Q: Are traditional media kits considered, “dead?”
A: No.
Q: Should you consider spicing up your traditional media kit to gain more attention?
A: Yes.
Today, it is more important than ever to strategically position yourself to the media. There is no more, “Oh maybe it’s a slow news day,” or, “This document with Times New Roman 12 pt. font will suffice.” To receive media coverage, you must position your company, brand, product, or client as uniquely as possible.
Here’s what we recommend including in your media kits to receive the most attention from the media:
The Necessities
Even though you’re trying to put a spin on a traditional media kit, you cannot forget the essentials. These include a press release, media advisory, fact sheets, imagery, and any additional components that you think are necessary for telling your story. One of the main purposes of a media kit is to make the media’s life easier when, and if, they choose to cover your story. Provide media with all the information that they will need to cover the story, and then some.
Use a unique font that will catch readers attention when drafting these essential media kit items – but make sure that the font is still readable! (Maybe not Papyrus, though…)
(Hint: 8THIRTYFOUR uses Century Gothic to stand out from the crowd. )
Don’t Forget Digital
This is where the “traditional spin” comes into play.
All media kits must be accessible online as well. We say this because it’s very common for public relations professionals to personally drop off a media kit to the media (although, sometimes it’s ok to pitch over social media), and even if this occurs, it’s still extremely important to make sure your media kit is digitally accessible. This way, you’re providing media with both print and digital versions of your information.
Digital media kits allow the media to ‘copy and paste’ information into their story, or have access to the information at their fingertips. Hence, making their life a little easier.
We recommend creating a Dropbox folder where all media kit materials can be stored. Customize the dropbox link by creating a bit.ly link. Indicate on every print item, “Digital media kit can be accessed,” and then insert the link.
Presentation is Everything
This is the fun part! Presenting your kit to the media is one of the most important parts of creating and distributing a successful kit. The world is your oyster when presenting, and we give you full permission to think outside the box.
We’ve completed hundreds of media kits since opening our doors a decade ago. Some of our most memorable (and successful) media kit presentations include:
- Gray Skies Distillery Bottle Release (December 2016) – One of our favorite local distilleries was releasing two limited edition spirits, so why not supply the media with samples?
- Lights in the Night, ArtPrize Entry (September 2012) – Our team was gearing up to release 15,000 Chinese lanterns into the Grand River as an ArtPrize entry, so why not supply the media with their own Chinese lanterns?
Still have questions or need ideas? We’re pretty good at PR so give us a call or shoot us a message today!
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