How To Make A Killer Media Kit + Free Media Kit Checklist!
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
So you've been blogging for a few months now, and you want to get yourself out there! Before you start pitching to brands, you'll need a media kit. I have recently made my media kit and through trial and error, have created one that I love! Here is how you can make one too!
What is a media kit?
A media kit is a document that you present to a brand which tells them all about who you are, what you do and your statistics. It is essentially a CV for a blogger on why a brand or business should choose you to work with. They are handy things to have at hand and fire off along with an email.
Why do I need one?
You don't entirely need a media kit, but they are extremely helpful when you're trying to pitch to a business. 9 times out of 10, you will be asked for a media kit from a brand. You need a media kit to tell a business who you are, what you do and what sort of audience/statistics you have. If you don't believe me, here is a guest post that is written by a PR representative! It goes into detail on what PRs are looking for in a blogger and how to gain their interest!
What to include
A media kit includes quite a bit of information. I have seen lots of different media kits. Some were on one page while others spanned across 5! It depends on what you'd like to include, but the basic things you should include are:
- An introduction to yourself & your blog
- An image of yourself
- You social & blog statistics
- Your contact information
There are other things you can add to your media kit too. Don't feel like you have to add all of these, but some of them may be helpful. If you want to make your media kit a bit longer and explain more about your services, you can include:
- A list of the services you offer
- The price you charge for services
- Testimonial of work you've previously done
- Audience demographics e.g location, age range etc.
- Topics you blog about & your most popular posts
How to create a media kit
1) Picking the tool
The first step to making a media kit is deciding where you want to create it. I personally recommend Canva because there are lots of pre-made templates available for use. It is also really easy to create your own template and use the site. Other websites you could use is Photoshop, Picmonkey, Fotor & Snappa.
2) Creating a template
The next stage to creating your media kit is filling in the template or creating your own. Filling in the template may be the easiest thing to do if this is your first media kit. It provides a lot of the things you need, and it is to add other pages & sections. If you're making your own, there are lots of media kit ideas on Pinterest. Make sure that everything is spelt correctly and looks professional.
To make up your own template, I would follow a few steps to make it personalised to you and your blog. Firstly, pick out a few colours that match your colour scheme. You'll want to make sure that everything flows so try and make sure the colours go together.
Next, decide on whether you want to make it funky, elegant or otherwise. There are lots of different looks you could give your media kit. I'd recommend looking over some templates and seeing what catches your eye. You can recreate it, adding in your own elements to make it personalised. I would recommend having a cover page with your photo and blog name on, and at least 1 or 2 other pages after this. Once you are happy with your background, you can add in text boxes and begin writing!
3) Filling in the blanks
Whether you make your own or use a template, the last step is filling in your details. Try and make the kit like a story where the sections are almost in order. You want to put your about me at the start and your pricing/services at the end. Use a few fonts and make sure they are easy to read. Put titles in bold or underline them and resize the font accordingly. Easy stuff! Make sure there isn't too much writing. Your media kit maybe 5 pages long, but it isn't an essay. Think like a CV and include bullet points. Brands can get 1000s of these kits. You want to make yours stand out and be easy to read WHILE including all the information you need.
That is about all there is to make a media kit! Make sure that you save and download your file. You also need to constantly update your media kit as you grow. Stats can change quickly, so keep it up to date! The best way to know if you have included everything is to use my handy checklist. You can download and keep this for your media kit!
What if I have low stats?
Don't worry! Nobody is going to start off with 1 million readers, a massive mailing list and a dedicated following. These things take time. If you want to make a media kit stand out more, use your engagement rather than your following. You may still be asked by the brand to share your social media following, but it is worth a shot! Clearly state that these AREN'T your following. You shouldn't be misleading brands. Some of the little swaps you can make are:
- Google analytics ~ monthly sessions
- Pinterest ~ impressions/monthly viewers
- Twitter ~ Monthly impressions/profile visits
- Instagram ~ Average impressions per post
- Youtube - Video views
How do I use a media kit?
Now you have your media kit, you may be wondering what to do with it. It is now time to pitch to brands or have the template at hand if they come to you. You can also find opportunities on Twitter under hashtags like # Bloggerswanted or # Bloggersrequired. If this is the case, use the email on the tweet, write a good email and attach the media kit! To use your media kit, simply attach it to any email you may be sending! It is that simple, and yet a media kit is so professional and effective! For guidance on pitching, I have a whole post on brand pitching!
I hope this post helps you understand media kits a little bit more and helps you to make one! I am happy to make media kits for anyone in need. Just pop me a little email, and I will be happy to help! Did you find it hard to make a media kit? If you have any tips, leave them in the comments below!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and purchase a product, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you! Please read my disclaimers page for more information.
26 comments
As a PR practitioner, I agree that having a media kit is helpful for PRs in evaluating an influencer / blogger. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteThat is good to know! Thank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
Great posts, I love this posts thank you so much for sharing this. This is just what I need
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
Great tips! I haven't updated my media kit for ages but I definitely need to asap!
ReplyDeleteIt is a useful thing to keep updated! Thank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
I've been delaying putting my media kit together as I never feel like my stats are good enough for someone to want to work with me! But I think that it's probably about time to put myself out there and I love your tips, Em, especially on how to utilise other areas where you may be stronger!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Claire | Short Girl Walking x
You'll never know if you never try! You'd be surprised, especially if you play your strong suits to them. Sell yourself to them :) Thank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
I have a one-page media kit that I made in Canva a while ago and it's really quick and easy to update. That's a really good tip about using impressions when you're starting out though! Lisa x
ReplyDeleteMine is 2 pages long - a cover and a stats page. It is super quick to update and I love it! Thank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
Great info! I have been meaning to make mine for quite some time.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
I have so many ideas for my media kit but still haven't got around to making one! Would you say it's worth doing if your blog isn't monetised yet?
ReplyDeleteMB | http://www.megbeth.travel.blog
Defo! It is good to have one ready just incase. I already started working the brands before I had advertising and sponsored posts coming it. You never know when you may need one!
DeleteEm x
Wow! This is seriously the blog post I've been needing. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteAw, I am glad I could help. Thank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
Thanks for sharing, I have something simular called a pitch pack which is has been helpful for me, plus it does all the work for me :)
ReplyDeleteNic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes
That sounds really cool! What does it do differently? Thank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
Amazing post! Thank you for sharing this! It is very useful!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading!
DeleteEm x
Okay this is super useful for me! I'm still trying to learn as much as I can to help with my blog, and I have to admit I didn't know a lot about media kits/what was needed. I really appreciate this post though so thank you xx
ReplyDeleteReally helpful information. A media kit is something I need to work on, so this is going to make the process a lot easier.
ReplyDeletevery informative post, will try to implement, I also like the feel of your blog.
ReplyDeleteThis was really helpful. We're new bloggers and will definitely be using your tips! Thanks for sharing such practical info :)
ReplyDeleteWow.Such a detailed information you have here
ReplyDeleteI used canva for a template for my media kit, the basics you covered here are great pieces of information to add. As for following and engagement stats you have offered to add in is a great idea and what I will be adding in to my own media kit when I update it at the end of the month. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete