Why Every Blogger Needs a Media Kit

A little less than a year ago, I made the decision to start taking my blog more seriously. With that, came the decision to rebrand from Hockey Wife, Hockey Life, to a name that would always fit me: Samantha Angell. In addition to this rebrand, two of the absolutely essential tools I've begun using are a media kit and business cards. A few months ago, I published a post on blog investments you should make, including having business cards. Today, I'm going to talk about why every blogger needs a media kit, and the essential elements of the kit!

What is a media kit? There are tons of different terms for a media kit. Originally, and to this day, a media kit was known as a press kit. However, over time the press kit has evolved as it is mainly used as a tool to speak with various advertising mediums, thus adopting the term media kit. A media kit, or a press kit, is a resume for your company. Similar to how a resume boasts your accomplishments and experience, a media kit will do the exact same thing for your company, all in one professional document. Now that we know exactly what a media kit is, let's take a quick look at why every blogger needs to have a media kit and the benefits of the media kit!

A media kit establishes you as a professional. This is the most important reason to having a media kit. A media kit will establish you as a professional, because companies will recognize the hard work and effort you have put into your media kit. There are so many different necessary elements to include in a media kit (stay tuned for a post later this week on these elements!), but the media kit is the best way to establish yourself and a solid rapport with a potential client. 

In addition to establishing you as a professional, a media kit is the place where you can showcase yourself. No, it isn't bragging, because you are backing it up with statistics and solid information. Take the time to highlight all of your accomplishments, and why every company should be dying to work with you. Maybe it is your impressive site views, or an extensive social media following. A media kit is your place to showcase every single thing that makes you great!

A media kit can answer many questions for companies, all in one document. Sure, it is easy to send out a couple of e-mails to a company. Why not make it easy on both the company and yourself and answer any questions they may have in one fell swoop? Often, the information included in your media kit will answer questions that companies didn't even know they had. This is especially applicable if the person you are pitching is not accustomed to you, your blog (or business!), and the services you are offering. Simply having a media kit will familiarize them with each different aspect included with working with you.

A media kit is meant to differentiate you, and everyone should have a different one. In my opinion, no two media kits should be the same! As a travel blogger, one of the things I can offer companies is social media promotion through the use of various social media sites and great photographs. Because of this, my media kit includes tons of pictures from around the world. However, there are tons of different blogging niches that it may not be applicable to have as many pictures in the media kit. Discover what works best for you and run with that!

A media kit can be a great tool for your (outside) career. I've used my media kit as a tool and way to show off my skills when applying for jobs outside of the blogging world. I've mentioned it before on here, but I am working towards my MBA in International Marketing. Obviously, media kits are huge in the marketing world. However, the knowledge and skills shown in a media kit can be relevant in so many different industries! Marketing, advertising, public relations, sales, management- almost any business-related position will understand what your media kit says about you. If you are in a relevant industry, don't be afraid to use your media kit as a tool and example of your work.

I first created my media kit in December of last year. Prior to then, I had worked with only one or two companies. Since the creation of my media kit, I've noticed how it is infinitely easier to contact companies and pitch them with my ideas. Similar to my previous post on why business cards are absolutely essential, I truly feel that every blogger needs a media kit! Bloggers, have you created a media kit? What do you feel the benefits of a media kit are? P.S.- if you liked this post, please, pin it!