The Ingredients of a Killer Press Kit

So let’s answer the question, what is a press kit? And what should be included in it.

If you’ve nailed your pitch and grabbed the attention of a journalist, kudos to you. Considering many journalists working on the national press receive 500 story pitches a day and just 3% get a response, that’s no mean feat.

But it’s not time to crack open the champagne yet. Sure, you may have piqued some interest, but coverage isn’t a done deal. Journalists are busy folk. And they work to tight deadlines. If they have to chase you for information about your business at the eleventh hour, forget the headlines. The only place your story will hit is the press room floor.

The good news? There’s an easy way to equip them with everything they need.

A killer press kit.

So what is a press kit exactly?

A press kit, sometimes called a media press kit, is a one-stop information pack for the media. It provides journalists with a quick and easy way to learn all about your business or organisation and grab all the facts, figures, quotes and photos they need to tell your story.

Think of it as your company’s greatest hits compilation. It’s an opportunity to tell the media everything there is to know about you, your products and services, in one tidy package.

What’s better? A physical press kit or digital press kit?

Press kits can be physical or digital. If you’re savvy, you’ll have both.

Physical kits are handy to have at meetings and events. But they’re expensive to print and get outdated quickly. Sure, you can amend your kit, but if you rebrand or introduce a new product, you’ll have to redo the whole thing.

So it’s a good idea to have a digital press kit too. They’re cheap to create, easy to update, and if a story is time sensitive, a reporter can access it straight away, with one click on your website.

What to include in a press kit

That’s what a press kit is. But what do you need to include in it? The content will vary depending on the industry you’re in and what you’re using it for.

For example, if you’re creating a product launch press kit, the content will be product focused. But there are seven basic components that any good kit should contain.

Here’s the lowdown.

1. Company Overview

Familiar with the ‘5Ws of journalism?’ (who, what, where, when, and why). Reporters use them to ‘gather the core facts of a story’.

Want to level up your media relations? Show journos you’re media savvy and address them off the bat. Tell them who you are, what you do, where you operate, when you launched, and why you do what you do.

While you’re at it, let them know what differentiates you from your competitors. But remember, journalists are time poor. So while you’re writing, think elevator pitch. Not War and Peace.

If in doubt, you’re aiming for something like this, by health brand Huel. The 5Ws are covered in two digestible paragraphs. And there’s a link to more information if journos need it. Job done.

Show off your stats

We know what you’re thinking. There’s no way you’re going to squeeze all your company info into two paragraphs. You’re right. And you’re not.

You’re going to save anything that can be explained in numbers for an attention-grabbing infographic. As this example from American real-estate developer Gilbane demonstrates, it’s a neat way to share your vital stats and facts, at a glance. A unique press kit idea, right?

2. Products and Services

This is where you let your products and services shine.  But journos need facts and figures, not chapter and verse.

So follow the example of tech brand Brydge and do the following:

• boil your product description down to a few lines
• use bullet points to outline the price, features and USPs
• supplement the description with a high-res image.

Has your product won any competitions or awards? Include the award logo. It’s a sure-fire way to grab media attention.

Tip: If you’ve got a ton of products, feature a few of your bestsellers and include a link to the full range on your website.

3. Recent Press Releases

When reporters aren’t chasing a story, they’re sniffing out the next one. And, according to comms brand Cision, 68% of them use press releases to find the latest scoop.

If your PR is on point, you’ll have a ton of them flagging the significant happenings at your business. Dig out any you’ve published in the last six months and stick them in your kit, with the most recent at the top.

If a journo spots something newsworthy and has everything they need to craft a compelling story, you might get lucky and bag yourself some coveted column inches. Want to ensure your press releases get read? Read: What is a press release?

4. Case Studies

It’s all very well for you to wax lyrical about the quality of your products and services. But it’ll hold a lot more sway with journos coming from your customers. So let them do the talking.

Case studies, reviews, and quotes will validate your claims. But don’t go overboard. Remember, your company press kit is for the media. If there’s even a hint of self-promotion, you’ll blow your chances of coverage.

5. Multimedia Assets

In the digital age, media coverage is much more than words on a page. As Rosie Hopkins says in an SE10 blog post, ‘traditional news articles are giving way to interactive storytelling experiences. Journalists are using multimedia elements such as videos, podcasts, and interactive graphics to create immersive narratives.’

Okay. So a media kit without multimedia assets is a missed opportunity. But what will journos be looking for?

These, for starters.

Images

An image is worth 1,000 words, right?

Maybe more to journalists. As marketer Tara Schwenk says in a Lemongrass blog post, ‘images are essential for securing great press coverage. Even the most newsworthy story can (and most likely will) be passed over without a good accompanying image.’

