For as much work as it takes to promote and advertise a small business, you don’t want to be caught empty handed when reporters actually call to ask for more information about your business.

Creating a standard press kit that easily can be customized for different audiences will help you your company make the best impression no matter what the situation.

What is a press kit?

While the name implies a package focused solely on the media, a press kit is simply a packet of information about your company, products or services. In fact, a press kit can be tailored not only to potential editorial or advertising media, but also to potential clients and investors.

Whatever the size of your business, an effective press kit will convey who you are, what you do, and why people should care. It can help you stand out from a crowded field of competitors, and it can be your best, or even only, chance to make a favorable impression on the people you’re trying to reach.

News editors at media outlets, for example, are extremely busy and will have time to do little more than skim materials that come across their desks. An effective press kit can mean the difference between getting a follow-up call and getting lost in the shuffle.

What should I include in my company’s press kit?

A press kit is like a resume for your company – it highlights your best qualities so you can make a good impression. Like any other marketing materials your company produces, your press kit should get the reader’s attention and generate enough interest in your company to motivate your audience to contact you for more information.

A press kit brings together company information and articles that could be of interest to the media, investors, potential clients and others. While a press kit directed at the media will look different from one targeted to potential clients, some essential elements will remain the same no matter the audience:

• A printed cover letter or handwritten note to your intended recipient
  This should be fairly short – no more than one printed page. This letter is an introduction to your intended recipient and gives a quick explanation for why you’re sending the press kit. Always try to address your letter to a specific person and avoid the impersonal “Dear Sir/Madam” approach. A quick phone call is all it takes to find out the name of the appropriate recipient and may provide a good angle for your letter.

Some small business owners prefer to send handwritten notes accompanying their press kits because they convey a more personal touch. Handwritten notes may stand out among the stacks of printed material people receive every day, but only if your handwriting is clear and legible. Either way, be sure to thank your contacts for taking the time to review your materials.
 

• A brochure or fact sheet about your company
  The main purpose of a press kit is to inform others about your company’s products or services, so your brochure or fact sheet should be the heart of the kit. It should give a clear description of your product and explain why your product is outstanding or unusual.

Keep your audience in mind when crafting this collateral, as you will want to highlight different aspects of your business depending on whom you are trying to reach. For example, if the press kit is going to potential clients, make sure your fact sheet highlights successful projects you’ve completed for other clients, and add testimonials if your other clients are willing to provide them.

• Business cards or current, accurate contact information
  If you’re going to go the time and expense of producing and sending press kits, you want to make sure your target audience can reach you when your kit spurs them to action. Add a couple business cards to the kit for people to add to their card files, and make sure all contact information is correct and up-to-date.

A number of other items also can be important parts of a press kit depending on your target audience or the situation.

• A press release
  If you are sending your press kit to the media, you absolutely must include a press release so reporters and editors can quickly understand the purpose of the kit. Your press release should provide an interesting “angle” on why your company is newsworthy now. Is your company hosting an event? Did you just launch a new product? Did you receive an award? Make sure to make the most newsworthy information the focus of your release.
   
• Corporate history
  This is a good element to include for kits addressed to potential clients and investors. The company mission and history should be brief – no more than one page – and they should be consistent with the message or image you are trying to portray with the kit.
   
• Biographies of principals, key staff
  These are particularly important when the service provided by the company is synonymous with the people providing it. Biographies should highlight experience, credentials and important facts about key players in your company. Don’t be shy about tooting your own horns, but don’t exaggerate, either. If any members of the media want to interview someone from your staff and find out his credentials are false, your whole company will lose credibility.
   
• Past coverage
  If your company already has been covered in any print media, make clean copies of the stories and enclose them in your press kit. If articles were printed with color photos, try to get color copies to maximize visual impact.

How do I put it all together?

The old adage “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” holds particularly true for press kits. While they don’t have to be expensive, budget-busting productions, they must be neat and professional looking at the absolute minimum.

First of all, information is far more important than glitz, so make sure all materials are accurate both in terms of content and grammar. Have all key players on your team proofread it, and then proofread the kit again. Your target audience is relying on the kit’s information to be reliable and correct, and a typo or misspelling on such materials is inexcusable.

Although a press kit should be comprehensive, you don’t need to include every promotional item or piece of marketing collateral your company has ever produced. Be selective about what to include, and only add materials you think will be of interest to your target audience. Being selective demonstrates you recognize their needs, and just as importantly, it spares your company unnecessary expense. 

Glossy, two-pocket folders with cuts on one inside pocket for a business card are an excellent and reasonably priced way to package your materials. These are available at any office supply store, and you can customize your folders with a company label on the front as long as the label is of equally high quality. The packaging of your press kit, as well as every single written piece in it, should be visually consistent with your organization’s identity – meaning colors are consistent, documents are printed on letterhead, etc.

The kits do cost money to produce, so maximize your budget and its impact by distributing one only when the potential payoff justifies the expense – like courting a potential client or publicizing an important product.

Whatever the size of your business, a good press kit can be one of the best ways to convey your company’s strengths to the people you most want to reach. The key is to have the materials prepared beforehand, and to customize the presentation to the audience you wish to reach.