What's a Press Kit and Why Does My Business Need One?

Most businesses die not because the product isn't useful, or the team doesn't know what they're doing.

They die because customers that needed the product never discovered it.

There are lots of ways to get customers to find your product, and most of them cost money. Paid ads, SEO consultants, trade shows, tech-corridor billboards, all of them come with a price tag.

But there's one free way to get the word out, and that's press coverage.

In this article you'll learn what a press kit is and how it's your unfair advantage when you're looking to get the free attention and backlinks that come from being featured by a reporter.

What is a Press Kit?

If you haven't come across the term before, it's pretty self-explanatory. A press kit is a collection of all of the material about your company that a member of the press would combine with an interview to write an article on your company.

It can be helpful to think about it in reverse. Let's say you just had a fantastic conversation with a reporter about a story they're working on in your space. What information would you want them to have at their fingertips as they sit down to write it? A press kit is just a collection of all those things.

Why Does My Business Need a Press Kit?

A press kit is an invaluable tool for your business. Here are a few specific cases it helps:

When a Reporter Has Decided To Feature Your Company

If you've already got an interview scheduled or conducted, a press kit is that reporter's best friend when they're finishing the story. There's no way to predict what a reporter will need to file the story. They might want to add a photo, or some background to explain why you're being featured. When the reporter figures out they need something in particular, they need it quickly. Even though most news isn't on an overnight printing schedule, speed is everything in the media. If a reporter misses a deadline because they emailed you asking for a headshot and you didn't respond quickly enough, there's a chance they could just kill the story. A press kit ensures you are never a roadblock.

When a Reporter Is Researching Companies to Feature

A press kit is even more helpful before you're featured. Very often a reporter will have an idea for a story, and from there they'll figure out who they want to interview for quotes and context. That might be you and your biggest competitor. Which one should the reporter pick? The one that's going to be easiest to work with. The one with the press kit on their website.

For Everyone Else

A press kit is also helpful for customers and prospects! Seeing a press kit on your website helps build credibility. A company that is forward-thinking enough to anticipate the needs of the press is also likely to be laser-focused on the needs of their customers. It's not going to win deals by itself, but it can play a part.

Key Components of a Press Kit

There's no standard list of things a press kit should contain, but a good one should have at least the following:

• Important facts about the company. A 2-3 sentence summary, when it was founded, notable achievements, and a contact email should all be front and center.
• Information about notable members of the team. It's up to you to decide what 'notable' means, but certainly if you're a startup or a family business, background on the founders is important. Names (and how to pronounce them), pronouns, title/role, a short bio, and links to any notable social media profiles are all important. And don't forget a high-resolution headshot on a neutral background!
• Other press mentions. Your press kit should include other articles you've been featured in, and it's okay to include press releases as well.
• Company logos. "In the news" these days might just as likely mean being a guest on a podcast as an article in a local newspaper. Just like having your team's high-resolution photos available, you'll want versions of your logo in your press kit. You don't know what formats a particular medium will want, so be sure to include vector versions (EPS, SVG, and AI) as well as versions with transparent backgrounds for use online, like PNG or WEBP.
• Brand imagery. If you could wave a magic wand and guarantee one photo would be included in an article about your company, would you let someone else pick it? Of course not! Make sure your press kit has high-resolution, professionally-captured photos of your products, your team, and any other relevant material. You can also include videos, of you have those. Whichever of these get featured, they need to reflect your brand and your company well.
• [Optional] Testimonials from satisfied customers. Make sure anyone you feature would be happy to talk to a reporter about your company.
• [Optional] Product Samples. Most press kits these days are digital, so this really only makes sense if your product can be experienced digitally. But if you have a physical product, it helps to have a few lying around at all times. You never know who you'll run into at a coffee shop or a conference.

How to Make a Press Kit

So you're convinced. Your business needs a press kit. How do you make one though? The first thing you'll need to do is assemble the information above into a folder on your computer. Save text-only information to PDF, use sub-folders to separate sections.

When you are finished assembling your press kit, you'll have something that looks like this version from Green Voyage Canoes:

Once you have all of the material assembled and in the proper structure, create a Zip file with a descriptive name, like green-voyage-canoes-press-kit.zip.  Be sure to check the file size, as most email platforms have limits on how large an attachment can be (GMail's is 25MB, for example).

If you use a cloud-based file service like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, you can also add the contents of your press kit to a folder named Press Kit there. Be sure to mark all of the files as publicly-accessible though!

If all of this sounds like a lot of work, an easier alternative is to use Orchestra's FREE Press Kit tool. You'll get a website that lays out all the information you need in a format that's easy for reporters to access and grab what they need to feature your company. No downloads or attachments needed.

Best Practices for Using a Press Kit

Whether your press kit is a zip file, stored in a cloud drive, or uses Orchestra, you need to make sure it's easy for people to find and use. The best place to do that is in a link on your website. Once you've got your press kit uploaded, add a link to your website footer that points to it. With an Orchestra paid plan, you can alias your press kit to your domain. This gives your business an added level of credibility and builds trust with your audience.

Wrapping up

Getting your business in front of the right customers is challenging and can be expensive or add a lot of tasks to your already-too-long to-do list. But being featured in a publication with wide circulation is a cheat code. It's also hard to get, but you can make it a lot easier to be featured by having an up-to-date press kit ready when a reporter comes calling. With Orchestra's brand import tool you can have a press-kit live in minutes, ready to help get your business the coverage it deserves. Give Orchestra a try today. All you need is your domain name and two minutes to get a beautiful press kit that builds credibility and makes it simple for a reporter to feature your business.