How to Create a Press Kit With Examples (+ Free Template)

A press kit, also known as a media kit, is a document used to give journalists key information about your business, from general knowledge to brand assets (e.g., logos). The purpose is to make it easier for journalists to craft a story, in return landing your business free publicity. Learning how to create your press kit is easy—choose a template, add your information and assets, and distribute your media kit.

Make sure your press kit is a worthwhile investment of your time by linking to it whenever you publish and distribute a press release. Using a distribution service is the surest way to ensure your release reaches thousands of journalists and media outlets, including those most likely to be interested in your news. Unlike some other press release distribution providers, Newswire allows you to include links, including a link to your press kit, for free.

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Free Press Kit Template

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If you’re ready to send journalists a media kit that makes your business shine, here’s how you can create your press kit in seven easy steps:

1. Find & Choose a Design or Template

The easiest, and often best, way to create a press kit is to use a predesigned media kit template. This will not only make the process very simple, it will also make it a lot faster, while still ensuring your press kit is well-designed. There are a few different places to download a press kit template; which is right for your business depends on your brand’s unique style and your design skills.

Here are some of the best ways to find a press kit template:

Free downloads: Download our free press kit to get started quickly and at no cost.
Canva: Design your own press kit for free with no graphic design experience or software using Canva, starting with one of their prebuilt media kit templates.
Envato Elements: Get full access to unlimited business template downloadables, including professionally designed press kit templates (which you can edit using other platforms like InDesign or Canva), through an Envato Elements membership for $16.50 per month.
Creative Market: Similar to Envato Elements, but with the option to buy professionally designed media kit templates for a one-time fee of about $50 to $75 each.

Not sure you want to put your design skills to work? You can also hire a graphic designer to design a media kit for your business. Even if you’re on a tight budget, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how affordable it is to hire a professional designer on Fiverr.

2. Customize Your Template With Your Information

After finding the right press kit template for your business and brand, the next step is to customize it with your company’s information. This includes updating all sections within the media kit template, including your contact information, your business’ story, company facts, main products and services, and staff bios.

For detailed guidance on how to customize your press kit template, follow the steps below:

Provide Contact Information

The most important feature of your press kit is your contact information. Journalists writing a story or otherwise covering your business may wish to contact you to gather more information. Include the name of your marketing manager or the primary contact for media inquiries, your website, email address, location, and telephone number to make it easy for journalists to get in touch.

Screenshot of press kit contact

Write Your Business Story

A business story is a brief description of your business’ history, mission, and main products or services or the product or service your press kit is intended to help promote. It’s often referred to as the “company overview,” and should go at the top of the front page of your media kit. Draft a 50- to 100-word description that reflects the press kit’s purpose.

For example, if you’re promoting the opening of your business, you should include your founding date, locations, and target market. Broadly describe the products and services you offer, and provide any important information about when you’re open and any special promotions you’ll have to celebrate your new business.

Screenshot of press kit business story

Create a Company Fact Section

The fact section should list five to 10 data points about your company, product, service, or event. Make facts easily accessible by listing them on the front of your press kit just below the Business Story. Tailor facts about the purpose of your press kit to help journalists focus on the information you want to share.

Some of the points you may want to list in your fact sheet include:

When your company was founded
Where your company was founded
Location of your headquarters
Number of stores or office locations
Total annual revenue
Number of employees
Type and number of products
Volume of customers served
Names of senior leadership
Notable clients
Media mentions
Historical milestones

Include Products & Services

Depending on the nature of your business and the type of media kit you’re creating, you might include general information or details about a specific event, product, or service. For example, a bakery may include the number of doughnuts produced daily and a lawn service company may list how many lawns they’ve serviced. However, if a bar is featuring a new promotion or menu, the media kit may focus solely on that rather than the business as a whole.

