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The Myth of the Press Kit

Written by: Anthony Mora

Article Overview: Press kits can be seductive. They're attractive and seem impressive, but they can often do you more harm than good.

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The Myth of the Press Kit

The Myth of the Press Kit
By Anthony Mora
Copyright© Anthony Mora 2006

First a quick press kit overview, a press kit generally consists of a two-pocket folder in which you include your press release, fact sheet, and a biography on yourself and your company. You can also include a photo, some graphics, statistics, visuals, a brochure, a sample list of questions, and a Rolodex card. Some companies include buttons, audio tapes, video tapes, booklets, whistles, trinkets, and all sorts of knickknacks. You name it and someone has jammed it into a press kit. There are companies that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on extravagant, expensive press kits.

Trouble is most press kits get tossed in the circular file as soon as they arrive at the editor's or producer's desk. Most don't make it past the secretary. A press kit's travel itinerary generally goes something like this - your office, post office, media outlet office, trash can.

Press kits can cost thousands of dollars, which can translate into a hefty profit for many public relations companies. I'm sure that I'll probably be at odds with most other media relations professionals, but I find most press kits to be a waste of time and money. They're expensive and usually don't do the job they're intended to do. I've found that press kits are generally ego-oriented. People want to make a splash. They want to look good. They want to keep up with the competition. Often the head of a company will see a competitor's press kit and immediately demand that his creative department create one that's glossier, snazzier, and thicker. But the bottom line is, why do you want a press kit?

Press kits can be invaluable when making presentations to clients, or for internal public relations, but think twice before sending them to the media. And never send a press kit out as your first contact. If the media requests to see a press kit, by all means send one. That's when they should be used and can be effective. But, don't send out a hundred press kits at random, don’t send them if they haven’t been requested and never send a press kit to inappropriate media.

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About the Author: Anthony Mora
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Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that focuses in the areas of media relations, image development and media training. Anthony Mora Communications regularly places clients in major media outlets, including Time, Newsweek, Oprah, the New York Times, CNN, the Today Show, the Wall Street Journal and hundreds of other media outlets. Through media placement, you are not presented within the context of an ad or commercial. You're not positioned as an ad but as the news. President and CEO, Anthony Mora, has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, E! Entertainment Television, Entrepreneur, Fox News, MSNBC, and other media. He has written three books, the most the most recent, a how-to on PR called Spin to Win. For further information visit: http://www.topstorypublicrelations.com


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