So, pictures are critical. But any old images won’t do. They need to be high quality and print ready. So don’t DIY it. Hire a professional photographer and get the job done properly. Grab shots of your products, offices, key personnel, and anything else that’s relevant to your brand. A mixture of stills and action shots in portrait and landscape will give journos plenty to choose from.

Tip: Want to level up your media relations? Include some cut out images. It’ll save journos a ton of time. And that’ll earn you serious brownie points.

Logos

Your logo represents your brand. So it’s a must-have for your digital press kit. Include high-resolution files in two variants, one for light backgrounds, and one for dark. SVG files are ideal as they’ll scale to any size without losing quality. Failing that, PNG files with transparent backgrounds will do the trick.

Video and audio

According to Cision, 55% of journalists are more likely to pursue a pitch if it includes multimedia. So have some video content at the ready. Here are a few:

Product demo

If your product is intangible and you’re PR savvy, chances are you’re one of the 47% of marketers that have invested in an explainer video.

Why not put it to work? Let’s face it. A short film packed with graphics, screenshots, and narration is going to be much easier for journos to digest than a ton of technical jargon. And, as this 75-second video from US tech brand Cisco shows, it’s a quick and easy way to highlight your product’s USPs.

Testimonials

Have you captured a glowing customer testimonial on camera? Or bagged a video endorsement from an industry influencer?

Add the links to your case studies page. Sure, written testimonials are great. But as is evident from this blog post by Socialize, seeing is believing.

Audio files

Covered a hot topic on your podcast? Edit the highlights into a 30-second audio clip and stick it in your kit.

Even if it’s not used in a story, it’ll show journos you know your onions. Want to level up your video marketing? Read: How to Use Video for Public Relations

Organise your assets

To quote PR pro Caitlin Copple, ‘your media kit has one job, and that’s to make life easier for journalists’. Is image_0392’ going to help a reporter find what they’re looking for? Nope. But OfficeExterior_300dpi’ will.

Our point? Label your files and folders clearly, like Headspace. Journos will thank you for it.

6. Press Coverage

Media coverage is a valuable form of social proof for journalists. It’s a sure-fire sign that a brand is relevant and newsworthy.

So, whether it’s an interview on a local news channel, a mention in an industry blog, or a full page spread in a trade magazine, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. For each piece of coverage, include a link to the coverage, the name of the media outlet and the date of publication.

For extra impact, highlight key quotes from influential publications. Tech company FiftyThree does this. And it packs a punch.

Tip: There’s nothing more noteworthy than being recognised by your peers. So while you’re bragging, shout about your industry awards. It’ll go a long way to proving your credibility and expertise to the media.

7. Contact Information

If a journalist has made it this far, your media press kit has done its job. But you don’t want to fall at the last hurdle. So make it easy for them to contact you.

Include the name of your press contact, and every possible way they can be reached. We’re talking office number, mobile number, email address, and social media handles. Anything you can do to save journalists time will work in your favour.

Press kit tips

So those are the essential ingredients of a professional press kit. But we’re not done with the advice yet.

Ignore these final pearls of wisdom, and you can kiss your precious earned media goodbye.

Keep it simple

Your press pack isn’t the place to dazzle journos with industry jargon or fancy wordplay. They’ll skim the content for juicy morsels. So keep your sentences short, the language simple, and use a clear, readable font.

The same goes for the design. Sure, interactive flipbooks like this by Espress Labs look the part, but if the content is hard to read or the format is tricky to navigate, reporters will soon lose interest.

Focus on presenting the information in a clear, easily digestible format. You can use an online graphic design tool like Canva to do it.

It’s user friendly and comes with a ton of customisable, free press kit templates.

Remember to update it

If the PR bod listed in your press kit has left the business, and a journo reaches out to them for an urgent quote, it’s not going to reflect well on you, is it?

So get into the habit of reviewing and updating your kit. Regularly.

Make it easy to find

Journalists shouldn’t need to go on a scavenger hunt to find your company press kit. If you don’t already have one, add a ‘Newsroom’ or ‘Press’ tab to your website and keep everything media related under it.

Proofread

Your kit may be packed with stunning images, glowing coverage, and a ton of rave reviews. But if it’s littered with typos and spelling mistakes, you’re flogging a dead horse.

You don’t want to earn a reputation for being careless and unprofessional. So proofread your content before it goes public. If your skills aren’t up to scratch, run it past a colleague. Then run it through a grammar and spellchecker tool like Grammarly. Once you’ve done that, use Link Checker to check your hyperlinks. Broken links won’t do your reputation any favours either.

Flawless copy is an essential ingredient of a killer press kit. So be sure to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.

Final word on press kits

That’s the lowdown on how to create a brand press kit. And it’s worth the effort.

A top-notch media press kit will help you showcase your expertise, establish your credibility and make friends with the folk that’ll get your brand name in lights. If you haven’t got one, what are you waiting for?