Press kit vs media kit Make sure you have the right information for the intended audience

By Leeann Froese, Town Hall Brands

If you are a brand or person hoping to gain earned media and get your name in the press, you are going to want to put together a press information kit, or “press kit”, as a supporting tool.

In the past, these were called “media kits” – a name derived from the fact that they serve as a source of information for members of the media. However, in today’s environment of digital creators, rate sheets combined with a creator’s information is now also called a media kit. While some of the information may overlap, they are very different things.

In 2013, I spoke on this to a room full of Vancouver bloggers and explained what a media kit is and why they need it, and at the same time, shared what a media kit means in the world of publicists.

At Town Hall Brands, we create both for our clients. So, let’s compare the two so you can develop the information package best suited to your needs.

Press Kit

Press information kits help explain the main facts of your company with one stop. The idea is that anyone who reads your press kit can immediately know the key people, facts, and important information about your business. They may not even need to talk to you as all the information is there, saving their time and yours and improving your earned media relations.

A press kit is for journalists, bloggers, content creators, and the media in general and contains the following material:

• Fact sheet – who, what, when, and where

• About – provide both a deeper history and a boiler plate

• Team bios

• Notes on production, manufacturing, or growing methods

• Product information – description, stats, pricing, where to find

• Contact details including name, email, phone, social profiles, website

An important consideration is that you need to ensure that the contents of your press kit are not salesy, as this is only likely to put off the media.

Instead, ensure you supply them with information that tells your story. If you include your key facts and messages within, their story about you will be the one you want told.

Images

It is important to have a library of photos – with a link to easily download them – as part of your press kit. Your photo library should include images for people, place, products, and lifestyle shots. We recommend Dropbox or a Google Drive for this.

Media Kit

Media kits help show how successful you or your brand are, in terms of engagement and achievements. The goal is to showcase your brand to help an advertising or other partner decide whether you’re an aligned fit to work together.

A media kit is for businesses and people who would like to collaborate with you, and it includes your information, statistics, partnerships.

Your Info

• Name

• Bio

• Location

• Stance on what you post about

• How to get in touch with you – be findable!

• Let folks know who you align with

Statistics

• Visitors, page views, demographics (where your audience lives, their gender, age, income etc.) – tourism screen capturing this data.

• Social media reach - share your followers on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok etc.

Statistics and metrics matter, especially when it comes to giveaways and contests that are cross promoting. We recommend using a trusted statistics-tracking platform such as Google Analytics.

Partnerships

• Who have you worked with before? List any brands or companies who have previously partnered with you.

• BE UP FRONT about whether you were paid or not. If you say, “worked with,” brands want to know what the exchange was.

Services and costs

• Ads, sponsored posts, gifted product, videos, giveaways, dedicated emails

Toot your own Horn

• Including testimonials, awards, case studies

• What are others saying about you?

• Have you been interviewed in traditional media? Include link.

Ensure that your media kit is a professional reflection of you and/or your brand. This means that spelling, grammar, layout, and tone all matter. Ensure that your branding is consistent across your website, blog, social pages, and kit. You may think, “I am not a professional”, however, if you want to monetize you have to think like the business you want to attract.

Now bring it all together, regardless of the tool you need. Where people get stuck on their kits is how to bring it all together and lay it out, or to get help with the writing, and sometimes both. That’s where we can help. For more information on strategy, design, marketing & PR, or events, visit townhallbrands.com. o