When I started pitching our clients’ content to media, I ignored a major component of a successful outreach campaign. I thought it was too formal and unnecessary. Upon reflection, I don’t know how I got along without it.
A press pack or media kit sounds simple and obvious for public relations pros pitching media to write about a company. But many marketers don’t think about how a press kit (or even the media in general) can be helpful to their content promotion. They don’t go the extra mile to produce and distribute assets that journalists can leverage to support their reporting or that other third-party content providers can use for their content needs.
A journalist’s typical day is a marathon of deadlines. Often juggling multiple stories, they’re overworked and strapped for time. When done right, a press pack helps the journalist understand key points of the topic and provides ways to feature the most relevant parts of your content for their readers and viewers.
A press pack for your #content provides visual assets most relevant for the media’s audience, says @Britt_Klontz. Click To Tweet
Let’s go through some essential factors of a press pack to get your content recognized – and used – by journalists and content outlets. I’m using the example of our client Traveloka, an Indonesia-based travel company.
In December 2018, Traveloka asked 100 people in the United Kingdom and United States to draw the first thing that came to mind for 10 cities: London, New York, Paris, Venice, Dubai, Sydney, Rio, Cairo, Tokyo, and Berlin. They were instructed to spend no more than two minutes per drawing.
The results led Traveloka to create a microsite, Urban Scrawl, and disseminate to journalists a press kit about the published collection, which provides a humorous perspective on the cultural attractions these people most associated with each of the major cities.
Deliver high-quality visuals
Journalists were introduced to the content through a static embedded image with a drawing for each of the 10 cities. The visual also aced as a link so editors could click through to the content collection:
The Urban Scrawl press pack also included a link to folders for PNGs of every drawing categorized by city:
Traveloka also created folders with photographs of the most frequently cited landmark in each city drawn to increase the number of ways a journalist could use the content. Media could use the assets to produce a slideshow or listicle piece, showcasing the sections or images most relevant to their audiences as well as drawn-vs.-reality comparisons.
TIP: Create a document listing attribution info for any photo that might require one – and include the credit in the file name too.
Create document listing attribution info for any photo that might require one, says @Britt_Klontz. Click To Tweet
The visuals were published when media wrote about the findings, including this article in Fast Company:
USA Today created this video using the photo-illustration side-by-side comparisons along with its own B-roll of the destinations:
These media outlets and others published content using their creative freedom and highlighted the parts of the provided content most relevant to their audiences.
Think social too
Traveloka also provided visuals – static and GIFs – sized to fit preferred dimensions for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Media outlets, including travel bloggers, shared the content on their social channels too, like Nomadic Daniel did here:
Include #socialmedia friendly images in press kits so writers publish your #content, says @Britt_Klontz. Click To Tweet
Don’t forget the basics
Anticipating the needs of a journalist or content site is key to securing coverage. Beyond including quality imagery in your press packs, don’t forget the fundamentals:
- General release or overview outlining the “news” of your content – highlighting findings or nuggets most relevant to the journalists’ audience (and detailing the methodology).
- Quotes from your subject matter experts.
- Links to any content your company previously published on the topic.
- Contacts to arrange interviews or get more information.
Anticipating the needs of a journalist or #content site is key to securing coverage, says @Britt_Klontz. Click To Tweet
TIP: If your content campaign involves data analysis, make sure to have the raw data available. Journalists may ask to see it to ensure that your analysis is accurate before reporting on the findings.
Journalists will appreciate having ready-to-go visual assets and tailored information so they don’t have to go digging for the right information while juggling multiple deadlines. By ensuring that your press pack includes the components above, you’ll score “brownie points” and gain respect from the journalists. And next time you have content to promote, they’ll be more likely to work with you.
Have you found success with using press packs to promote your content? What tips do you have? Let me know in the comments.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute