How to Create a Blogging Media Kit

Good afternoon!I am currently in Jacksonville spending quality time with my mom, aunt and sister at the Shine Women’s Conference at Celebration Church in Jacksonville. Everything kicked off last night and I’m looking forward to the next two days ahead! I attended last year and can already tell the conference is going to be even bigger and better than ever! This guest post is about how to create a blogging media kit.

Since I’m going to be away from the computer all day today, I asked my wonderful friend Katy to stop by the blog and share an informational guest post all about her specialty: Media Kits. Katy is a wealth of information about anything and everything related to blogging and I cannot tell you how many times Katy and her blog have helped me with blog-related questions and issues. She’s a phenomenal resource and if you’re a blogger, I highly recommend checking out her blog, KatyWidrick.com, if you haven’t already!

And now it’s time to hear from Katy!

Guest Post: Katy Widrick on Blogging Media Kits

Since I launched my blog in 2007, I’ve made a million mistakes. Bad branding (hello, my original URL was SillyTaterTot.blogspot.com), terrible design, poor photography and many, many changes in mission statements — I’ve been through them all. (Thank you, Wayback Machine, for this horrifying blast from the past.)

Not all of those mistakes have been learning opportunities, but I’ve tried, whenever possible, to use my many “what not to do” moments to help other bloggers get it right the first time. And as I’ve taught myself all things blogging, I’ve discovered that there’s one particular topic that I’m not only passionate about — I think I’m uniquely qualified to discuss with bloggers:

BLOGGING MEDIA KITS

You see, by day, I work as a full-time multimedia producer, working with a team to create and distribute several national TV programs, a radio show, a Magazine, a network of websites and social media platforms (including a Facebook page which we’ve grown to 200K fans and counting!). By night, I’m just like some of you: a blogger, hustling for page views and brand ambassadorships and followers.

By day, I’m booking guests. By night, I’m trying to be booked. By day, I’m reading dozens of media kits and pitches. By night, I’m working on my own media kit and pitch strategy.

So, as someone who has seen more terrible media kits and pitches than most, I’m thrilled that Julie has invited me to share with you the top five things I think are most important to your portfolio.

{First, a quick definition: a blogging media kit is a resume for your blog or website; it should include some key metrics, a clear and defined call to action/list of services, and a design that is elegant, simple and matches your website. You can use it when trying to book brand partnerships and advertisers, to pitch yourself as an expert to media sources and to establish yourself as a serious blogger who can offer some great benefits.}

So, what needs to be on your media kit?

1) Contact Information

You would not believe how many media kits I receive that are missing one or more of the following: a web address/link, an email address, a full name. Make it as easy as possible for someone to reach out to you after looking at your media kit! Your full name, website, a brief description of who you are and what your blog is about, some basic analytics and your email address should all be on your one-sheet. Ideally, you’ll also include your cell phone.

2) Descriptions

Who are you? What do you blog about? What’s your perspective/approach/expertise/philosophy? This section can be fairly short, but it needs to include enough information about you and your website to serve as a standalone introduction to someone who may not be familiar with your work. Example:

Katy Widrick is a Television Producer (Growing Bolder) and Social Media Manager who blogs about technology, health and fitness and current events at KatyWidrick.com.

An accomplished speaker, presenter and founder of the #Fitblog Chats on Twitter, Katy is also part of the Google Helpouts team, where she offers consultations on brand building and increasing blog traffic, and a syndicated healthy living blogger for The Huffington Post.

Katy is experienced on camera, appearing as the technology reporter for Growing Bolder on public and commercial television, as well as an accomplished athlete. She is an AFAA-certified group fitness instructor, has completed multiple triathlons, half marathons and other fitness events, and shares helpful guidance for getting started with healthy living goals.

3) Statistics

The most important analytics for bloggers are page views, unique visitors and social followers (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Google +). If you do any email marketing, it’s also good to include your subscription numbers (the number of opt-in email addresses you have on your list). Does that mean that you shouldn’t have a media kit if you don’t have massive amounts of traffic? Or if one network is stronger than the others? Absolutely not! Brands are looking for impact, sure, but engagement and reader loyalty are often as or more important than just big numbers.

4) A Recent Photo (and/or Logo)

I prefer it when I see a photo — a recent, representative one! — on a media kit and not just a logo. Some people blog anonymously, or have built a brand that’s bigger than the name. Either way, having a recognizable and current photo is important.

5) Services/Calls to Action

So many people create media kits that are just resumes — and leave the call to action or request to the cover letter. I think that’s a mistake. You don’t need to get super specific with what you want to do for a particular brand or source, but a basic idea of what you do or can do is appropriate. Are you selling banner ads or sponsored posts? Brand ambassador work? Expert commentary on a topic? Let your recipient know what, exactly, you are aiming for with the media kit (and then use your cover or pitch letter to get into details).

That’s just scratching the surface, but I hope I’ve inspired you to take a look at your own media kit, or to create one today. You can see more posts on my Media Kit Resources page, including a gallery of media kits that other bloggers have created. And if you’d even more help, let me know! I offer blogging and social media consultations and would love to talk to you about your own projects.