Media Kits?

I subscribe to a Melanie Rembrandt's PR e-mail tips. Once a month, or so, she offers free advice on promoting your business (for those of us who can't afford a PR firm).

Her emails are always very insightful and offer up many good ideas in terms of self-promotion. Today's email focused on a link to her blog article on media kits and why your business should have one. While it's standard to offer printed materials such as brochures to prospective clients, I wonder if it's essential for every business to have a media kit... if so, is there a way to make it more eco-friendly? Could there be an online media kit or is this just what your website is? I'm interested in getting a little feedback on this. Not only could it dictate my decision to provide one for my business, but it may push me to offer the same concept to my clients.

For your convenience, I've embedded Melanie's article below, but be sure to check out her blog and/or her website.

Media Kit Basics

By creating a media kit for your new business, you will increase your chances of getting some good publicity. Plus, you’ll have pertinent information ready for new clients, partners and investors.

With this in mind, here are a few tips to help you create your new media kit.

What is a media kit?

A media kit is simply a collection of pertinent information about your business. It enables reporters and potential customers to get the organizational data they need fast. And as a small business owner, you’ll want to print some high-quality versions for important events and media mailings. But don’t print too many as you will need to update the kit frequently with new information.

In addition, it is necessary to provide an online version of your media kit so that reporters can easily access the information at any time to meet tight deadlines. And with this electronic version, you can update the data at any time and save time and money in printing and shipping fees.

What is in it?

When people read your media kit, they should be able to understand the benefits you provide, why you are in business and who is running your organization. The information needs to be user-friendly and cover the key points you want reporters, potential investors and new customers to know.

With this in mind, here is a brief synopsis of what most media kits include:

Business Facts

What does your company do and why are you unique?

Products and Services

List all of the products and services you have to offer. But instead of emphasizing the features, focus on the benefits.

Background

Who is running your business and when was the business founded? If your business is new, you can include brief background information and bios of your key staff members in a “Business Facts” or “FAQ” section. If possible, include downloadable photos for reporters to use.

News

Include a news section that lists your press releases, media clippings, quotes from satisfied customers, event participation, speaking engagements, articles, and other newsworthy activities. But note that it is essential to keep this section updated so you appear current and newsworthy.

These are just a few key tips to get started on your media kit. For additional help, review competitor media-kits and look at the online newsrooms for successful companies you admire. Also feel free to contact me directly at info@rembrandtwrites.com or visit www.rembrandtwrites.com.

As you can tell, this whole process is going to take some effort. And if you’re still wondering if you should spend the time to create a media kit, think about this. What happens if your competitor has a user-friendly, online media kit, and you don’t? Do you think a reporter will write about your business or theirs?

Thanks for reading, and feel free to send me your questions, comments and suggestions. I’d love to hear from you!