Blogger Media Kits 101: What’s a Media Kit, Why You Need One, and What to Include

Every single blog conference will bring them up in one session or another. Every professional blogger will say you need one. What's this mysterious “thing” that keeps coming up in blog discussions again and again?

The media kit.

Last week, the self-paced version of my media kit creation e-course Media Kit Smash went on sale.

But I heard a few rumblings like “Whoa, back up! WHY do I need a media kit in the first place?”

And backing up even more…

“What IS a media kit?”

You need the answer to those two questions for you to jump up and say “Golly gee, I DO need a media kit!” (Though I doubt you're literally jumping and I sure hope you aren't stuck in a black-and-white sitcom saying “Golly gee.”)

So let's start with the what then head to the why. Plus, I'll show you the basics of what you need to include in a media kit.

What's a Media Kit?

Traditionally a media kit is used by brands or publishers. For brands, a media kit (or often called a press kit) is a succinct little package to tell the media what they're all about. For publishers, it's a way to give potential advertisers a look at their publication, advertising rates, and ad specs.

For bloggers, a media kit is like a cross between the two. Think of a blogger media kit like a resume: it's your way to highlight your blog, your audience, your accomplishments, and your offerings to a potential advertiser or partner.

The most important thing about your media kit is to BE RELEVANT to brands by telling them what's in it for them. Meaning, WHY should they partner with you? What do you bring to the table? You showcase that in various ways throughout your media kit.

Why Do You Need a Media Kit?

So now that you know WHAT one is, why do you need one?

A media kit shows you're serious about your blog. And looking serious, polished, and professional can lead to better brand partnerships which means more money for you! Not to mention more exciting work!

You don't need to sit around twiddling your thumbs waiting to give someone your media kit. Try these proactive approaches to getting your media kit in the hands of potential advertisers or partners:

• Respond to brands who reach out to you: Bloggers often get pitches from brands via email, so send them back a reply and attach your media kit. Brands don't always ask for a media kit first, but wowza what a first impression to send them something polished and professional!
• Pitch brands via email: Send a short pitch to someone you want to work with and introduce them to your blog with your media kit. While you want to keep the email short, be sure to say something more than just “see my media kit.”
• Invite brands to request one: On your PR/Advertising page, encourage brands to contact you and request a media kit.
• Take them to conferences: Print your media kit out and hand them out to brands you really connect with. Do NOT pass your media kit around like a flyer! But if you still down and chat with a brand representative for a bit and you think there's potential for work, by all means hand them your media kit along with a business card. In Media Kit Smash, students get a one-page template as well as the regular-sized template. Shorter ones are perfect for conferences!

What Do You Include in Your Media Kit?

In the media kit e-course, we go through all of this in super detail – including how many pages to make your media kit and what to put on each page! But here's a simple list to give you an idea:

• Logo or Header: Depending on your media kit layout you could either use just a logo or go bigger with a header
• About Your Blog section: Tell potential advertisers what your blog about. The key here is to present it in a way that focuses on who your audience is.
• Bio and Headshot: Who are you as it relates to your blog? Tell them!
• Stats: The social media and blog stats you'd like to share (the e-course covers which ones should always be shared, even if your numbers are low)
• Description of Your Audience: Tell advertisers who your audience is. This is why they want to work with you… to reach your readers, so give them a clear picture!
• A Glimpse of Your Blog Content: Share popular posts or highlight a regular series.
• Partnership Opportunities: What do you offer (reviews, sponsored posts, advertising, etc)? Let them know and, again, present this in a way that focuses on the brand, not you.
• Testimonials: Sprinkle your media kit with testimonials either from past advertisers, readers, or both!
• Contact Information: Don't wrap up a media kit without a way to reach you!

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Ready to Start Making Your Media Kit?

I'm not going to sugar coat this: it's a heck of a lot of work to put together a media kit. But when it's done you'll not only have an amazing presentation of all that you offer brands, you'll also have a solid, crystal-clear picture of your blog's purpose and audience.