How To Build An Effective Press Kit
This a guide for creating a quick and easy press kit with Press Kite; the easiest way to get press coverage for your startup. Learn more and sign up for your free(!) press kit by visiting Press Kite.
Press coverage can be the most cost efficient way to gain traction for your startup and it continues to be important as features are deployed and new products are released. The foundation for any good PR campaign is a strong press kit. Host it on your site, link to it in your pitches and let it serve as the source of truth for your next big announcement. Give journalists, influencers and investors the best possible experience with a polished press kit.
In this article, we’ll go over the most popular sections in a press kit and the best way to build them. If you have any questions, reach out to me on Twitter or via email.
Quick Links
Press Kit Sections
Tagline
The tagline is a one-sentence description of your business. It should be your best elevator pitch and consistent with your overall messaging. Here is Stripe’s tagline for inspiration:
“Economic infrastructure for the internet”
-Stripe
You don’t need to be overly descriptive. The best tagline is between 4 and 7 words. To include more detail, utilize the following Overview section.
Overview
The overview is your chance to explain the background and story of the product in your own words. Around 1 to 3 paragraphs is the ideal length. Relay your mission statement, history and goals for the future in a clear and concise manner.
For example, here is what Shopify has included in their Overview section.
Shopify is the leading cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Merchants can use the software to design, set up, and manage their stores across multiple sales channels, including web, mobile, social media, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up shops. The platform also provides merchants with a powerful back-office and a single view of their business. The Shopify platform was engineered for reliability and scale, making enterprise-level technology available to businesses of all sizes. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify currently powers over 500,000 businesses in approximately 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Red Bull, Nestle, Rebecca Minkoff, Kylie Cosmetics, and many more.
This Overview covers what the brand does, how it achieves it, background on the development, and a few proof points. Feel free to adapt a similar model for your own Overview.
Products
Listing your company’s products, even if your company only has only one or two, can help a journalist understand the scope of your business. Combined with the Overview section, the Product section is all that is needed to succinctly explain the company’s vision and scope.
Images
From logos and icons to founder photos, the Image section of your press kit should contain high-resolution imagery in PNG, JPEG or GIF formats. Here are a few examples of which types of photos can be included in the section.
- Team or Employees
- Founder headshots
- Product in use
- Events
- Logos
- Icons
- Screenshots of the app
- Notable Executives
- Investors
- Building and location
Video
Including a video of an overview of the company, one of your featured products or the story behind the founding of the company can be a powerful way to convey your company’s message. Linking to a YouTube or Vimeo page is the easiest way of embedding and sharing the video.
Investors
If you have secured a round of funding, you can add credibility to your press kit by including key investor’s images or VC funds logos.
Board
Adding photos and the roles of your board members can also help the trustworthiness and integrity of your company while you pursue additional funding.
Product Hunt Embed
Product Hunt is one of the best places to get your product discovered and to build the initial traction outside your launch. If you make it to the front page when you launch, it also drives a large amount of visits from journalists to your page. To embed a Product Hunt link using their native embed code, click the dropdown arrow next to the product name, then “Embed”. Finally, click “Copy Code” and paste it into the Product Hunt embed section on your Press Kit.
News
A great way to showcase your companies product launches, awards and acquisitions is by linking to news coverage. Press Kite offers an easy way to link out to news sites and customize the title and description of those links. Add your copy and paste the link of the article you’d like to link to, then customize the title and description to your liking.
Address
Where you at? Include a company headquarters if you’re planning a face-to-face interview or an office tour.
Social
Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are currently supported. Copy and paste in a link to your page to have it display on the live kit.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email: chris@presskite.com
