When it comes to getting coverage, PR specialists should take no chances. Since most stories require a bit of advanced research: the easiest you make for the reporters to find accurate information about the business you represent, the better for your PR efforts.
How to increase the likelihood of journalists writing well-informed articles about your company, then? With a little thing called a press kit.
In this article, you will find the best press kit examples and answers from PR experts to the following questions:
- What is a press kit?
- Do you actually need to keep all press materials in one place?
- What does a corporate media kit include?
- How to create a company press kit?
- What are the best press kit examples?
Let’s dive right in.
What is a press kit?
Simply put, an online press kit (also referred to as a media kit or PR kit) is a one-stop-shop for any information a media contact may need if they were to cover you in their news outlet. - Alex Belanger, Digital PR Coordinator/Team Lead @ seoplus+
Modern press kits come in different shapes and sizes: PDF files or folders (shared on company websites, online newsrooms, or via services like Dropbox and WeTransfer), entire web pages, and, occasionally, printed press materials.
Back in the day, there was some distinction between media kits and press kits. Media kits were usually seen as permanent documents that evolved over time, whereas press kits contained timely information and were rather used for events, updates, or product launches. Since both media & press kits are more likely to be found online these days, the difference between them is not as visible.
The question remains, however:
Do you really need to keep all press materials in one place?
Definitely. If increasing the chances of getting coverage for your company doesn’t sound appealing enough, here are a few more benefits of keeping all your press materials in media kits listed by PR experts:
- A corporate media kit serves as a reference point for all communications about the brand, maintaining alignment on key messaging, and providing critical information in a digestible manner. It doesn’t replace highly-tailored pitches to journalists but is a helpful supplement to ongoing conversations about the brand. - Erin Yamauchi, Director of Public Relations at eStreet.co
- Having a PR kit makes it easier for brands to control the narrative, keep track of placements, and know what is going out. - Arthia Nixon, Atlanta-based boutique PR firm owner
- A press kit can show the media that you’re serious and organized enough not to waste people’s time. It's as simple as that. - Audrey Rubinstein, Owner of The M E T T A Agency
Interestingly, it’s not only journalists who can find media kits helpful. Press materials that feature company facts, awards, and testimonials are a great way to build trust among clients, future employees, investors, or influencers that might want to work with your brand.
Which brings us to the next point:
What does a corporate media kit include?
Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all mentality when it comes to corporate media kits. When trying to figure out what should go in a press kit, keep in mind that all press materials you feature in it should always be specific to your company.
To get you started, here's what usually goes in a company press kit:
- Company details. Start with the essentials: a detailed company description, brand guidelines, high-resolution images & logos. You can also include relevant numbers or fact sheets in your corporate media kit.
- Bios & headshots. These are especially important if there’s someone in particular in your company who’s suitable for interviews, expert commentary, and speaking engagements.
- A selection of press releases and examples of media coverage. Pick at least a few relevant and recent stories that got you coverage, and list all the outlets that picked up your stories before.
- Awards & recognition. If there are any recent awards that position your company as an industry leader, they should go in your press kit.
- Contact information. Indicate who’s the best person to reach out to for press inquiries, along with their contact details. You might also want to add social media handles to your company press kit.
No matter what exact information you choose to include in a media kit, make sure that all assets that are media-ready and can be used immediately by the reporters. This should not only help you get coverage but also build better relationships with the press.
How to create a company press kit?
Now that you know what should go in a press kit, it’s time to make one. First things first:
1. Decide on the format of your media kit.
When designing a company press kit, you can choose from a variety of formats: downloadable press materials in a PDF file or a slide deck, a folder with all contents uploaded online via cloud services, or a digital media kit embedded in your website that provides a more interactive experience.
Whatever format you choose, be sure that the media kit is designed in accordance with the look and feel of your brand, and can easily be shared with the media.
Speaking of: Given that press materials are supposed to make life easier for the reporters, sharing them as email attachments or via services like Dropbox or WeTransfer is not the most user-friendly option anymore.
An online media kit with all your assets neatly organized, easy to share, and preview, is a much better choice—not only for the journalists but yourself as well. It lets you update your press materials, swap the existing files, or add new ones to your media kit whenever needed. And the best part? With modern PR tools like Prowly, you don't need any help from your IT team to do so.
There’s also one more thing that speaks for online media kits: search engine optimization. Search engines are the main source of information and, ultimately, traffic to your company website these days. If you choose to store your media kit in a PDF file or a Dropbox folder, it’s not going to be indexed by search engines, which makes it more difficult to find and take advantage of.
