What is a Media Kit and Why Every Creator Needs One
Paid partnerships can be the bread and butter of an influencer’s career, but establishing partnerships with brands and other collaborators doesn’t happen randomly; there are ways influencers can put their best foot forward to ensure their best chance of finding the right fit. That’s where a media kit comes in. Also known as a press kit or a collaboration kit, a media kit allows creators to offer potential brand partners and collaborators a snapshot of their platform, reach, and personality in one convenient document. This is a must-have tool for creators of all sizes who are looking to grow their platforms. So, what is a media kit, what does it look like, and how do you make a good one? We’ll break down what it is, why it’s critical for creators of all sizes, and how you can create your own that stands out from the crowd below.
What is a Media Kit?
A good way to understand a media kit is to imagine a resume for a job interview. In a media kit, creators gather information about their platform, audience, and content into one place that can be easily sent to prospective collaborators. This typically includes numbers of followers, engagement metrics, and a creator biography, among other things. Like a resume, it should be short, professional, and straight to the point. It can be the strongest tool influencers have to make a good first impression. To learn more about getting brand partnerships as an influencer, check out a guide to brand partnerships here.
Why do Influencers Need a Media Kit?
Building a platform as an influencer isn’t a one-person show. As creators scale their platforms and increase their reach, they may have the opportunity to partner with brands and other collaborators to leverage their audiences and grow their influence. When that happens, a creator needs a media kit. It is the first tool a creator needs to establish productive, professional relationships with potential brand partners. It gives brands everything they need to evaluate a creator for collaboration, right at their fingertips. A good media kit demonstrates that a creator is skilled, reliable, and valuable to a brand. They don’t just work for the big creators, either. Many brands and companies look to micro-influencers for partnerships, as micro-influencers often have high engagement with audiences in specific and profitable niches. Full-time influencers and beginner creators alike can benefit from putting together a compelling media kit, distilling their skills, brand, and audience into one cohesive document. Whether you’re pitching to a brand or answering inbound partnership requests, having a solid media kit at the ready can help you stand out and secure brand partnerships that fit your platform best.
How do You Make a Media Kit?
Asking ‘What is a media kit?’ is the first step. Making one is the next step toward securing brand partnerships and other collaborations. So, what makes a good one, and how do you put one together?
What to Include in an Influencer Media Kit
Here’s a checklist of the things you need in your media kit to make the strongest first impression:
A creator biography. A simple ‘about me’ section can be the quickest and easiest way to introduce yourself. Don’t go overboard. A few short yet effective sentences describing what you do and why you do it are sufficient.
Important metrics. Your social media influence is everything to brands looking to form a partnership. Highlight your follower count, click-through rates, pageviews, and engagement rates across your social media channels clearly and boldly. You’ll want to revisit this part every time you send it out to new brands to ensure the information is always accurate and up to date.
Audience demographics. Most brands have a particular audience in mind when it comes to marketing their products. Make sure it includes information on the age, gender, and geographic location of your audience, as well as any other relevant information you have about your audience.
Social media links. If you’re online, potential brands will want to find you. Provide links to all public social media so it’s easy for brands to see the breadth of your reach.
Examples of content. Whatever you do best, make sure to highlight it. Provide links, photos, and stills that capture your content at its best.
Rates and fees. Brands will want to know how much it costs to partner with you. Don’t be coy here. Be explicit about your rates for posts, videos, or stories so brands know what they’re getting into. If you don’t know how much to charge, check out this guide for the Cost of Influencer Marketing.
Contact details. If brands like what they see, they’ll want to get in touch. Make it easy for them by displaying your contact information clearly. Don’t just expect a DM on your social accounts; let brands reach out to you the old-fashioned way by providing a professional email address and phone number where you can talk business.
More Tips and Tricks
A media kit is more than just a document; it’s a snapshot of your brand, audience, and potential. You’ll want to make sure your media kit sings before you start sending it out to brands. Here are some more tips and tricks to make the most out of your media kit:
Be professional. Remember that a media kit acts like a job resume to potential partners. Let your personality shine through, but don’t go crazy. You want it to be organized, legible, and cohesive.
Proofread your work. Typos are the enemy of professional documents, so prove your attention to detail and reliability with a clean copy of your media kit. It doesn’t hurt to have another pair of eyes on it, so enlist a trusted friend or fellow influencer to give it a once-over before you start sending it out to brands.
Use a media kit template. You’re not the first influencer to need a media kit— and fortunately, there are lots of examples online of good media kits to inspire you. Downloading a template saves time and ensures it has all the information it needs.
How to Send Your Media Kit to Brands
You’ve put all this effort into crafting a great media kit—now it’s time to put it to work! If a brand reaches out to you, you can respond to their inquiries with your media kit. It will have all the information you need to start a productive conversation with the brand. If you’re newer to the game and brands don’t have you on their radar yet, you may have to start reaching out to brands yourself. It can be daunting to reach out to a brand that doesn’t know you, but if you don’t already have a relationship with a company, cold emailing may be the best way to get your media kit out there. Find a brand’s contact information on their website or social media and introduce yourself. To make the most out of a cold email or pitch, be sure to personalize your pitch to the brand. What can you do for this brand, and what makes your platform fit for a partnership? Be specific, polite, and concise with your message. Brands can get hundreds of emails daily, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back right away. With enough persistence and a great media kit, you’ll be able to find the right brand partnership or brand ambassadorship for you.