Press Kits and Press Releases in this day and age

Press kits and press releases are still solid selling tools

A press kit is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials distributed to members of the media for promotional use by persons, companies or other organizations .

Press kits are commonly used for:

• Large events/industry trade shows
• Product launches
• New company launches
• Mergers and acquisitions
• News conferences

Press kits contain a fair amount of valuable information, including:

• Background with historical information
• Fact sheet listing specific features, statistics, or benefits
• Biographies of key executives
• Past press coverage
• Photos or other images of products, etc.
• Media kit about current news
• Media contact information (usually of a public relations department or spokesperson)
• A CD, DVD, software, video, etc., containing other pertinent information about the release
• Collateral advertising material, including postcard, flier, newspaper ad, etc.

Press kits can tell much about your company and its products and services

It sounds like a lot of effort to go through to put together and distribute press kits. But they are an effective way to create a detailed set of materials that are organized in a way to easily communicate and inform individuals such as members of the press and potential customers about your company and its products and services.

Here are a few points to consider  when compiling the components that will go into your press kit —

• While it is important to be thorough, your audience is just as busy as you are, so please keep all of your information brief and to the point.
• Only include information that is current and relevant to your target audience of readers. Again, be respectful of their time.
• Bear in mind that a press kit is not like a press release.  It is more like an overview of your company, not like a press release imparting information about a specific announcement.

Now that I’ve brought up press releases, this might be a good time to discuss them…

Never stop the presses when there is news to tell!

Today, businesses are able to announce news regarding products and services with the press of a key or a click of a mouse. Technology being what it is in the digital age, are press releases still relevant?  The answer is yes, they still are an essential business tool.

Here are three reasons that bear this out—

Formal and trustworthy: Press releases are formal, well-planned business documents carefully written with the media in mind. Because of their formality, press releases are a trustworthy form of communication, especially when compared to the countless messages that are spit out over social media and the Internet.

Important facts: Press releases put all of the information about the news story into context for the reader. They start with an attention-grabbing headline and solid opening paragraph, then as the release unfolds, more information is given, along with quotes from company executives, business partners and clients. By the end, readers know a lot about the company. They also learn what is described next…

Direct contact: Press releases include clear contact information for a company.  The contact person can be a press liaison or a company CEO. The company website and physical address are also clearly displayed in press releases, which makes it easy for members of the press to follow up on business news stories, and for customers to obtain more information on a company’s products or services.