What a Media Kit Is — and Why Twin Cities Businesses Can't Afford to Skip It

A media kit is a curated package of materials — your company overview, team bios, press releases, product information, and brand assets — that gives journalists and partners everything they need to cover your business accurately. Here's one number that makes the case clearly: the Public Relations Society of America found that 75% of journalists use media kits when researching stories, and businesses without one risk losing coverage opportunities to competitors who came prepared.

For small businesses in the Greater Stillwater area, where local media covers everything from new Chamber members to community milestones, a well-organized media kit makes your story easy to tell.

Earned Coverage Is More Valuable Than Paid Advertising

Most business owners think of media exposure as something you buy. The reality is more useful than that. Mailchimp explains how a press kit helps define your brand story for press while facilitating media relationships and attracting potential investors — and because public relations focuses on earned media (coverage you didn't pay to place), your business doesn't need a large ad budget to compete.

While limited marketing budgets and reduced access to high-profile media are real constraints, press kits and earned media strategies let you reach journalists without ad spend — the kind of organic visibility that compounds over time.

What Goes in a Media Kit

The University of Arkansas's public relations curriculum outlines what media kits must include: high-resolution photographs, brand logos, fact sheets, infographics, biographies, and testimonials — not just a company description. That list matters because journalists writing a feature story need more than words. They need assets.

Here's the full checklist:

• Company overview: A concise description of what your business does, who you serve, and what makes you different. This is your story, told on your terms.

• Executive and team bios: Short, professional bios for key leaders. Journalists writing about your company need context on the people behind it.

• Recent press releases: Three to five recent releases show journalists that others have found your business newsworthy. Past coverage builds credibility for future coverage.

• Product and service information: Clear descriptions, relevant details, and any case studies or testimonials that illustrate results.

• Media coverage clippings: Links or PDFs of positive coverage from newspapers, blogs, or trade publications — social proof for anyone evaluating whether your story is worth telling.

• Contact information: A direct name, phone number, and email for media inquiries. Not a generic contact form. Make it frictionless to reach the right person.

Bottom line: A media kit isn't a nice-to-have. It's the package that turns a journalist's interest into an actual story.

Organizing Your Kit for Professional Impact

Presentation signals credibility. If you're distributing your media kit as a PDF — a practical format for emailed pitches and event handouts — adding page numbers makes it significantly easier for journalists and stakeholders to reference specific sections. Simply upload your PDF file to an online PDF tool, select the position and style of the page numbers, and apply the changes. You can check this out as a browser-based option that works without software installation. It's a small detail that communicates professionalism before anyone reads a single word.

Why Your Kit Also Belongs Online

A PDF is useful, but hosting your media kit online gives you a compounding advantage. PR firm 5WPR notes that media kits on online newsrooms are easy to update, more user-friendly, and boost press visibility online through search engine indexing — a built-in SEO benefit that static PDFs can't match.

Studies also show that 70% of journalists prefer to find company information independently rather than wait for email responses. An online media page makes that possible at any hour of the day. An emailed PDF and a live online newsroom aren't either-or choices — the strongest kits use both.

Keep It Current

One often-skipped step: updating. The Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches recommends refreshing your media kit every quarter — or immediately after major milestones like leadership changes or award recognition — so journalists and partners always have accurate, current information.

For businesses in the Stillwater area, that means updating after a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a significant expansion, or any seasonal event worth promoting. Stale logos and outdated team bios undermine the kit's entire purpose.

Making the Most of Chamber Resources

Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce members already have resources that feed directly into a strong media kit. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies come with a professional photographer, a press release, and media outreach — exactly the kind of coverage clippings your kit needs. The monthly ChamberNews newsletter and the Chamber's searchable online business directory provide additional visibility you can reference and link to when building your online media page.

A media kit is how you make all of that activity useful to the journalists and partners who might amplify it. Build it once, keep it updated, and make it easy to find — and when a journalist comes looking, you'll be ready.