Build Your Brand with Media Kits

A media kit (often referred to as a press kit) is a document or set of documents that houses relevant information regarding your business, yourself (if applicable), your upcoming events or launches, and your contact information.

Typically these are used for any interviews, podcasts, guest blogging, or speaking gigs you do.

There are a ton of reasons why they’re great for business.

1. They are a quick and efficient way to respond to inquiries about featuring you or your business
2. They can be an effective tool when pitching to an influencer or peer for a joint-venture project (podcast, webinar, interview, etc.)
3. You are likely to get more attention when pitching media outlets for launches, open-houses, rebrands, or other important events happening in your business
4. You can share them at networking events or conferences
5. They can be used to help you gain investors
6. Lastly, they can be given to potential clients as your credentials and portfolio

Let’s dig into some of the bigger reasons why you need to be using a media kit in your business.

Media kits save you time

No one wants to reinvent the wheel, right? By now you probably know I’m all about templates (unique to your own business and needs, of course).

Creating a nicely designed media kit with all of the pertinent information will allow you to focus on cultivating connections with various people instead of spending time writing out all of this information in an email.

You can save time by having it already done for you and only changing things as they are needed.

Media kits (or press kits) can help you scale your business

Sending out kits to various media outlets can get you more media attention – which means more brand awareness.

For one of my clients, a vineyard and retreat center, we created a one-sheet telling the origin story of their business. 

Included in their media kit were:

• Photos
• Biography of the owners
• A CD (this was a few years ago.. don't laugh) with custom graphics showcasing the facility and amenities
• A CD case with custom photography and artwork for the cover
• Details about the open-house they were having

We sent out around 50 different packets to various media outlets. As they are located in a rural setting, we knew chances of people showing up would be slim. We managed to get a news crew to attend the open house and shoot video coverage and also had a handful of media outlets write articles about the new business and their open house.

They also landed a spot with the local PBS station.

They now have a flourishing business, have added amenities at their facility, and are consistently booked for various events.

The media kit allowed them to reach out to a number of different resources that eventually led to media exposure – which means more brand awareness and more sales.

Media Kits Give You More Control

If you don’t provide the information, you have no idea what someone will say about you. Protecting your brand image is essential if you’re doing outreach. It’s not always a guarantee that your information will be written as it is given to them, but the likelihood of them “getting it right” will drastically increase.

It Helps You Reinforce Your Positioning in the Marketplace (and Appear More Professional)

Simply put, a media kit helps reinforce what you're putting out into the world. It helps you appear more professional and put-together. People can tell when things are thrown together or when you’re scrambling around like a chicken with its head cut off. It’s not a great look to have.

WHO SHOULD BE USING A MEDIA KIT IN THEIR BUSINESS?

Everyone. Everyone can benefit from utilizing a media kit in their business. From launching a new business to a rebrand – they are incredibly versatile.

People who benefit the most from media kits are those who focus heavily on speaking gigs or are doing a lot of PR (public relations) for their service or product (authors, singers, speakers, artists, consultants, etc.)

HOW TO CREATE A MEDIA KIT

It can be as easy as creating a page on your website that you send people to or can be a PDF that is professionally designed and can be printed out and mailed (or e-mailed) to the appropriate people.

WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED

Every media kit needs to include the following:

• An intro
• Please make this unique if possible. The rest can be a template that you rarely modify (only as-needed) but the intro should be custom to whoever you’re sending it to. You can make a base template and change it as you need to.
• Headshot of the owner(s)
• A professional headshot is usually recommended. Full-body photos can be harder to work with but if that is all you have, that will work to. Something professional is what we’re aiming for.
• Bio for each owner
• Contact information for the business and/or owner
• Website
• Include traffic numbers
• Mission statement
• Info about who you serve (who your target market is)
• Social media
• Handles for each platform you are own
• Number of followers
• List of upcoming events and/or launches
• Branding elements
• Logo
• Tagline (if you have one)
• Rates
• Portfolio
• This is more for service providers like designers, photographers, artists, etc.
• Testimonials
• This is optional but I always think it’s nice to include a couple of testimonials, especially if you have any from larger influencers or people in your space that will help build your brand reputation.
• Partnerships
• If you have any large partnerships that will aid you in making more connections, then include them in your media kit/ press kit.

Including all of these elements will help others write accurately about your business and present you professionally. They help build trust with those who want to work with you and provide a resource to those interested in working with you.

If you're ready to uplevel your brand and meld your vision throughout every facet if your business - let's chat.