If you want to get noticed by the media, you need a media kit. A media kit is a packet of information about your business, product or service that is created for use by the press. Its purpose is to provide media members with the necessary data to report on your business. In many cases, your media kit and its contents can set you apart from the competition and get you some free press too. If the press features a story about your business that can generate sales, that is media exposure you can’t buy. Further, this kind of coverage provides third-party credibility that you couldn’t purchase even if you wanted to. Press coverage pumps up your brand awareness; and it can create traffic to your web site, as well as foot traffic, if you are a bricks and mortar business.

A media kit can be very basic. In fact, it does not need to be anything more than a well-written press release about your company, product or service. Of course, many businesses do have very elaborate media kits that include everything from press releases to full-blown CD/DVDs that detail every aspect of the company. Some even include free samples; and I’ve even seen a few that include free tickets to upcoming trade shows and events, inviting you to meet their representatives. But don’t worry if you can’t do anything quite so elaborate. The trick is to just do something, as opposed to nothing at all!

What Your Ideal Media Kit Should Contain:

• Facts about your business. In a brief synopsis, describe what your company does and talk about your mission statement, your goals for 2010 (and possibly the future as well,) and any additional information that will be relevant to the reader.
• List all of the products and/or services that your  business offers.
• If you have been in business for more than a year, you’ll want to include the history of your business and the date it was founded. If you are a home-based business and you have bought into a business opportunity, distributorship, licensee or even a franchise, you can use the parent company’s information for this. If you have a lot of information to use or that you want to convey, you might want to put together a “Business Facts Page” that serves as a bullet-point, quick read. See if your parent company hasn’t already done this; you can possibly use theirs.
• Bios of who the key leaders are in your company and photos for each person are a great element to add to your media kit. People respond better when they know who they’re dealing with.
• Prior press releases are great to add to your new kit. Any prior press coverage you’ve received is also a critical addition.
• If you have any upcoming trade shows, speaking engagements or articles that you know will be written about your company, product or service, mention them. Testimonials, case studies, market trend information and other activities should also be included.

Think You Are Ready To Go? Follow These Tips To Make Sure…

• The first step before you release your newly minted media kit for 2010 is to read as many of your competitor’s media kits as possible. It doesn’t matter if they’re a home-based business opportunity or a large franchise, read their kits. See how they have arranged their kits and make sure you have touched on all the points that they have in your own way. This may give you ideas that you never thought of and encourage you to add anything you may have missed before you launch.
• Have the first draft of your complete media kit proofread and edited by a professional writer, preferably one with a marketing background. Skipping this step can cost you big. People who write for a living don’t take kindly to grammatical and spelling errors. It really blows your credibility! Keep in mind the people who are reading your kit are professionals who see hundreds, if not thousands of media kits each year. If they find mistakes or links that don’t work, logos missing, hard to find contact information or incomplete data on your business, guess who will get the free press coverage? I can tell you it won’t be you. I will be your competitors with a more polished presentation. But also keep in mind, the press wants a quick read. These folks are on tight deadlines, and they don’t want to have to search too hard for the information they need from you.
• Make sure your media kit can be sent via e-mail if at all possible. It’s the perfect delivery mechanism, especially if your kit is brief. Converting your new 2010 media kit to a single or multi-page PDF file that has been web-optimized can make it much more user-friendly. Web optimizing your kit in PDF format will aid in reducing file size so it can be sent faster and downloaded more quickly by the recipient. Huge PDF files might get passed over, so don’t skip this step.
• Make sure to post your media kit on your website for easy download. Again, a web-optimized, PDF format is best for this. By posting your media kit on your website, you can save money and time in printing and shipping fees when you direct potential clients, media representatives or just about anyone interested in learning more about your business to your website to download your kit.
• Make sure to post your media kit on the sites that allow you to do it for FREE. Remember a blog post I made awhile back that showed you how to post a free press release? Draft up a press release about your new 2010 media kit and post it on the many free press-release websites, and make sure you include one or more links to your kit on your website. This may aid in building traffic to your site as well.
• Remember that no media kit is ever truly “finished”; all of them are works in progress. You can always go back at the end of the quarter to refine and update your kit. In fact, you’re doing something wrong if you don’t!Carpe Diem My Friends!