Press Kits Revisited OR, Publicity 101
August 2, 2010 by Mary Ellen
You’ve got a press kit, right? (A media kit, as my friend Jon who works in radio, prefers to call it.)
Like a resume for your business, a press kit or media kit presents the story of your company to the media, to investors and to a variety of audiences.
The time to prepare for publicity is before it happens. When a reporter asks for your media kit, it’s too late. Remember: luck is where preparation meets opportunity. Your press kit, or media kit can make it much easier and more likely for you to generate publicity. Lucky you!
Case in point: retail location grand opening
How do you count the loose ends in any retail opening? There’s the build-out, the stock, the inventory of the stock, the installation of the tracking software, the cash registers, the testing of IT systems, hiring and training of employees, the business signage, the coordination with the attorney, the bank, the bookkeeper, the leasing agent… You get the idea. The issues are too numerous to count; you simply push to the all-important goal: opening day.
If you’re the CEO, public relations may not be high on your radar, but grand openings provide an opportunity that can pay BIG dividends. Preparing with a well-planned press kit is time well spent.
A media kit contains the information you want your public to know. The kit needs to contain a press release. Think broader than that one item and include items from this list:
Where are the bios for your founder/CEO and other key players? Include a high resolution photo with each bio. Large firms might also choose to include an organization chart, for example.
List your FAQ’s. What are the top questions you want a morning show host or a news anchor to ask? Think of these as frequently-asked questions, FAQ’s. (NOTE: The beauty of this strategy is that it allows you to think of and practice the answers ahead of time. Not to sound rehearsed, but prepared.)
Are there special photo ops that you can list to tempt photo or video coverage? If you have an unusual logo, you may want to include a high resolution picture of it, or make it a downloadable application on the website.
Do you have a backgrounder on the company? Unusual stories offer human interest potential. Consider in advance what might make people read about or listen to a story about your firm.
Have you written a press release? (About a year ago I wrote this blog post: Press Release Death Greatly Exaggerated. Read it for more ideas.)
A strong press kit lets you control the information about your business in the community. Showcase it on your website in the form of a downloadable pdf. Use your grand opening to connect with potential customers in every way possible.
The process of getting information out begins with a plan. And guess what? Your media kit may force you to plan well enough to blow the competition away! Good luck with that!
For more on media kits: Take the Mystery out of Media Kits or Lauding the Simple, Under-rated, Under-Appreciated Fact Sheet elsewhere on this blog.
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