Media Kits Build Media Relationships
There are several strategies for developing media kits, but experts agree a visually appealing media kit, with professional photos and well-written press releases are an important resource for creating buzz and getting the medias attention. A good media kit will pique an editor's curiosity and gain the company free publicity.
While the appearance of the media kit can peak a reporter's interest, the buzz a company is looking to create comes from the effort put behind the kit, from the development of the content and the follow-up discussions with reporters. The biggest mistake most companies make in creating media kits is making it look or read like a company or product advertisement. The goal of distributing a media kit is to help the media generate a story, but also to provide a valuable resource. If you can demonstrate a perspective beyond your company and can tie in the relevance of your company to the broader business environment, you'll become a valued resource. If you respect their deadlines and are helpful, not pushy, you will build relationships
So what should be included in a professional media kit? Just the facts. Simple and plain. Less is more, information-wise. You should include a company biography, a professional photograph of the key players and the product or performance of a service, a fact sheet and a recent news release geared toward the target audience should all be included. Avoid including sales information in a press kit. If the information is not presented professionally, your company's image may suffer.
Without functionality, your packet is likely to end up in the circular file (read: wastepaper basket) of a busy editor's office. Press releases are often the backbone of an appealing media kit. I have written over 10 articles in the past to help my readers learn how to craft a world-class press release. Please refer to them on my blog at http://reriani.blogspot.com or www.Reriani.com. A well-written news release serves as an outline of what the story is. If the release is written like a news story, and it actually has news in it, it is more likely to interest the reporter in doing a piece on it.. If you are not a good writer, hire one. We charge as little as US$49.95 to craft one press release for you and as low as US$35 if ordered in a package of 12 lasting for one year.
Including published clips about your company is a popular tactic. Don't change the date on news releases. A news release is a snapshot in time. If you are caught changing the date on news releases to make them appear 'fresher,' reporters will not trust that anything you tell them is current.
Professional artwork is also important and should always be included in a professional media kit. It should contain graphics in a variety of formats as well as black-and-white and color pictures for scanning, A well-prepared media kit will provide an editor with everything he or she needs to run a story on your company.
Use creative media kits to break through the clutter on a reporter's desk. Themed press kits can help personify a company. They need to capture the spirit and message of the product, company, organization or event. In public relations creativity for the sake of creativity is dangerous - that is what art is for. In the marketing communications field creativity needs to contribute to the bottom line.
Creating themes can be expensive, but you can utilize technology, to equalize the cost of a theme-based promotion. Contrarily, sometimes the best press kit is no press kit at all. If you are a small one or two person company, and resort to mailing out big, fat press kit, the incorrect impression may be left and your press kit may appear like advertising.
Mass distribution of media kits can be expensive and ineffective. The best way to distribute media kits depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Select specific mailings to targeted media outlets. For the smaller outlets, you can just send them a press release Individualized mailings are more appropriate for the larger media outlets. Follow-ups are just as important as the initial mailings. Three days is usually the standard waiting time to send follow ups, unless breaking news is involved. Read my blog on "follow ups" to avoid some of the most common mistakes.
Tune-Up: Make sure when you are pitching a reporter you actually have news or a reason why your company should be profiled. When you build a relationship with a reporter they will cover you again - ultimately, that is how you create ongoing buzz that will help your business grow.. Joseph Reriani - PR Consultant
This article is part of Joseph Reriani's "PR Tune-up Blog" newsletter posted to over 6,000 subscribers weekly. The newsletter was first published in 2002. For more articles and PR tune-up tips, please visit www.PrudentPressAgency.com and www.SkyNewswire.com. Joseph Reriani is a PR expert and Fellow with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations- United Kingdom. He is the President/CEO of Prudent International Inc and Executive Editor of Prudent Press Agency. He is also an Assistant Editor of SkyNewswire.com directed by Jackie Mugambi . He is a trained journalist and specializes in helping businesses, organizations, and individuals improve their public image by effectively employing the power of public relations. Mr Reriani can be reached at jreriani @ PrudentPressAgency.com. You may freely copy and re-publish this article without altering any part in the body.