Media Kits on a Shoestring: How to Create Them Without Spending a Bundle

It’s taken you months to build a strong relationship with the reporter from your local metropolitan newspaper. You’ve met her twice for lunch, passed along leads and story ideas, and faxed her interesting tidbits about your industry. Finally, it has paid off and the big day has arrived. She is visiting you to do a profile story on you and your organization. You have prepared thoroughly for the interview and you’re braced for any question she could possibly ask. Except the first one. When she arrives, she wants to know "May I have your media kit?" Don’t panic. Admit you don’t have one. Ask her if there’s anything specific you can send her after the interview. Then vow that that will never happen again and get to work creating a media kit that reporters will love. What It Is and Why You Need It A media kit is a folder of information that will help reporters write an accurate story. It should include whatever facts you want them to know about. Contents can include among other things a history of your company, professional profiles of key executives or officers, black and white or color photos, a fact sheet about your organization, a business card, recent press releases and a small product sample. Media kits help reporters save time and improve accuracy because everything is there in black and white. When I worked as a newspaper reporter, I sometimes copied entire paragraphs of information found in media kits, particularly when I was on deadline. It was convenient. And I didn’t have to spend time calling the source to ask for more information, or double-check numerous facts. If you don’t have a media kit and you’re on a tight budget or have little time to create one, relax. You can start out small, then add to it as time goes on. I advise many of my clients to eventually build an entire wardrobe of contents, then decide what goes inside the media kit depending on how they are going to use it. Media kits also show that you’re media-savvy and understand how the news game is played. They can be used for far more than just the media. Use them as marketing materials to share with potential clients. Take them to trade shows. Give them to your sales people to use on sales calls. In this report, you will learn: What it is and why you need it What NOT to do with media kits The 7 main items of a media kit 11 optional items How to use photos in your kit Media kit contents that annoy reporters