What Part Does a Media Kit Play in a Small Business PR Campaign?

Written by Chris Woodward, MasterClass Marketing February 11, 2010

A media kit is an essential tool for any small business PR campaign. A valuable resource for reporters, a media kit helps the reporter research your company and assess your value as an industry expert on industry-related topics. It’s also a useful tool in marketing to potential clients, investors, and others.

In simple terms, a media kit is an information packet about your company. It should make a strong impression and address most questions that someone might have about your firm. Since there is a great deal of flexibility in compiling the information in a media kit, it can be tailored to the reader and the purpose at hand.

Contents
Your media kit should provide a range of up-to-date information about your company. And it’s important that all contents are up-to-date—stale, outdated information makes your company look unprofessional.
•    Introduction Letter: It’s often a good idea to include an introduction letter tailored to the reader and the specific occasion, if any.
•    Company Profile: Also known as a backgrounder, this highlights how you stand out in your industry, your key products and services.
•    Fact Sheet: This serves as a handy reference guide to your company, providing all the basic facts at a glance.
•    Key Services or Products: Provide an overview of your major services or product lines, and individual service or product sheets as applicable.
•    FAQ: A FAQ (frequently asked questions) is a series of questions and answers that addresses timely topics
•    Biographies of Top Management
•    Company History
•    Articles and Press releases: This is a perfect opportunity to get more mileage out of your press coverage.
•    Photography: Include high-resolution  (300 dpi) images of products, projects, events and top management.  
•    Contacts: Include the name of the individual authorized to talk with the media.

You can make your media kit available as a downloadable on PDF on your website. It’s also a good idea to make up several dozen folders to have on hand for those occasions when you want to hand out a hard copy. 

Once you put the effort into compiling your media kit, you’ll be surprised at what a valuable tool it can be in a small business PR campaign. To learn more about media kits and for a complete guide to media relations, see the MasterClass Marketing Media Guide. And for more small business marketing and PR tips, sign up for my free report: “8 Key Steps to Small Business Success.”