Media kits have been important for decades, and despite all the changes to how entertainers and creators make money, they remain very important.
Whether you're just starting out or you've got a full-fledged team, let's take a look at some of the most important elements of media kits — including some things that can help you stand out from the pack.
Media kits go by many different names. There's press kits, electronic press kits or EPKs, one-pagers or "oners" (shorthand for an element of older kits), promo kit, pub kit, media guides — you get the point.
But they all serve essentially the same purpose: provide the need-to-know information about a person, entity, or brand to a potential business partner, press, or media opportunity. They're meant to be both informative and promotional and can be changed or tailored for specific purposes.
Even global stars will usually have a media kit focused on a specific project or piece of work they're promoting. It's typically a sign of respect to share access to a media kit, even if the person in question is well-known.
Back in the day, media kits were all physical and usually mailed, including printouts and physical copies of pertinent media. Nowadays, they're almost always digital (#savethetrees) and shared via email. You can also have multiple press kits for different purposes. For instance, if you're a music artist, you may have one media kit to promote your new album and another to promote potential sponsorship opportunities.
Before we talk about some different elements you can include to stand out, let's talk about some things every media kit needs no matter why you're sending it out.
The first is a very clear and easy way to contact the relevant parties. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be shocked at the number of first-try media kits we see that don't make it clear who you're supposed to get in touch with and how. Preferably, you'll include the point of contact, their position, name, and email both at the top of the kit and somewhere near the bottom.
Even if you're sending out your own press kits via email etc., don't assume that somebody knows how to get in touch with you. Plus, you never know if they need to forward it on to somebody else.
The "recent" part can be a little flexible, but you still need to look relatively the same as when you took them. If you're trying a whole new style or vibe, you'll want to make sure the imagery matches what you're currently going for. Also, try to include at least one hi-res picture that the outlet already has permission to use. You get bonus points for including three or four, but you want to make it very easy for the recipient to take imagery from your media kit if they need to.
Also, if you're promoting something specific, include a hi-res image of that thing. Whether it's physical merchandise, an album cover, an event etc. Having high quality, downloadable media that represents the primary thing you're pitching is a must.
For some people, "context" can simply mean a brief but up-to-date bio. But for others — especially those with a longer history or career — context applies mostly to why this media kit exists in the first place. While it could be a multiple paragraph biography, it could also just be a few sentences. This should have a "press release-esque" feel to it, but it shouldn't need to go into the full specifics of everything.
What we mean by this isn't necessarily a sentence saying, "Please consider covering the creator's newest product," or, "Please consider working with us as a brand partner." But there does need to be a clearly stated purpose behind why you're sending the kit in the first place — even if you already stated it in the email etc.
So for instance, if you're looking to land a brand as an influencer, you may include a line like, "[Creator] is the perfect candidate to get your product in front of a savvy, relevant audience. Let's discuss a content partnership." Or if you're looking for general press coverage, you may include a line that says something like, "[Creator] will be happy to provide you with an interview and share coverage with their following."
You don't need to lay out the terms by any means, but if you don't include information about what the person reading the media kit should expect of you, you're greatly reducing the likelihood of hearing back.
So, in a summary, the must-haves of a media kit are essentially:
Once you've got the basics, it's time to start thinking about how you can really show you understand not just your own offer, but your audience. This is where you'll want to start diving into a great understanding of your business from an analytics perspective.
Professional media kits often include different analytics that help paint the picture and tell the story. For instance, if you're trying to land coverage for a new music project, talking about some brief past accolades and current statistics around your following is pretty crucial. You'll want to go with the kind of information that is at the intersection of impressive and relevant.
Some obvious things include your total social following and stream/watch count, if it's pertinent to the project. Or maybe if you've won accolades or performed alongside others in the past. You don't want to overwhelm people, just provide two or three key insights to establish some form of credibility.
Likewise, if you're trying to secure brand deals, you'll want to tap into your audience analytics. Don't be afraid to lean into unique statistics, as long as you can back them up. For instance, maybe your social media following doesn't jump off the page, but you have an email list of thousands of members. Or your site traffic outperforms others in your scope. You don't want to inflate any statistics, but you don't want to highlight strengths.
Include information about your audience, particularly big-picture metrics like a breakdown of their typical age, location, and gender etc.
Beyond these statistics, it can be helpful to create a sort of "generalization" about who consumes your content — to the degree you feel like it's true. For instance, if you're a DIY project YouTube channel, beyond the demographics of your audience you'll want to evaluate what people are saying in your comments to create a sort of profile. Then present it in an easy-to-understand way. "My audience includes individuals from all walks of life who love a little challenge and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing a DIY project. But it's not just your typical craftsmen — [my channel] does particularly well with moms and first-timers."
Once you've got the must-have elements as well as the ones that show you know your audience, it's time to add some components that really help you stand out.
In our experience, most media kits don't manage to include all of these elements — but the ones that do are far and away more shared and more successful.
Embedding playable examples of your content is the epitome of the "show, don't tell" attitude and greatly increases the amount of time spent on your kit. Having playable content embedded directly in the media kit provides an elegant aesthetic touch and is a huge win in the convenience column. The less somebody has to click away from your media kit to find more about you, the better.
Sure, having your followers and your demographics are nice and important, but there are more advanced statistics that really show you know your stuff and what your intended partner may be looking for. Consider include stats like monthly content impressions, engagement ratios, average consumption times, and other stats that clue the reader in to the fact that you know your stuff.
A few testimonials can go a long way to establishing credibility. It's important to try to get feedback or reviews on past work so you can include them in your media kit. Did a popular blog include a raving review of something you did previously? Did a former brand partner absolutely LOVE your content? Including these testimonials can help you close on your ask much faster. Bonus points if you include logos and images of other brands — it provides more visual diversity while also reinforcing that you know what you're doing.
Imagine including a great testimonial from a brand client with the playable media directly below it. That's a great media kit experience.
If you can provide an example of how your work helped another company achieve their goals, you'll be giving yourself a huge leg up. Something as simple as saying, "This content drove [X] impressions and [x] in sales for this company" may be all you need to say for some partnership liaisons.
You can also modify this approach if you're looking for coverage. Use your following as a carrot, assuring the outlet that you'll share their coverage with your [x] social following and email your [x] subscribers. They love knowing you'll help drive eyes to their content, too.
Again, the easier you make it for somebody to take action straight from your media kit, the better. If you're looking to land press coverage, providing a range of assets they may be looking for shows you understand they're on a deadline and don't want to go hunting down things like logos and images in order to make a compelling article.
There are also some things you may or may not want to include in your media kit. A top example? Rate sheets. You'll likely hear conflicting advice about whether or not you should tell somebody how much it costs to work with you directly in your media kit.
Our take is that it depends. There are pros and cons to having a standardized rate sheet. You both be scaring off potential clients, missing out on higher budgets, or limiting yourself in the eyes of the brand. If your rate sheet doesn't include the fact that you do custom songs, a brand may assume it's not on the table.
The flip-side of that, though, is that brands may also assume you're out of their budget or not fully understand what you're offering. If a brand is working quickly and you're confident in your rates, having a rate sheet can seal the deal much more quickly. Just be sure you adapt your rate sheet frequently.
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