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Archive for the ‘Digital Media Kits’ Category
5 ways to create a media kit
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
by Joanna L. Krotz
Source: Microsoft Business
Desktop technology and electronic options offer so many high-quality and affordable ways to showcase your business that choices for building a contemporary media kit are downright dizzying.
You must decide what’s appropriate in graphics and style, print and digital media, messaging and content. You must figure out how to position the company in one compact package that meets the varying needs of press, stakeholders, investors, suppliers, customers and more.
To help sort it out, here’s step-by-step advice from veteran public relations and marketing gurus that will guide you in developing a relevant, up-to-speed media kit.
1. Cover the conventional basics. The balancing trick, of course, is to create an easy-access, handsome presentation that still encapsulates enough detail to satisfy serious interest. Essential elements in any kit, says publicist Julia Tanen, whose agency is based in Franklin, Mass., include:Optional extras might include testimonials or product reviews, tips sheets that offer industry context or surveys, a recent article or trade write-up, a calendar of appearances or conferences if it’s relevant and, perhaps, a list of media appearances or industry speeches.”We do not recommend story angle sheets,” says Tanen. “Why would an editor want to think you are sharing all of your story angles with everyone else?”
2. Choose brand-appropriate, consistent packaging. You always want to match marketing materials to the personality of the company. If you produce chocolate chip cookies, don’t settle on a sober Wall Street image. Find something light-hearted and delicious.You also want all material to look consistent. “Build all your marketing outreach materials together,” including marketing collateral, Web site, stationery and more, suggests Rob Hecht, a New York City new media publicist. The entire package should look and feel first-rate — not slick, mind you, but impressively put together, standout and solid.There are several production choices. You can create materials for kits and other marketing with desktop publishing programs like Publisher. You can outsource the kit and other marketing needs to a graphics designer who works with your in-house marketer or copywriter. Or you can hire an outside writer and designer for the entire package.Obviously, costs vary widely depending on your production method, paper and creative talent. Julia Tanen suggests $1,500 to $5,000 (for about 50 kits) would cover most options, plus add the one-time writing and design costs.
3. Decide on digital and print options. Besides a print kit, you ought to weigh how much and what category of information and materials should be electronic or Web-based. That will depend on your products, your industry’s practices and the audiences you’re targeting. It’s a judgment call. Just remember that when it comes to electronic versions of your kit, such as USB pocket drives, memory sticks, CDs and DVDs, you must be canny about how much information you provide.Too often, marketers overwhelm browsers with an avalanche of facts and background in media kits, presumably in order to look serious. In addition, now that electronic media are so affordable, many marketers simply copy and paste everything they’ve developed. But if you don’t invest time and money in getting the messaging and packaging right, outsiders won’t understand your company and investors or customers may simply walk.For digital versions, remember that less is always so much more. Any investor or big-deal buyer who wants more information will certainly pick up the phone.Consider these tricks of the trade for electronic media kit resources:
4. Include a call to action. The kit should provide some clear call to further action that will motivates a browser or recipient to get in touch with you, says Maria Barraza, at Nickerson PR in Wayland, Mass. “Make it highly visible.”Again, depending on your industry and audience, this can cover a range of possibilities, including:If you’re not sure what to emphasize, take a look at competitor media kits to gauge what your smart points of difference might be.
5. Stay timely. “Issues and offerings change frequently so we update client kits every six weeks or as events warrant,” says Margo Carmichael Lester of The Word Factory, a PR agency in Carrboro, N.C.Not only should you routinely rotate in new press releases and updated company news, but you should also check all online links so every click always works.It’s worthwhile to benchmark what’s working and what’s not every so often.
You can informally survey longtime customers and friends about kit material, ask for comments from online visitors or set up a focus group of company stakeholders.Finally, whatever your cash flow, do not — repeat — do not cheap out. More than likely, a media kit will form a prospective customer or reporter or investor’s first impression of you and the company. It will pay to get it right.
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How to Create a Digital Media Kit
Monday, August 9, 2010
Source: eHow
Creating a media kit is a great way to introduce the public to your business or services as well as to advertise your own personal achievements and goals. Putting your media kit online as part of a larger website is crucial in the world of Internet business. Updating information online and keeping it current is easier and more cost effective, saving you time and money on printing costs.
- Include as much information as you want. There are no spatial limitations as in print. Make sure, however, to create links to limit the amount of information and scrolling on each page. Provide current information. Updating is easy online, so do it often.
- Organize and break information into sections using bolded key words and headings that are easily skimmed. Create a table of contents to allow browsers to quickly find information that interests them. Use graphics when necessary to break up large chunks of text, but limit them.
- Create a customer database on your website, creating an email list and getting instant feedback. Gather user information but make personal info optional so you don’t scare off potential customers.
- Use html format, which is the easiest format for a beginner to use. If you wish to use create a more complex site, hire a web professional to help with your specific needs.
- Choose a web host server to store your files and give you a website address. Your budget should direct you towards the type of host you choose, but you may find it in your best interest to buy a domain name that is easy to remember and type into a browser’s address bar.
- Direct customers and public to your website and online media kit to save time and money on printing costs. List your media kit in directories like sdrs.com and make the web address available on all materials such as business cards and email signatures.
- Add FAQs, business card information, current and past press releases, a company overview, professional credits and a calendar of events as part of the media kit. Just about anything you would normally print out, you can post online.
- Check out your competitors. See what their websites and online media kits look like and make sure yours is at least as professional and easy to find and read.
- Use a program like Microsoft Office to help create your html formatted site using a template.
Tips for Building a Digital Media Kit
Sunday, August 8, 2010
by Mickie Kennedy
Source: eReleases.com
The other day, someone asked me if sending out press kits was still necessary. My answer: It depends. I find press kits more useful when dealing with smaller clients that people don’t really know much about. Digital media kits provide all the resources and information reporters need to get to know who you are, what your company does, what makes you special, and so on.
But there’s a right way and a wrong way to build a press kit. If done improperly, a press kit can actually turn into a distraction, doing more harm than good. The good news is it’s pretty easy to build a useful press kit.
Here are some tips to get you started.
- Start with the basics – Make sure your press kit includes all the basic information about your company, your mission, your products and services, key players at your company, statistics relevant to your products and industry, etc. Basically, you need to educate reporters on who you are and what you do. You could also include testimonials, reviews of your products, tips sheets, surveys, and other extra information that could be useful in developing a story, but always be careful that you don’t overdo it.
- Don’t create story angles – Reporters are going to create their own angles for the story, so don’t waste your time trying to come up with angles for them. Plus, if they know you’re sending out your press kit to other reporters and bloggers, why would they want to use the same story angles everyone else has access to? It just doesn’t make sense, and it’s a waste of time.
- Less is usually more – With the development of digital press kits, one thing I’ve noticed is that companies are putting more and more information in their kits. Since it’s no longer a physical product, I guess they think size doesn’t matter. It does. Less is usually more. Don’t just copy and paste every fact, figure, and tidbit you can think of into your press kit. It can easily get to the point that it overwhelms reporters and scares them off. Instead, focus on quality and consistency in messaging. If someone is truly interested and wants more information, they’ll get in touch with you to get it.
- Update regularly – Is there anything worse than an outdated, irrelevant press kit? Times are always changing, and you should update your press kit regularly to reflect the latest company news and industry trends. This shows your company is relevant and timely. Remember, your digital press kit is usually the first thing a reporter will see from your company, so you want to make a great first impression.
Mickie Kennedy is the founder of eReleases, the online leader in affordable press release distribution.
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