Screenshot of press kit services and products

Include Team Member Bios

Your press kit should include brief team member bios and, if possible, professional headshots. CEO, president, or founder bios are ideal additions to your press kit, but make sure they advance the purpose of the kit. Describe the individual’s career history and facts about their contribution to the company on the back of the press kit.

For example, if your media kit is focused on a new product line at your retail store, highlight team members who specialize in the products or were responsible for bringing them on board. Media kits meant to promote an event could include key contacts for event details or employees responsible for organizing and setting up the event.

Screenshot of press kit bios

3. Add Photos

Next, add photos of your products, personnel, and/or locations to make your press kit visually engaging and more informative. Use professional photos that feature the best elements of your business and the purpose of your media kit.

If your photos are also available for download and publication by the press, note this, and provide a link to high-resolution copies on your website’s press kit page. If you don’t have any high-quality photos, consider using stock photos (sparingly) for free from Pexels.

4. Provide Your Company’s Media Assets (e.g., Logo)

Online media kits should include downloadable logos for use by journalists and news agencies. Provide several high-resolution variations of brand and product (if applicable) marketing images and logos (e.g., JPG and PNG). Optimize your digital press kit by linking to media assets and including images and files on your website with branding guidelines describing how and where to use them.

To get the most out of your company’s online media kit and marketing using your website, check out our review guide to the best website builders for small businesses. If you don’t have a business website yet, but you’re ready to set up your website and maximize the impact of your digital press kit, check out Bluehost’s range of domain name and web hosting services.

5. Link to Past Press Releases

Include links to past press releases on the back of your digital press kit to give journalists context and further background on your company. Make the most of your media kit by linking to these resources on your website’s marketing and press release pages. Organize press releases chronologically to illustrate your business’ events and milestones.

If your company has received positive press from an outside news source, be sure to include this in your press kit and on your website. Reporters will benefit from hearing how other journalists and media agencies have handled your business’ story, and including this information usually reflects positively on your company and adds social proof that your news is worth publishing.

6. Include Additional Features Relevant to Your Business

Press kits are meant to adapt to the needs of your business and the interests of your audience. Include helpful features like product guides, testimonials, or awards and recognition related to the purpose of the kit. For example, a band’s press kit should include a discography, press coverage, and recordings of the band performing.

Here are some other things you may want to include in your press kit or on your website:

List of awards and recognition: If your business has noteworthy awards, devote a section of your press release to a list of your awards and accolades.
Social media accounts: Portable document file (PDF) and online media kit versions can both include links to your company’s social media channels. If you only have a downloadable press kit, you can include these links on your press kit webpage.
Testimonials from customers or clients: Testimonials aren’t just a sales tactic; they’re a powerful addition to your media kit too. If you use testimonials, include names and photos of those who provided the testimonial (be sure to get their permission in advance).
Product guide: For businesses that develop or sell a unique product, including a product guide is an excellent idea. Your product guide may include technical specifications, dimensions, capabilities, and other information relevant to people within your target audience.
List of clients: If you are in a client-centric business, include a client list (unless your company has policies against it). This list of clients can help journalists and others know what types and sizes of businesses you work with. Again, always get your client’s approval before including their name in your press kit or website.
Interviews: Journalists may be interested in interviewing company leadership or founders. If there are existing video, audio, or print interviews, include links to these in the media kit. Doing so informs journalists about previous interviews and may inspire additional press coverage.
List of patents: Depending on the nature of your business, you may have several patents. Patents set you and your business ahead of the competition and can be an important addition to a press kit.
Product sample: Including product samples is a strong addition to any media kit. Obviously, if you have a physical product and a digital press kit, your options are limited. There are ways, however, to give reporters a feel for some products and services. Videos can help. Guest logins to a web app, for example, may be an option for some businesses. Likewise, if it’s practical, you can include a form for journalists to request a sample of your product for the purpose of their stories.
Mission statement: If your mission statement is a key part of your business, you can add it as a section of the press kit.
Advertising collateral: You can also link to PDFs or electronic versions of your company newsletter, flyer, landing pages, or other marketing materials.

