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Media Kit
Checklist
In my business, I’ve
come across a few great media kits--and dozens, maybe hundreds,
of so-so ones. It’s often puzzled me why a publishing company
can have compelling magazines, reader-friendly Web sites and even
a sharp sales operation--and then undercut the whole image with
a package of flabby statistics, dull visuals and overwritten language.
Then, watching the
Food Channel the other day, it occurred to me: Putting together
a terrific media kit is a bit like putting together a terrific
sauce. Everyone might know what’s supposed to be in it,
but it’s in the details—and in the preparation—that
something so-so becomes something sensational.
So here are my favorite
tips for creating top-flight media kits. Ask yourself the following
questions and see how your own kit measures up.
1.
Does it sell? That may seem obvious, but you’d
be surprised how many sales operations seem to forget that media
kits are written for advertisers, not readers. A fact-based media
kit--filled with laundry lists of rates, editorial descriptions,
advertisers and announcements--performs only half the job. For
the complete job, media kits must be benefit-based, with every
fact, figure and description couched in terms of sales. To see
how yours performs, pretend you’re a prospect checking out
your media kit for the first time. Ask yourself, "What’s
in it for me?" If the answer isn’t obvious on every
page, your media kit isn’t selling.
2.
Does it tell a story? Ask any teacher: Nobody truly learns
by memorizing a list. For real learning to take place, kids need
to hear facts in the context of who did what, when, where and
why. Naturally, the same applies to advertisers scanning your
media kit. Tempting as it is to "let the facts speak for
themselves," the truth is that nobody will read your media
kit—much less want to buy from it—unless they find
your "story" compelling.
3.
Does it position your publication? Remember: Your advertisers
are reading everyone else’s media kit as well as your own.
Make sure each page offers prospects a reason why your magazine
is special, unique and different. Your editorial claims, circulation
figures, reader demographics--all the sections in your media kit--must
demonstrate how your publication claims a spot in the reader’s
heart reserved for no one else in the marketplace.
4.
Does it answer objections? Many publishers think of media
kits as rah-rah tools, something devised to get advertisers to
rally around the flag. Advertisers, however, aren’t quite
so easily taken in. Particularly if they’ve never advertised
with you, most will have serious reservations about why they should
be shifting their limited marketing funds into your publication.
To head off doubts, make sure your media kit addresses such specific
concerns as return on investment, competitive rates, circulation
changes, newsstand sales—anything that might keep a prospect
up at night. The more objections you head off in your media kit,
the fewer you’ll have to contend with during the sales meeting.
5.
Does it have compelling visuals? By that I don’t
mean pleasing design or beautiful photographs, although those
are naturally important. What I mean is this: Do your charts and
graphs make it easy for advertisers to grasp the benefits—not
just the facts--of your publication? Do your visual images convey
the mood and buying habits of your reader? Do your photographs
reinforce your sales story, not merely illustrate it? Will a look
at your cover—front or back—encourage your advertiser
to open up your package, or to toss it?
6.
Is it complete? I’m always surprised at how many
media kits seem constructed with the notion that less is more.
Leaving certain items out of your media kit—a reader survey,
a circulation breakdown, a testimonial—can be like leaving
the garlic out of your spaghetti sauce. Naturally, you don’t
want to overwhelm your audience with too much, but—whether
we’re talking media kits or meatballs--it’s important
to create as rich and meaty a package as possible. And it’s
also important to make sure that each media-kit ingredient blends
well with others, both in design, in tone and, most importantly,
in sales message.
Keep in mind that your
media kit should be a feast for advertisers, and that you need
all the ingredients on hand for making it happen. If you think
your own kit needs to be more appetizing, contact me and we can
tweak it together.
Helen Berman
For Print, Internet and Exhibition Sales
The Helen Berman Corporation
15332 Antioch St. #164
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Phone: 310-230-3899
Fax: 310-861-0661
Website: www.helenberman.com
Email: hberman@helenberman.com
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