then you need a media kit. Everyone has an online presence and people will want to see you back this up with evidence. If you or your business want to do work for others or collaborate with experts or companies that are related industry wise, then you or your firm should have a kit. It’ll also make you look extra professional and will help with selling.
How do I Create One?
I created mine using Canva, but there are many other tools and templates on the Internet that you can use. Some may be free and others may be paid so think about your budget when deciding on how to produce one. There are also lots of web articles and YouTube videos that are helpful – I’d personally suggest having a good browse on Pinterest for advice and examples as well.
What Do I Include in it?
Branding
This should be your logo, chosen colours and fonts and any other branding that is linked to either your or your company’s brand (slogans, etc). Don’t include the why or how of your branding, only use it – giving explanation will turn the media kit into branding guidelines and that is not what this marketing material is.
Imagery
Photos that are included should be of a high quality and headshots are necessary. I would also suggest including imagery that shows what you or your company do and talk and write about. Any photos that may be useful that you can find from either your or your business’ social media accounts will enhance the kit. If you’re stuck or don’t have the time to take original photographs, there are plenty of free stock images/image websites available online for you to use. However, I always think that the more of one’s own photos you can use the better.
Text
Introduce yourself or your company, depending on who or what you are using the media kit for. Also introduce your brand, whether that be personal (branding the self) or professional (the brand of the company you own or work for). If the kit is for you, then mention your skills or specialities – what you do and what work you have done. Talk about the brand’s audience demographics and what the future entails (whether that be hopes and dreams or actual targets and goals).
If either your website or LinkedIn page have any testimonials/recommendations, include them in the kit. If the document is for a company, or you are well known in your industry, highlight any media press coverage that has been written on it/you. Contact details are also required items – email and phone number if both can be given. If you are self-employed, freelance or a contractor, then also put your rates for the work you can do.
Social Media, URLs and Stats
This is, without a doubt, THE most important information that you should include in a media kit. Links to every social media account that you or the company use for work should be on it – for me, this was LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram but that doesn’t mean you can’t put others such as Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube... However, as I noted in my last blog post, choose which platforms are useful and whether they are professional enough to be part of your kit.
You then need to talk quantitatively – putting figures to back up you or the business’ social status. Page views, post views, number of posts, amount of readers, how many are organic and how many are paid... These figures should be from both your social platforms and your blog. Not all of them have to be mentioned if they don’t all fit or you don’t want to and if you’re starting out then talk about growth – ‘in the last x days/months’ for example.
How Many Pages?
Two or three is ideal, one is definitely not enough. This is NOT a CV or covering letter, even though like a CV or about page it must be updated as regularly as possible.
My Media Kit
To see my media kit, I’ve attached it in images above but you can also find it on the CV page of my website.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post on media kits. If you’d like to, let me know about yours or your business’ in the comments below! I’d love to see others.
Beth x