Jeff McRitchie

Create a Great Press Kit

Whether your company is just starting out, or you just feel that you need to make more of an impact with the local media, a press kit is the way to go. Here are a few tips to get started.

Gather Your Info.

The first thing you will want to include in your press kit is the biographical information of all the key players in your company (if that is you and you alone, that's all right too). Keep the bio or bios fairly short, no more than one page each. In some cases you may want to keep it even shorter by creating one page that contains biographical blurbs. The key is to make this page (and all your pages, in fact) brief, attractive, and readable. You will want to include at photos that are at least thumbnail sized to go with the bios, of course.

On the best paper that you can get hold of, print all of your company's recent press releases, any newspaper clippings, website printouts, or any positive attention your company has already received. If you have been covered in any magazines, include copies of those sheets, printed in color. You really don't want to scrimp on appearance here. This press kit is meant to function, for all intents and purposes, as your representative. And as as we all know, appearances matter.

If you have a company newsletter, and you feel it is fit for public consumption, by all means include it. If you don't you can create one pretty simply using some templates in MS Word or programs such as Illustrator and InDesign. Be sure to throw in some photographs, etc., and do whatever you can to make it look professional.

If you have sales materials like brochures or other such items that you might give to a sales rep to hand out to clients, include them in your press kit. If not, create some sheets that describe your product and/or services and that contain attractive photos both of the products and of people using them, if possible, in order to provide a clear picture of what it is that you do.

Putting it Together

The order you place these items in is up to you, but you will want to take your audience into account. Most likely you will be best off starting out with the bio sheet or sheets, followed by the company literature/brochures, then the press releases and clips.

Cover Letter

Printed on company letterhead and high-quality paper, a letter from the highest ranking officer in your company that explains the contents of the kit and provides contact information. Include a business card from your Communications Director or whoever it is that you would like to field interview or story requests.

Binding It

A simple pocket folder is one way to go, but you can probably make more of an impact using a simple 3 ring binder with a clear cover into which you can insert a custom cover or company logo. There are lots of options out there to choose from, so either take a good look online or at your local copy and print shop to get an idea of what will work best for you.

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