Screenshot of press kit testimonials

7. Promote Your Press Kit

After creating a press kit, you need to share it so journalists can find it. There are two common ways to do this, and they are typically used in conjunction with one another. The first is to publish your media kit on your website. This should be done by creating a “Press” page that you link to in your footer’s navigation menu, and under your Press page, link to your press kit. The second is to share a link to your media kit within your press releases.

For more help getting press coverage, check out our step-by-step guide to increasing your business’ visibility.

How a Press Kit Works

The purpose of a press kit is to put important information about your business or brand in one place for online access by journalists and media outlets. Because press kits are geared toward journalists, businesses typically publish them on their website on a dedicated press page and include a link to their press kit in press releases.

In return, press kits give journalists helpful information and brand assets (e.g., logos, product images), making it easier for them to craft a story. This increases your business’ chance at landing publicity. Here are the elements every press kit should include:

Introduction: Your introduction should consist of the name of your business and an email address for contact purposes. This is the most important line in the entire press kit.
Description of your business: Answer the question “What does your business do?” in a few sentences.
Fact sheet: The fact sheet features bite-sized information and is highly appealing to journalists and general readers. Include at least five facts.
Logo or images: Elements of your brand’s visual identity should be available from the press kit. You can include them at the top of the kit or from download links within the press kit itself.
Past press releases: Media kits and press releases go hand-in-hand. When you send a press release, you are effectively inviting traffic to your press kit. When you create a media kit, include links to press releases you’ve sent in the past.

Press Kit Examples

The format of your press kit will vary depending on a variety of factors, from information you want to highlight to the types of media outlets you’re looking to appeal to, your target audience, and your brand. For more insights, check out the press kit examples below to see how they can vary by brand in terms of information and design.

Press kit examples include:

Folk Hogan: This band’s press kit is two pages and includes the band’s bio, members, contact information, and a list of performances.
Rick Smith Jr.: This is an example of a longer press kit that includes a biography, relevant events and services, clients, testimonials, and booking information.
Treehouse: This startup’s media kit is a very robust PDF document that includes everything from a description of its services and a comprehensive introduction to brand assets and contact information.

For more examples of press kits, and to see what kinds of media kits your competition and favorite brands are using, go to their websites and check to see if their media kits are available. You’ll typically find them by navigating to the footer of a website, and then clicking on “Press” or some variation of press or media (e.g., “Media Room” or “Press Coverage”).

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to make a press kit?

Making a basic press kit should only take about an hour if you have all of the material already written—bios, facts, and so forth. If you need to write everything from scratch, budget more time for the project. If you’re creating an elaborate media kit with custom graphics or photography, plan to spend several days on the project.

What is the quickest & easiest way to make a press kit?

The fastest and easiest way to create a press kit is to start with a template, such as our free press kit template. From there, simply fill in your information, save as a PDF, and your media kit is ready to share.

Journalists aren’t necessarily expecting an aesthetic masterpiece, but they are expecting quick facts and easy access to information in a visually appealing layout. If you’re not interested in making your own press kit, you can hire a graphic designer to create one for you for as little as $5 on Fiverr.

What’s the best way to distribute my press kit?

Digital press kits are the best way to create and distribute business information because they’re convenient and cost-effective. We recommend adding a “Press Kit” footer link to your website that links to an online or PDF version of the document, or a dedicated media kit page. You can also distribute your media kit to reporters and journalists on USB drives, and you should always include a link to your media kit in press releases.

Bottom Line

A press kit is the standard method of communicating business information to the media. Reporters use press kits to get relevant information quickly, saving them time and effort. Creating your media kit requires collecting the right information and sharing it in an easily accessible place to result in more positive and effective press coverage for your business.

Ensure your press kit gets maximum exposure by using Newswire to distribute your press release. You can include up to six in-text hyperlinks in your release for free, one of which can be to your press kit.