by Joey Galvez August, 20th 2022
Press kits and press releases can be a very daunting task especially when you don’t have very much experience with them. They can be an art form all in itself, so don’t be hard on yourself if you feel the stress of the press kit
When I first began my podcast The House Of Indie: A Comicbook Interview Podcast. I needed to find a way to, not only grab the attention of the listener, & book someone who was interesting and TBH someone who was worth listening to for 30 full minutes.
Early on I found that if I just winged it the interviews weren’t as Impactful. It often threw me off my game. When I did my “Creator Homework” (research, sifting the net, following them on socials creating a professional friendship and familiarizing myself with their work & their life (I know what you’re thinking STALKER) but those episodes did a lot better, so let's call it “Professional Stalking” TBH before I knew what a press kit was I researched and scoured the internet for any and all information pertaining to my guest, so it kinda felt like stalking.
Not until I spoke with USA Today Bestselling author Russell Nohelty did I learn what a press kit was let alone how to create one. When he sent me my first press kit I got spoiled! I wanted every creator to send me a press kit (Some never even seen one for themselves)
Lightbulb….“See a Need Fill a Need” I think I heard that somewhere before…
So I implemented it. I created a press kit template explaining what I needed from creators. I can familiarize myself with their work without spending hours surfing the web feeling like a stalking troll. I can say confidently over the years (& many many trial-and-errors) I think I've perfected a simple but effective press kit. It has cut my “Creator Homework” in half. It’s the first thing I do with each of my Public Relations clients, and has been a saving grace.
“Thanks Joey, all of that is great & wonderful, but when do you teach ME how to do it?”
Great question. Before I can show you an example of what my kits look like. I need to know the “why” Why should I spend my time on a press kit? Is it really so important? I asked Lynsey G, co-founder and editor in chief at Oneshi Press, about their experience with press releases
The Geek Collective: Thank you Lynsey for taking the time to answer some questions. I posed a question to the readers, I invited you, our expert, to answer that exact question. Lynsey: Why is a press kit so important?
Lynsey G: A press kit is important because it’s the quickest way to not only educate the media and others on your project, but perhaps more importantly, it’s the most efficient way to show that you're serious about what you’re doing. A well-constructed press kit sets you apart from the pack by showing off your assets, your organization, and your professionalism.
The press release is one part of the press kit—you’ll also want information on your creative team and your company (if applicable), imagery from your project, and any other materials that can help people understand what you’re doing. However, the press release is the most important part of the press kit because it’s how most people are going to first be introduced to your project.
TGC: What makes a great kit/press release?
LG: Think of the media outreach process like the process of landing a job interview. You know your creative project has what it takes, but you’ve got to present a polished and professional face to get your foot in the door.
Your press release is basically your cover letter, and the media people you’re sending it out to are the people who are looking through applications. It needs to hit all the important details, be thorough, and also stand out from the rest of the pile. Just like a cover letter, it needs to show your uniqueness while also following a predictable format, so that the people reading it know what they’re looking at. It’s definitely an art form! But the awesome thing is, it’s an art form that can be easily learned and reproduced for every project. For creative people, it’s just another opportunity to put their skills to good use. And there are tons of free resources online about how to write a great press release.
The press kit is your resume or CV. It’s got all the details for the HR person in this scenario to pore over. It backs up what you said in the cover letter with the very best of what your project has to offer, shows in detail that your project is worth their time and attention, and gives them answers to their preliminary questions, all in one place. Just like a resume, its goal is to score you an interview/podcast appearance/blog post/article, etc. Again, it’s an art form!
When the whole package looks good, stands out, and informs the people you’re trying to impress, you’ve done your job, and you’re bound to land that interview.
TGC: How dynamic should press materials be?
LG: Like I mentioned above, you want your press materials to stand out from the crowd, but to also be easy to understand. The people you’re sending them to see tons of press releases and press kits, so it’s important for yours to be unique enough to catch their attention.
However, you don’t want to go reinventing the wheel to try to stand out, either. If someone likes your subject line enough to open your press release and read it, they want to be able to find all the pertinent information in the places where they expect it to be, or else they’ll feel like you’re wasting their time. The same goes for the press kit—it needs to be packed full of amazing content, but also be well organized and easy to navigate.
Just like in the job interview process, sometimes you might be up against hundreds, even thousands of other applicants. Your materials need to be high quality, interesting…and easy to read. If the person on the other end only has ten seconds per applicant, you’ve got to make those ten seconds as informative and entertaining as possible. It’s a fine balance!
TGC: What was the best advice you have received pertaining to kits/press releases?
The best advice I’ve gotten was from Joey Galvez at the Geek Collective, actually! He showed me how to organize my press kit with everything inside a pertinent folder, and each folder numbered so that no matter how the person on the other end was viewing it, the materials would appear in order. This has made my press kits look so much more professional, and I’m now certain that someone with ten seconds to devote to my project can find their way around easily.
TGC: How long should my press release be?
LG: Your press release should be no more than five short-to-medium paragraphs long. You need a great hook to start your introduction graf, which includes your project’s tagline, any pertinent dates, the platform or distribution channel, and a clear statement of what exactly this press release is about.
Then you can spend a paragraph or two digging into the details of the project. If it’s a comic, how many pages? Is it full-color or black and white? Who’s attached to the project? What are their previous bylines? What makes this story unique? What’s it about? Etc.
In your fourth graf, you need a direct quote from the projects creator(s), explaining why this project is so exciting to them in a way that makes it exciting to the reader, as well.
And your final graf is your opportunity to give all the important details that you didn’t have room for up top, reinforce any details you already covered, and contain a link or other details about how readers can find more information.
You’ll want to include contact information for people to reach out and schedule interview, ask questions, etc. at the bottom of the release, and you may also want to include some links down there so people can easily find you and the project online. You may also want a short bio of yourself and/or your company at the bottom.
These details should also be included in separate documents inside your press kit. You’ll also want:
a separate document with biographical information and images of your creative team
images from the project
any pertinent images about you or your company (logos and such)
additional resources, such as previous publications for review
TGC: What are some best practices I should consider when creating my kit?
LG: The best best practice I can think of is this: Keep it simple.
Yes, your project is great! I’m sure the intricacies of the story, the details of the art, and of course that epic plot twist are all fantastic.
But as I’ve said before, the people you’re sending your materials to are very busy, and they don’t have time to pore through the details of world-building or character development. Keep your press release short and concise. Use short sentences and robust language that gets the idea across simply. The same goes for your press kit materials: keep it simple. Label things so they’re easy to understand. Only include your strongest images—your target audience doesn’t want to scroll through every single page, they just want to be sure the art is amazing. So show them the most amazing, and leave it at that.
Resources:
Press Release: Step by Step Guide,
Need help with your Press Kit contact The Geek Collective at info.geekcollective.net
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