Press Kit Template for Small Business and Bloggers

By: Johana M. Caba, M.A.

A press kit is designed to earn media attention for your business, brand, products, events, etc. It is one of the oldest tools used by public relations professionals to earn media attention for their clients. Back in the day, press kits were printed and mailed to media contacts while now they can be sent out electronically as electronic press kits (EPK) via email. Press kits can vary depending on your industry, business size, brand, etc. There are many ways to design visually appealing press kits that get your business the media attention you want. Getting your business featured in one of the major publications in your area, region or country is a huge accomplishment. Of course, you can always pay publications to feature your business as an ad. Earning the media attention through the use of these elements and media pitching is much better for your business because it is more trust-worthy to potential customers than ads. In this post, we will go over the best tips for creating your own press kit from public relations professionals and a free Press Kit Template will be emailed to you once your subscribe to my monthly newsletter (subscribed members will receive the free template with the December newsletter). 

Press Kit Design
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First thing is to gather all of your materials. There is a lot that goes into a your kit whether you are a small business, a blogger or a large non-profit organization. Before you can earn media through your good work, products and word-of-mouth, you will need to have all your ducks in a row. As a public relations professional, you learn the basics of creating a media kit in your introductory PR classes. In these classes, you learn that a media kit is a collection of materials arranged in a folder, envelope or other device that includes a cover letter summarizing the content of the kit and other materials that are listed below. I had not thought about this topic for a while since I work in the government relations aspect of PR which focuses more on pitching to journalists through press releases. But, a few weeks ago, I received an email newsletter from Garrett PR, you can subscribe to their newsletter on their website. The master mind behind this agency, their social media presence and their amazing blog is Michelle Garrett whom you can follow on Twitter @PRisUs. 

Now that you know what sparked my interest in creating a press kit template and providing you with their purpose, let's dive in to their design. As I said before, you need to gather your information. Things you will need:

• Fact Sheet about your Business
• Overview of your Business/Brand
• Business/Brand Background Information
• Executive Bios or Owner/Blogger Bio
• Your statistics: Page views, followers, subscribers, company stats, etc.
• Any media coverage your business received
• Any awards and accolades 
• Newsletters and any brand/business publications
• Press Releases 
• Contact Information
• Optional: Photos and Videos of your work, projects, events, business, etc.

​After you have the above materials ready, you can begin putting the kit together. The kit functions to tell your story, why you do what you do, how you do it and your impact. For some businesses, depending on your pitch, you might also include information on your corporate social responsibility. This can include your work or events to benefit your community, and photos/videos of your events. Another thing you should include is a press release. If you have a PR team, they will handle all of this work. But, if you are solo, then you should look up press release samples to model your own in that format. The press kit template that I will email to you will include a press release sample. 

Media Guides and Guest Commentaries
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​A media guide is something that a brand/business/individual/organization provides to journalists that cover their industry. A company/business can have a section on their websites dedicated for the press with materials that are typically provided through a media guide. In this section of the website, you can include your bios, stats, fact sheets, press releases, photos and videos, etc. Of course, this all depends on your business. For bloggers, this might be different. Bloggers pitch their services to PR representatives at different companies and businesses through a press kit. The main difference between a blogger kit and a company kit is the purpose. The blogger press kit works to earn partnerships and sponsorships between the blogger and the business. The company media kit functions to earn the business/brand media attention by pitching to journalists and other PR representatives at different publications. 

Another thing that is a great addition whether your purpose aligns with bloggers or companies, is guest commentaries. These are written reviews, letters or other materials from individuals that have certain credentials. For example, a skin care company might include a review from a dermatologist while a blogger might include a testimonial from a previous partnership or sponsorship. It all depends on the industry, but it is always good to have some individuals ready to give commentary to either journalists or PR representatives on your brand. The purpose of these guest commentaries is to be persuasive in their nature. They help in supporting your brand/business/individual credentials and provide word-of-mouth in support of your purpose. 

Social Media and the Blogosphere
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Social Media has a long history and has had an enduring influence on the way people and organizations communicate. It provides a two-way channel of communication between organizations and their customers. Unfortunately, at times it is a double-edged sword when it comes to bad reviews and bad comments on the brand. Still, social media is very important to your presence online. It is a great place to make contact and communicate with brands you want to partner with and with journalists you want to pitch. There are a lot of journalists on Twitter over other platforms. It is very important for your brand to be active on social media, to reply to comments, to share good reviews, and to help customers when they ask for help. This allows your reputation to be positive, to have more page likes on Facebook, to have your products pinned on Pinterest, and to increase your reach and engagement. 

The blogosphere refers to all of the blogs on different industries that exist on the internet. There are blogs on lifestyle, exercise, personal blogs, company blogs, commentary blogs, book reviews, and so forth. As a small business, it can be beneficial to pitch to bloggers because they can provide positive attention for your business/brand. They will also help increase your reach and engagement with your target audience. For example, if you are a candle brand, it would be beneficial to partner with lifestyle and decor bloggers to have them review your products. This will only cost you shipping fees as you can provide them with your products to review. If things work out and the blogger likes your product, you can always offer them an affiliate code to promote your product. To learn more about affiliate marketing, visit my blog post on the topic. 

Thank you for reading my long post on a public relations press kit for your small business or blogger brand. Subscribe to my newsletter to get the free template in your inbox. Remember, subscribed members will receive the templates with the December newsletter. And, if you have any questions or need any help, comment below or reach out to me on Twitter.