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Kit Essential

Kit Essential

How do I put together a media kit?

I would like to get my products featured in fashion and celebrity magazines. What is the best way to put together a media kit? The essentials? What makes a great media kit? Any pointers?

1. Cover the conventional basics. The balancing trick, of course, is to create an easy-access, handsome presentation that still encapsulates enough detail to satisfy serious interest. Essential elements in any kit are:

Company overview or history
Product or services sheets
Press releases — "not too many, three at most, and one should be have a new, fresh-minted date"
Key executive bios
Fact sheets or FAQs — typically industry or company background information or data.

Optional extras might include testimonials or product reviews, tips sheets that offer industry context or surveys, a recent article or trade write-up, a calendar of appearances or conferences if it's relevant and, perhaps, a list of media appearances or industry speeches.

2. Choose brand-appropriate, consistent packaging. You always want to match marketing materials to the personality of the company. If you produce chocolate chip cookies, don't settle on a sober Wall Street image. Find something light-hearted and delicious. The entire package should look and feel first-rate — not slick, mind you, but impressively put together, standout and solid.

There are several production choices. You can create materials for kits and other marketing with desktop publishing programs like Publisher. You can outsource the kit and other marketing needs to a graphics designer who works with your in-house marketer or copywriter. Or you can hire an outside writer and designer for the entire package.

4. Start a blog, feed it often and include a link to the kit on the blog home page. (For more on how blogs build business, see this story.

Kit is the key word. A kit allows someone to piece together parts in order to build something. In this case, you will be supplying all of the pieces an editor or media professional needs to put together an article, radio segment or TV spot about your business or product.

First, you’ll need a folder to hold the contents of your kit. Invest in a heavy-duty one, maybe even a glossy one in a bold color. The folder is the editor’s first impression of you, so make it count. If possible, put your name or logo on the front cover. This can be as simple as putting a high-quality sticker with your company logo on it.

You will also need a cover letter. Once again, use letterhead with your logo on it and paper clip a business card to the top corner. Your cover letter should introduce you and your business. It should also be addressed to a real person, not a generic title. That let’s us know you have done your homework.

The letter should then state why you are a good fit with the publication and say what department or section would be a good fit for an article about your product or company. For instance, if you want a photo of your new pet treats featured on the product page, say so, and say — in a sentence or two — why you should be there.
The cover letter is also a chance to tell the editor what makes you, your business and your product newsworthy. Newsworthy means why you are worth covering — if you make something no one else makes, if you are launching a new product line next month, if you are partnering with a local nonprofit— these things are all news. If you can link yourself to a national trend, then you are newsworthy.
You can use this opportunity to pitch the editor a story idea related to you or your industry. Busy editors are always looking for new fresh ideas.
Most of all, be sure your letter is no more than one page long and has no spelling or grammatical errors. Editors have no tolerance for bad spellers.

Inside the kit
If you have done a good job thus far, the editor will be compelled to open your kit and take a look at what is inside. They should find a CD-ROM and a well-organized package of information.

The CD should contain high-quality art, if it’s appropriate. Media is very photo intensive, and many worthwhile stories never see print because there isn’t a good photo to go with it. If you are an author, include an image of your book cover and a promotional photo of yourself. If you opened a store, include a photo of you amidst your offerings, a product shot and a good photo of the exterior of your shop.

But beware: have a professional or a skilled friend take the photos. Nothing will send you to the trash and make you look like an amateur faster than a crappy photo. For more detailed photo tips, check out the photo guidelines at the bottom of this page.

The information part needs to tell us who you are and what you do. I recommend sticking to one and two page vignettes on each topic. If it’s two pages, staple them together. You want to give an editor as many quick, easy to read, well-organized information access points as possible.

Include a page or two outlining your business, what you do, who your customers are and what sets you apart from others in your industry. Include a bio and play up experiences directly related to your business. For instance, if you are a single mom who started a store where other single moms can sell crafts to make extra money because you know how hard it is to make it, by all means says so. Stories like that get coverage.

And toot your own horn. If your book has been reviewed in the local paper, make a copy of the review and put it in your media kit. Include a one-page list of customer testimonials or of other media appearances. If you were on HGTV or a celebrity uses your product, we want to hear about it. But don’t lie. Editors are pretty good at finding out the truth and your reputation will be ruined.

