Now that you’ve got your public relations plan together, it’s a good idea to create a press kit before you start pitching journalists, sending out media releases and planning media events. Your press kit tells your story in the way the media wants to receive the information. It’s not your marketing brochure. It’s a succinct package of facts consisting of all or many of the following elements:

Fact Sheet — The fact sheet introduces who you are, what you do, where, how and why you’re relevant. If you have any statistics about your company, product or service, include them in the fact sheet and update them regularly. Members of the media love stats. If possible, translate your stats into tangible, real-world equivalents.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) — Many companies provide FAQs on their website and in their marketing materials. Keep in mind that those kinds of FAQs are directed to customers.  It’s OK to include them in your media kit but you may need to tweak them, replace some and add others in order to meet the needs of the press.

Bios — Create bios for anyone who will be speaking with the press. Remember, this isn’t your resume regurgitated. Tell a story of who this person is and why they make a great interview. Before you select someone to be your company’s media spokesperson, whether it’s the CEO or the public relations director,  make sure they have the proper media training.

Story Ideas — What are four or five story ideas that you can offer to the media at any time? Sure, you may be launching a new product or service, have an interesting partnership to tout or made a major breakthrough in your industry, but how can you get the media to contact you when they are looking for an expert source, when news breaks or when your business is connected to a trending topic? Think about some story ideas that have some longevity and make you a go-to source for the media. Your story ideas make great media pitches too.

Questions to Ask — Today’s reporters, editors and producers don’t have enough hours or manpower so when you make the effort to create something that saves them time and energy, you will make an impression. Put together a list of questions that members of the media can ask when they interview. They may not ask them all, they may not ask them in the same way that you’ve written them, but they are likely to use them as a guide for the interview. Not only will they appreciate the effort, you’ll also have the opportunity to practice and deliver your message.

Additional Items — Include your company’s high-resolution logo,  as well as photos,  infographics, videos, and links to your blog and social media accounts.

You can expect to provide these materials electronically most of the time, however, if you’re hosting a media event or attending an event and expect to be approached by media print them out or save them to a flash drive so you can hand them to the journalists in attendance. If you don’t have a press room on your website, add one and include these documents as well as your latest press releases, media placements, social media feeds and other content. Don’t forget to update all of your press materials on a regular basis.

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