We’d be the first to admit that pre-packed information with a lot of spin is no fun for any journalist to receive. They increasingly prefer fresh information, or interviews with a company’s founder/s to help them generate the news as they see it.
As a startup however, journalists may not have discovered your website or social media presence and don’t have the time to go hunting for it. Good PR starts with acknowledging that a reporter’s time is a precious resource, and as the new kid on the block they would quickly move on if they do ask you for more information and it is not readily available. Get press kit ready details and facts about your company and have it available for your next big pitch.
The objective is for a press kit that is so complete and easy to use that a journalist would be able to run the article “as is.” Here’s what you should prepare:
The fact sheet
This lays out the building blocks and let journalists put the rest of the story together themselves. As the name suggests, a fact sheet compiles facts: information about you, your partners, company and the market. Be thorough as journalists don’t have time to call you back to get the latest version of your press release. Be objective, so they don’t feel like they need to dig to find what you’re hiding.
Details to mention include, but are not limited to:
- Year your company was founded
- Who the founders are (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook links)
- Where it was founded
- Where it currently operates
- How many employees it has
- Other notable team members
- Names of prominent clients
- Major products/services, including breakdown of features
- How much those products/services cost
- When those products/services were launched
- Where those products are made (if applicable)
- What materials those products use (if already public)
- What platforms any mobile products are available on
- Overarching market statistics
Bringing Media to the media
News outlets love shiny things like pictures and videos. If you are going to provide this to a journalist, it has to be what they need: well-shot and high-resolution (usually about 1MB file size).
Things to include:
- Headshots of the founders or other important company figures
- Short clips of founders/others on camera talking generally about the company
- Pictures of the office or building
- Pictures of your product
- Pictures/videos of your product in action
- Screenshots, if it’s an app or web product (go heavy here: screenshot every step, and let them choose which to use)
- Various versions of the company logo, including a print-quality version (about 1MB)
Press releases
This part consists of copies of every press release your company has issued, along with any corresponding coverage, preferably in chronological order. Present a historical perspective of what your company has accomplished and how it has grown. No spin, just context.
Special Access
If your company has a mobile app, online service, beta test or anything else the journalist can play around with, make sure that its easy for them to access the demo or guest log-in.