An explanation of what your organization does, why your organization does what it does, and who it does it for. Very basic facts about the history of your organization, including the date of its founding and its growth over time. Important statistics illustrating the story of your organization. If the press kit was for a company, this might include growth numbers, if the press kit was for a band, the statistics might be YouTube views, downloads, or number of states (or countries) toured. A table of contents for the rest of the press kit. A press contact person and their contact information.
Regardless of whether you’re touting an old product or rolling out a new one, this section calls for pictures, video, and audio to showcase your offering. Although bands, theatrical companies, and nonprofits might not think of themselves as offering a product or service, their creative output or their mission constitutes their product.
This is a standard component of a press kit, and reporters know it’s suggestive of the type of coverage you’re looking for. Let the rest of your press kit serve to demonstrate why the reporter should agree. If your press kit is entirely digital, a good way to showcase previous media coverage is to quote the lede on your page and link to a PDF of the entire article. If your press kit is physical, edit judiciously. Fifty pages of old articles and press releases is overkill.
For instance, if your organization sold a product that had an array of uses, but for whatever reason was buttonholed into a very niche corner of the market, you might pose a question like: “Is that all this widget can do?” and answer it with some suggestions on how to get the most out of your product.
When you’re writing the biographies, cover more than the standard information about where so-and-so went to school and how many degrees they have. Instead, emphasize a unique aspect of the subject’s history, like their reason for joining the venture in the first place. A lot of people have degrees, but very few have exactly the same passions and motivations. For example, you might say that “Our CEO, Bob Smith, didn’t start out thinking he was going to be the CEO of an industry leader like Widgetech. He started out as a man with a vision–to make a widget like no other. "
If you’re putting together a press kit for an architect’s conference, include testimonials from architects. For example, “Widgetech’s widgets have completely changed the way I draw up plans for houses. I’m ten times as productive as I was before Widgetech rolled out the original widget. Now they’re at it again, making my success possible. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Widgetech. "
Think of your press kit as a long letter to reporters explaining why and how you and your product should be covered. A non-customized press kit is like a form letter. Just as you probably attach little importance to form letters, reporters will attach less importance to a press kit that isn’t tailored to your event. So if the new drafting software your firm developed is going to revolutionize the profession of architecture, the video you include in your press kit should talk about that specifically. Remember to include files of your logo (use a flash drive for a physical packet) with your press kit.
Conventional wisdom states that you should avoid sending out your press release on Mondays, Fridays, and weekends. The plurality of press releases are sent on Monday or Friday morning, so sending yours on a Thursday afternoon will make it stand out. [8] X Research source Don’t try and compete with a big news story. An impending hurricane will always be a bigger story than your product launch.
You don’t need to send your packet to a graphic designer, but you should do your best to make your press kit look stylish and notable. It might be competing for attention with several others, and you should use any advantage you can get.