Don’t forget to include plenty of contact information. You’d be surprised how many folks forget their phone number or email address. And always include your Web address. Busy editors often like to get more information about you online before they commit to a phone call or a feature.

Getting your media kit into the right hands

Before your drop your kit in the mail, remember the Cardinal Sin. If it is obvious that you have never read my magazine and have no sense of who our readers are or the kinds of articles we print, then you have wasted a media kit. Avoid this mistake. It’s the fastest way to end up in the trash. Take the time to do your homework; be confident your kit only goes to editors who are interested in people like you. By all means, do take risks and send it to the big guys, but do your homework so you can keep their attention.

And don’t underestimate the value of starting small. Start with the newspapers and magazines in your hometown. They are always looking for a local angle, and you may just be it. Even neighborhood newsletters: local papers mine those for leads. And in turn, good local coverage leads to bigger things. National publications search through local publications to find leads, too. Once you get those few stories or reviews written, media coverage tends to snowball. That’s exactly what you want to happen. It’ll build buzz for your business.

That’s it! Creating a good media kit is just that simple. Just never forget your mantra: make it easy for the editor to feature you. If you have convinced the editor you are newsworthy AND she has a disc full of art in her hand, you are more likely to get a spot in the magazine. And voila! You’ve made it easy for her to cover you.

Photo Guidelines
A good product shot means a clean, clear close-up photo or two of your products on a white background.
Include several versions of all photos on a CD-ROM packaged with your media kit. You will need one high-resolution photo —one that’s at least 300 dpi (dots per inch)— and one that is low-resolution, or about 72 to 100 dpi. Include a JPG and a TIFF format for each photo. (This will ensure your files are compatible with whatever programs the publication’s graphic designer uses)

Resolution is important. I can’t tell you how many people think we can simply pull photos off their Web site and use it in our magazine. Internet photos are low resolution. Print publications require high-resolution art and photos; low resolutions do not print clearly.

Butterfly Kits For Children- Things To Know About Them

Butterfly kits for children are one of the most educational gifts you can give to any kid. These will not only teach the kids how a butterfly evolves through various stages of the life cycle but also teaches about the beauty of the nature. A butterfly kit essentially contains all the things needed to raise a butterfly.  It includes a gift certificate that allows the kids to plan accordingly and order the caterpillars when they are ready to take care of them.

Here are some of the things that one must know when they are using butter fly kit:

1) Before ordering the caterpillars the kids must make sure that they are available to take care of them until the whole cycle is done and that can range for about 3 weeks. So, it's always advisable to choose holiday time when there is a break for the schools to do this project.

2) When the caterpillars arrive, they must be handled very carefully and most of the time, they are provided with adequate food required. All they have to do is transfer them to the container and watch the developments that happen after that.

3) It is always advisable to keep the caterpillars out of the reach of sunlight and preferably indoors. The position of the container should always be in an upright position. Sunlight can cause condensation effect in the container and that can affect the health of the caterpillars. Since the larvae doesn't need anything extra, just keep it in your room and watch them grow. Initially, they don't move much, but slowly they will start improving, and then they start eating a lot and will get double the original size. 

4) The larval stage generally takes about a week to change into the next stage that is called as chrysalis. When at this stage they crawl on to the top of the container and will hand downwards. This is a very critical stage, and they must not be disturbed during that state. The whole body of the caterpillar will start changing and slowly move towards the formation of a beautiful butterfly.

5) During this stage it's not really needed to be indoors, and it is ok to expose it to the sunlight. Keep the container away from strong breeze or strong sunlight. To say it right, you must give optimal conditions for the chrysalis to develop slowly into the butterfly. Let them hang in the container until they are ready.

6) After a period of about a week or so, the chrysalis staged butterfly will slowly start to transform into an adult butterfly. You can know that the chrysalis is close to become a full fledged butterfly with the color it, the darker the color the closer it is to develop into a butterfly. Slowly, the butterfly will evolve and still be hanging vertically down until the wings are fully formed and spread out. The wings will take about two to three hours to harden and then the butterflies will be ready to fly.

Don’t forget to teach your kids to leave the butterflies and give their freedom after they become a fully grown adult. The purpose of butterfly kits of children is solely to teach them its life cycle and also about being responsible and taking care of another living being.

About the Author

Mani Kr is the author of this article and offers advice on how to buy 

butterfly kits for children.

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