Now that in-person events are on hold, journalists are looking for stories—and buyers for solutions to their problems—almost solely online. If you have an online media kit that tells a good story about you, optimized for search engines, journalists and buyers will likely find you. - Rowena Figueroa, Director, Outreach & Partnerships @ Hinge
2. Collect all the resources.
When deciding what should go in a press kit, the golden rule is to be sure everything in there serves a purpose, is accurate and up-to-date.
Think the content through and start collecting your press materials—such as company details, images and headshots, bios, fact sheets, press releases, and pretty much anything that would be compelling enough for a journalist to want to cover your story. You can include all the above-mentioned elements of a press kit, and more.
Press materials should always be specific to the company, event, or campaign and provide enough information so that anyone reading can glean a general understanding of its topic. The specifics of the content (whether a media kit is more visual or wordy) can be determined by the situation, but the usefulness of the information should reign above all. - Eric Yaverbaum, PR veteran and CEO @ Ericho Communications
3. Choose where to display your media kit.
Many companies keep their media kits online, as part of their press page—and rightly so. As already mentioned, digital media kits can not only be found in search engines more easily but also drive additional traffic to your newsroom or company page.
Plus, online media kits allow journalists to quickly find what they're looking for, without the need to download the files and go through all your assets in order to find a single resource they need.
I highly recommend maintaining a clear line of separation between your primary website and your newsroom/media kit. Include a discreet link to your newsroom in your website's footer, not in its main navigation menu. You want to keep a clear UX for customers, and most journalists know what to look for and where to find it. In fact, they're often racing against deadlines and tend to appreciate having fast access to a dedicated portal. - Jonathan Frey, CMO @ Urban Bikes Direct
If your company doesn’t have a dedicated newsroom yet, you can either choose to create a newsroom with Prowly right away or decide to include a media kit in the “About Us” section on your website.
What are the best press kit examples?
You might have already noticed a few good press kit examples while reading the article. In case you’re looking for more inspiration—here are a few media kit samples to help you design your own media kit:
Company press kit example #1
Brydge is the fastest-growing tablet keyboard brand for the Apple iPad and Microsoft Surface. Alongside award-winning keyboards, the company also offers a wide range of premium mobile and desktop accessories, and it shows. Just one look at their example of a press kit, and you already know what Brydge is all about. It's one of the best media kit examples that include perfectly-organized and downloadable logos, product guides, and quality photos.
Magazine media kit example #2
Fast Company is the world's leading business media brand, with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, creativity, and design. Even though the brand decided to go for a media kit in a PDF file, it's still one of the best press kit examples out there: it's visual, comprehensive, and up-to-date.
Corporate media kit example #3
Intercom, a Conversational Relationship Platform, has probably one of the best press kit examples that you can find online. Company description, downloadable brand assets, product screenshots, leadership bios & photos—the list of valuable press materials goes on and on.
Press kit example #4
Lead generation tool OptinMonster has a dedicated press page, from where you can access individual assets such as their logo and mascot, or choose to download the entire media kit with a single click. It's a good press kit example, but not the most journalist-friendly one as it forces the reporters to download the whole thing first without actually knowing what's inside.
Example of a press kit #5
The Clark Hulings Estate's mission is to secure Clark Hulings' place in the canon of American master painters and to support collectors, auction houses, galleries, dealers, and museums by providing a central resource for all relevant information. Their media kit includes previous press releases, sample images, and contact details.
Digital media kit example #6
Speechy's media kit has everything that's needed to cover a story about this voice technology company, including its logo in various versions, image assets, company information, and previous press releases. It's one of the most accessible and well-designed press kit examples.
Company press kit example #9
Similarly to Dropbox, a guided meditation app Headspace decided to host all their elements of a press kit in the cloud—this time via Google Drive. As a result, it might not be the most visually-appealing press kit example, but it's surely a comprehensive one.
Media kit example #8
Spotify Germany, like many other companies, decided to use Prowly to create a newsroom and add a PR kit to it. This way, the company can keep all their press materials well-organized and easily accessible to journalists. What's not to like about that?
Ready to design a media kit yourself?
As can be seen, traditional, multi-page brochures used as media kits are shifting to savvier digital formats that can easily be shared online with the reporters. As a result, they prove to be a valuable asset when pitching your stories to the media and getting coverage—now maybe more than ever.
There might not be a single best press kit template, but you can definitely create your own media kit by first deciding on its format and placement, getting inspired by others, and collecting resources that are relevant to the company you represent. Once you have all your press materials ready, go ahead and add them to your online newsroom in a form of a digital media kit.
There you have it: all your press materials in one, accessible place (without getting your IT team involved!).
Cover photo by Goran Ivos on Unsplash
