5 Ws and 1H of media kit you should know before getting started

If you’re on social media, you probably know how bloggers/influencers unbox their experience. Or, think about a product/brand getting featured in the newspaper. Whether it’s a collaboration or news coverage, getting mentioned by a famous person is good news.

In the same breath, while some crave to be in public eyes and some avoid attention. With so much negativity around, fear to get on the spot is legit. According to market research, fear of publicity stems from:

• Understanding of what works in the press
• Lack of journos database
• Thought that you’re not a quotes expert
• Overthinking about people’s reaction
• “Am I boasting?” attitude.
• Dealing with the overwhelming response

But, here are the perks of positive publicity

Entrepreneurs frequently ask whether publicity is good. To simply put, yes, it’s worth the time and effort. You won’t go wrong with advertising if you have a PR. Here are some benefits you should know before strategizing:

• It’s free: Other than paid media collabs, media kit distribution, getting featured on print, special mentions, or interviews on TV/radio, or social media shoutouts is entirely free!
• It fetches more attention: Publicity is a getaway. It’s easy to skip a paid ad (We all do that while watching Youtube videos, don’t we?) However, if your story makes a statement in the newspaper, you’re likely to catch a wider audience.
• It carries fame: When it’s about publicity, print has more credibility than broadcast or paid ads. After publications, people also seek third-party endorsements such as testimonials. A spotlight like these opens the door for engagements.
• It establishes you as a field expert: If your name repeatedly comes in public, people have an honest opinion that you’re an expert. It builds your brand’s credibility and customer loyalty.
• It fine-tunes your identity: ****In an information-saturated world, having a compelling brand story sets you apart. The more your name is in the public eyes, the more it’s hard to let go.
• It connects you to potential clients: Companies engage when you’re a field expert. They seek professional solutions and collaborate with you. It benefits them and you as well as an expert.

Sometimes, your quotes are taken by the journalists on different occasions to back up the article.

• It’s always more significant than the existing power: If you have a written story/press release, it can go directly for publishing. In rare scenarios, they alter the story to stick to the word limit.

The question is how to make it there?

You need to include a media kit in your PR strategy. It’s a one-stop destination for the journalists to fetch information. They use a media kit to write their story. If it’s compelling, it inspires them to dig deeper. They’d go above and beyond to schedule an interview.

A little flashback to pre-digitalization

Old fashioned media kits were in a cardboard folder. It enclosed information, news releases, or slides. Brands couriered CDs, flash drives, and giveaways emblazoned with the firm’s logo. But, digital media kits have changed the course of the PR.

Brands sent the ‘old-school’ media kits via the post or by hand. Times have changed. Today, digital kits have taken over old media kits. They ensure you can swap, update, and change any aspect of it. You can share links to the digital media kit and even track your visitors.

With functions remaining constant, media kits have gone online. Journalists coming to your website can download the PDF format. Another option is from the brand’s personalized email. Digital kits save the time of both the brand and the media outlet.

Based on your business or purpose, the elements may change. But there are few things without which your kit is incomplete. Let’s unpack step by step:

• Contact details: It includes brand representatives, panelists, or guest speakers, to whom the journalists can take an interview. It can also be the prominent people participating in the event.
• Information about the company/person: A short description of the famous personalities will help the journalists. They don’t have to spend hours googling about the person. Highlight their contributions to create a context of the story. Interesting facts of the company/people is a treat for the eyes.

When information is in hand, it’s a snappy task. The journalist can publish your story before the deadline without hustling. Timeliness matters in journalism. Nobody cares about outdated events. Regardless of the field, it’s always good to catch up with time.

Does building customers’ trust feel like a marathon? It’s not a cakewalk. You have to be reckless about what you do. When your actions are louder, you don’t have to beat the drums. Your work speaks for yourself. Even for the journalists, words smoothly flow when they write about you.

Your description shouldn’t be more than three paragraphs. Too much of anything is wrong. Do the groundwork for writing a compelling narrative. Make use of less space to do more.

A media release should be the go-to place for journalists. Pique interest in the person to be interviewed. Provide the right information because a wrong bio can land you into trouble.

• Multimedia: Images/videos/maps help the journalists to visualize. Also, it covers up for the large chunk of texts. Be generous while sharing multimedia. Give them the liberty to use their watermark. Don’t keep photos taken at a single angle. Try different shots to give a broad perspective to the story.

Photos, videos, or a map helps in visualizing the story. If you provide from the archives, it can be misleading. Use the recent multimedia to develop trust. Also, give a hi-res logo in PNG or a PSD format. The recommended size has to be 360 dpi, which is easy to print.

High-resolution images are mandatory. But, if space is less, keep a low-resolution picture. In the cover letter, inform the journalist to contact you for the hi-res image. You can share via a drive on web transfer to avoid the size blurriness.

