For this blog entry, I asked Caroline Williams, a client specialist at Chirp PR to help my clients out with a big question... "What should be in my company's press kit?"
Two key words you should focus on when creating a press kit: clear and compelling. A press kit is made up of the different elements that help journalists and buyers to learn about your company, its products and services in a clear and compelling way. Press kits are created to spotlight a business, a product and services for journalists and stakeholders. In order for your press kit to stand out, it needs to quickly summarize all the facts, including compelling photos, images and data that cover all aspects of your business. I’m pleased to share topics on how to visually illustrate your press kit and help tell your company story in color (or black & white if that’s your brand color pallet!).
Company Overview
The main objective of a press kit is to help reporters and others quickly understand what your company does and offers, helping to tell your company’s story. Where did it all start? What are the milestones you have accomplished? What is your company’s mission? What about its vision? What are your core products and services and what do they look like? What’s your logo and who are your leaders, and what do they look like? Focus on the basics up front so that your audience can quickly capture and understand what your company does and offers, and make it easy for them to help tell your company’s story. Creating a fact sheet is also an effective way to summarize key facts and include a bulleted list of the most important information about your company. Avoid being cliché in order to help reporters and others to better understand the culture of your company.
Brand Imagery
Depending on your company focus and industry, every press kit should include a library of photos and images that illustrate your company and brand. The images need to be visually compelling and engaging to enable readers to better understand your company’s best qualities. Always remember that these images can be used for publication; therefore, they should be high-resolution, professional images that are authorized external use.
Press Releases
Any newsworthy press releases about your company should be incorporated into your press kit along with visuals that illustrate your news. Press releases give reporters insight on any up-to-date news involving your company. Whether it’s a new product, partnership or a new hire, be sure to include images that illustrate your news, making it easier for journalists to quickly, efficiently and accurately report on your company’s latest advancements and newest ventures.
Team Biographies
Team biographies should cover current roles and backgrounds about each member of your team as well as their professional headshots. Keep the biographies short and simple, including information about how each individual member contributes to your company. And importantly, make the them consistent. To give more insight on each team member, you should also include high-resolution headshots, and make them consistent with your brand. Is your company casual, formal or a mix of both? Use your team headshots to illustrate your company culture in your press kits as well as your website and social media channels.
Clients
The client section of your press kit helps legitimize your business. Client testimonials are important to give your company credibility. If you don’t have any testimonials developed, reach out to your clients for a few words about your company, products and/or services to highlight your company’s reputation to the public. And take your testimonials to the next level by formatting alongside the feedback with a headshot and client logo. Visuals help tell your company story effectively.
Contact Information
When including contact information, be sure to list your company’s representatives for press inquiries. Often times there are tight deadlines for reporters, and you want to ensure that no opportunities are missed to have your company included. In this section, be sure to include all information such as phone numbers, e-mail addresses, social media handles and headshots to make your contacts easily recognizable.
Now that you know the importance of visual press kits, it’s time to design your own! Don’t forget the six elements listed above when creating your visual press kit. By utilizing this approach, there’s no doubt it will be clear and compelling. Once your visual press kit is complete, journalists and buyers will have no problem getting to know your company.
Thanks again to Caroline Williams for this informative article!
