Now, it’s no secret I love a media kit, they are a great tool for bloggers to show off their blog. I also happen to know that they are a big cause for confusion…and sometimes concern for lots of bloggers. I am going to put your mind at ease today so that whether you’ve had a media kit for a long time or are creating one for the first time you can be confident that you’re getting it right.
First things first, What is a Media Kit?
A media kit is a digital document that shows off your blog by presenting key information about it (your blog), you (the blogger), and your audience. It’s derived from Press Kits used by traditional media publications and given to interested advertisers.
Bloggers use them to neatly present all the information a brand might need when putting together a blogger campaign.
Brands use them to understand more about a particular blog, and as a resource when reporting back to their teams internally.
While you don’t have to have a media kit, they allow you to present your very best self on your terms and this makes them a really useful tool and something you want to be really strategic about!
When should you make a media kit?
You can make a media kit from the moment you start a blog if you so wish. If you’re still establishing yourself with less than 3,000 uniques per months on your blog then I would suggest creating some case studies of your own, of how you could work with brands. You could do this either by purchasing a product yourself or by writing about something you already own and use.
This gives you something to show to brands that demonstrates that though your audience is small, they are engage with your blog.
What should your media kit include?
Your media kit should be short and sweet – max 2 pages unless you are a graphic person and are including a lot of images. 3-4 text filled pages is too much.
Include information such as:
- Contact details
- Relevant personal details (eg if you’re a parenting blogger you might include the gender and ages of your children. If you’re a fashion blogger you might include the size you wear…)
- Blog Stats (for a breakdown on what to include see this post about understanding metrics
- Demographic and Geographic data (brands want to know that you have their audience which means, that your readers live in the places they want to reach and are the gender and age that they want to reach).
- Decide what kind of blog activities you are open to – if you only want to do sponsored (paid) campaigns then make that clear. If you’re open to Review and Giveaway, attending events, ambassadorships etc… then include those as options.
- Include links to your social pages
- Include your PO Box (if you have one)
Pro Tips
- Save your media kit as follows “Blog Name, Month, Year”. Brands and Agencies don’t look at media kits just once, they like to keep them on file for future campaigns. Most bloggers save their media kits “Media Kit” which means the brand either has to rename it themselves or they will just get lost. If you can save your media kit in a way that makes it easy for brands then you’ll be standing out from the get go.
- Save and send it as a PDF not a word doc.
- If you want to have your Media Kit designed but don’t want to spend a fortune then have a look at fiverr.com for a designer who can help you.
February 23, 2015
Thanks for the handy info and tips – its something that is on my ‘to do list’ to create! Thanks for giving me some insight and sharing your knowledge 🙂
February 23, 2015
Hi Ashlea, so glad that you found it helpful
February 23, 2015
Hi Ashlea, so glad that you found it helpful!
February 23, 2015
Thanks for the great info! its all very useful for someone new to blogging like myself. I didn’t reallyknow where to start with a media kit!
February 23, 2015
That’s great Luisa! (great name too btw ;))
February 25, 2015
Excellent advice – thank you! I particularly like the file name protocol x
March 5, 2015
Can you recommend a designer on Fiverr?
March 20, 2015
Pinned this for the future. Excellent resource Louisa.
May 31, 2015
Hello Louisa Claire, I just wanted to send you a note to thank you for your fabulous course I completed a few months ago. It took me a month or so to get my Media Kit finalised and I just love it. Thank you for your guidance and suggestions. I now feel confident approaching brands rather than waiting to hear from them…since your course I have found opportunities with two dream companies…Thank you again. X
June 2, 2015
Thank you so much Monique, I am beyond thrilled to hear this and can’t wait to see what comes next for you!!