Testimonials: Getting feedback from clients/customers is nothing less than a recommendation. You don’t have to keep pushing the journalists to publish your story. Your happy customers speak for you.

Word of mouth is a deal-making marketing tool any day. It reveals your credibility and relation with the customers.

• Annual report: If your story is about facts and figures, it should also go with the pack. The yearly information includes organization structure, audit statements, financial position, assets, liabilities, and transactions. All these are to show whether you’re on the right track or stagnant.

Let’s not forget that other interest groups like to know about you before partnering with you.

• Other interesting facts: What’s new in your business becomes news. If it’s exciting, share it with the world. It can be about the person, your tie-up with another brand, CSR contribution, award nomination, etc. Bring your good works to notice.

Go beyond your product to make people remember you. If you’re associating with an influencer or it’s a festival, send customized gifts or vouchers along. It can be their “wow” moment.

Sometimes, brands also put the actual sample product for review. It’s an excellent way to start when you’re reaching the mass.

Remember, when a journalist is writing a story, they look for different angles. Your product samples are a skeleton of the story. The product itself gives them first-hand experience to make the story personal and relatable.

• Recent media coverage: If you were mentioned or appeared in the public eyes, share the clippings. Flaunt your media coverage. It shows your media presence and relevance in society.

The distribution of media kits is as important as designing. Remember, what goes around comes around. The same goes for the media kit. Your distribution has to be systematic. You can’t leave it in the lurch and say your task is over.

Map out your interest groups. It can be media outlets, bloggers, writers, potential clients, customers, influencers, other brands, etc. If it’s media, spend time researching media outlets to know which ones would cover your company.

Include a personalized email to introduce yourself, the brand, and the media kit. Don’t make them get out of your hand with a pushy pitch. Give them some space to get back by not ghosting on them.

Whether they like you or not, it’s a subjective thing. Never let your past failure overpower your future relationship. Keep trying until you end a pitch with a bang.

How to design a media kit?

Media kits have everything a story needs. It talks about your brand values and tone. Although designing media kits doesn’t guarantee coverage, it’s still essential to create one. The idea is your site visitors should know you without having to speak to you.

Media kit saves time and improves your relations with the world outside your door. Make them drool over it by presenting what matters to them. When you fail to design, you fail to impress. Brush through the design principles to choose the correct fonts and colors.

• Take typography seriously: Fonts and typeface are an essential attention catcher. Thoughtful typography has the power to grab eyes, evoke emotions, and reinstate your values.

Use words that can connect easily. Not everyone can understand market jargon. Typos and misspelled words can turn their mood down.

• Don’t compromise with the color: If you’re launching a new product or rebranding yourself, pick a palette that shows your personality. Identify yourself – it can be as simple as what matters to you.

Based on your qualities, choose a few colors (less is more). Scan your customers to know their preferences. Understanding color psychology will help you decide your palette.

Follow consistency to keep your media kit alive in the public eye.

Be a media kit trendsetter:

1. Keep track of the trend – what’s new and what’s outdated to be the best version of yourself.
2. When you run out of ideas, look for inspiration.
3. Create your mood board to set a differentiation in the market.

In a competitive market, copying is no longer a compliment. You are disrespecting the other brand by becoming a copycat.

The crux of successful media kits is preparation. Don’t keep anything for the last minute. If there’s a change in the schedule, indicate the concerned person and get it done. In case you couldn’t call the people and inform them personally.

Designing a perfect press release in easy steps

Whether it’s an upcoming event or it has already occurred, journalists look for stories that have news values. If you don’t know whether your event will make a headline or not, you should find out what is missing out.

The news values are the main elements of the story used by journalists. Based on these points, they determine whether the idea or event you’re pitching is worth writing or not. And if so, with what intensity?

Let’s slide into seven news values:

1. Timeliness: The urgency of the event
2. Proximity: The closeness of the event from the target audience.
3. Impact: The intensity of the event or product
4. Prominence: Popular faces attending the event
5. Oddity: The element of extraordinary in the event
6. Relevance: It’s a trending topic
7. Conflict: There is an element of contrast

A compelling story is one that hits all seven points in any order.

Why should you write a release?

1. To grab attention: Journalists and media outlets simultaneously work on different stories. Make an eye-catchy PR to stand out from the rest. Let your press release beat the drum.

2. To build relationships: There’s mutual benefit in sending a press release. Media outlets hunt for stories to run, and you need publicity. PR helps you serve both purposes at the same time. Investing in good releases could be the start of new relationships.

3. To be on the Google search: Everyone wishes to see their brand’s name in the search result. Whether it’s by generating organic traffic or by third-party mentions, it can improve your SEO ranking when the media outlets use the right keywords.

