Make A Press Kit That Pops

By Carolyn Edlund

Whether you exhibit your work at trade shows, or just want to publicize your collection, you need a press kit that works.

Press Kits at the National Stationery Show in New York

When attending a trade show, it’s an advantage to prepare kits for the Press Room, such as these seen recently at the National Stationery Show in New York.

These small but brightly colored kits grabbed attention

Only about 10% of exhibitors create press kits. Ignoring this potential for publicity in the press is a huge mistake. After all, you pay thousands of dollars for a show booth. Why would you throw this opportunity away?

Press rooms are often crowded with reporters, bloggers and freelancers looking for something exciting to write about, and they look to press kits for inspiration. So, what are they looking for?

Show artwork on the front, and attach a small gift

Beth Dugan of Giftware News says, “What grabs my attention is lots of color and unusual materials. Make your art pop out – it shows what is inside the kit.”

Another freelance reporter busy perusing press kits added that she likes kits that are small and portable, preferably with clear covers. She also likes kits that are easy to open. “Use a bribe,” she suggested, “Even a small piece of candy or pencil, or an invitation to pick up a small gift at your booth. It works.”

Wagging Tail Portraits put together a very appealing press kit that got raves.

Avoid making these mistakes with your press kit:

Too heavy. Nobody likes to drag around a ton of paper. One lovely press kit had a big green bow and beautiful paper, but contained a full catalog inside. It weighed several pounds – and got left behind.

Too plain. Is your press kit inside a brown envelope or solid color folder? Forget it. The press kits that got praised jumped out from the rack. Design Design’s kit gets major points for being simple but effective. It contained one colorful birthday card in a plastic cover, with a CD of their catalog tucked behind, and their booth number prominently written on the front.

Design Design’s press kit is a winner.

Too wordy. Reporters say they want visuals – not thousands of words about you, your company, etc. that they don’t have time to read. Make it short, using bullet points, varied fonts and even story ideas, which tell how your collection can fit into different article topics.

Simple. Portable. Visual. Inviting. This makes a press kit get picked up, and kept. Take a good look at the press kit you’ve been using and make any revisions you need to grab press attention and get publicity.

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