Cooking Up A Press Kit

Writen by Harry Hoover

Press kits, like any dish, may include different ingredients depending upon who will be consuming them. A good press kit can be used with potential investors or clients, just as it can for editors. The contents should be developed based upon your audience.

Let's review some common elements you will find in press kits aimed at journalists. A letter of introduction - or a pitch letter - often is attached to the outside of the press kit folder. This could include an overview of kit contents and your contact information. Now, let's go inside the folder:

The Backgrounder. This is an overview of your company that may include its history and a profile, company locations, as well as brief bios of key company officers.

Product/Service Information. Include product and service spec sheets or brochures, as well as any reviews you have received from neutral third parties.

Art. Photos, charts, graphs and illustrations often help sell the story. Editors and are always looking for ways to visually illustrate news and feature items. Including art gives you a leg up.

Recent Coverage. If you have received editorial mention elsewhere, include it. This gives an editor a little more confidence that your story or company has merit.

News Releases. Now, I'm not saying you should include every release you have written since the dawn of time, but include some that are pertinent to the subject at hand.

Article Layout. Laying out a story using text and visuals in what is known as mat format often can result in additional coverage. Editors can pick up the entire layout and drop it into the publication. This is more likely to happen with small newspapers and trade magazines than with major media. But it can even give major media editors ideas on how to illustrate a feature.

FAQs and Facts. Frequently asked questions and bulleted fact sheets also can spur coverage.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR. He has 30 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Focus Four, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, Verbatim and Wicked Choppers.