It’s also an easy way to get backlinks to your website. Bloggers/influencers/media uses your link to invite their readers. While it makes their blog authentic, it also puts you at the top.

4. To shape your identity: A well-planned press release sets the mood. You can optimize yourself based on how viewers react. Colors, layout, patterns, and typography create hooks to catch attention. With these elements in place, it’s easy to shape someone’s thought process.

Is there any standard format for press releases?

Well, you don’t have to be a stickler when it comes to designing a press release. If you conform to a journalistic approach, the chances of getting coverage is high.

Note: Brush through the values discussed above to make your release newsworthy. Remember, a good story is clickbait. Keep the simple press release format at the back of your palm:

• Headline: A provocative title can find its way in a pool of press releases. It clearly states the purpose – gist in a glimpse.
• Location: Your official location and event venue.
• Strong Lead: Lead is the opening paragraph. It should direct the viewers to read more. A strong lead includes 5W and 1H, and it packs a powerful punch.
• Body: It’s skim through content. The degree of importance is lesser than the lead. It explains the information a little deeper. You can use quotes to backup.
• Boilerplate: In press releases, the term ‘boilerplate’ is for extra information. It’s up to the journalists whether they want to carry it or not. Including it in your PR gives clarity and context.
• Press Contact: If the journalists like the release, they’ll get back to you. Provide contact details, POC, with whom the journalist can coordinate for any queries.

Exclusive events or data matter to journalists. Give them both in a media release to build a healthy media relationship.

It’s easy to connect with content that has emotional values. Stories that pique interest leads to more social engagement. Reach the audience by hitting their sweet spot.

Keep them in the loop by news-jacking.

When it’s not viable to provide a breaking event, use newsjacking. It’s a marketing process of injecting your brand into the current news. You become relevant in the public eye. For instance, if your content goes viral on social media, get traction by media release.

Creating an influencer media kit

An influencer media kit is a digital portfolio. It tells everything an influencer needs to know.

If you want to brand, showcase your USP. They are more than just a promotional tool. You can pitch with any famous figure and ask for collaboration.

The media kit is a combination of the testimonials and your journey. Along with the “About Me” page, you should attach your customers’ feedback. Creativity is equally important. Use images, fonts, and play with colors.

There are tons of free references out there. You can use them, but they are not as effective as custom media kits. You can’t get creative with free templates because they are pre-defined. Even if it takes time, you should create your own influencer media kit.

When you distribute the kit, you’re promoting your brand. With every kit, you build connections in the industry. Be cautious of how and to whom you’re distributing.

Here are a few things every influencer kit should include:

1. Social media followers: Pitch influencers who have a strong fan base. The same goes for you. Influencers collaborate when you’re good followers online. While social media is more than just followers, it’s a vital metric for branding.

Followers determine the reach of the posts. In your influencer media kit, include all your social media accounts with the number of followers.

Enclose the stats of your social media. It says a lot about your daily activity. For example, if the influencer is only on Tiktok, the media kit is not worth sharing. If your followers are changing, inform your influencers.

2. Audience scanning: You may have to scan through your social media profiles to see the range of followers. Proximity matters while pitching. Influencers watch out for brands that are close to them. It’s easy for the audience as well as the influencers to relate to each other.

Show your audience persona. Describe age, gender, and location. If the influencer has a niche interest, tell about your followers’ interests.

Also, just because the influencers have a large fan base doesn’t mean they are well-known. Jot down the list of influencers before pitching to know their prominence in the market.

3. It’s all about the design: A good design strategy is a silent salesman. A visually aesthetic kit can influence the influencers. If they like it, nothing can stop them from shouting out on social media. Choose a kit design that completes you.

Compose the collected content to avoid cluttering. A messed-up design can confuse the influencers. For example, if you have 50,000 followers on Facebook, simplify it as 50K. Create spacing to let the information pop out.

However, don’t space out too much. There should be a balance between the content you’re placing. Based on that, leave white space. It ensures you’re not preachy. A clean design calms the atmosphere.

Like media outlets, insert relevant multimedia in your kit. It not only makes it visually attractive but also highlights your effort. Influencers can use the graphics on their profile and get traction. Give enough that they don’t have to look for it on Google.

4. A short bio: Most often than not, celebrities or influencers lack time. Instead of losing them, provide a tailored post copy if needed. If it’s a product launch or running a campaign, you’ll have captions that go with the visuals. To put your thoughts across through them, you can make their work easier. Use your writers to write on their behalf.

Note: Don’t copy-paste the same content to other influencers/celebrities. Tailored content is for rare cases.

Are you ready to set the world on fire with your media kit? Use the equipment to go beyond the corporate walls!