Creating awareness of your name and book is an essential part of an author’s marketing strategy. A media kit or press kit is the easiest and quickest way to reach anyone from a blogger to a publishing company. It allows you to gather all of your information into one place that can easily be seen and is ready to be distributed when you need it.
There are many ways to build your online media kit. Making it personal to your style is important, but there are some necessities to all media kits.
5 things to include in your media kit:
1. A Creative Bio:
It’s all about the basics here; keep it short and sweet. Make sure to put in something unique about yourself, such as how you came to be a writer or what influences your writing. Add information about yourself that could possibly be used for any media coverage. Include your contact information and social media links so contacts are able to reach out to you.
2. A Quality Photo:
This may seem like a no-brainer, but not having a high-resolution photo could make or break your media kit. A blurry photo doesn’t give your media kit the professional look it should project, making the media think you are unprofessional. While hiring a professional photographer for quality images is recommended, it is not necessary. Just make sure that you use decent high-resolutions images in your media kit. In addition to using the images for your media kit, you can use the images on your social media accounts as well.
3. Your Current Work:
Let people know what you’re working on. Making your writing status known to the public is very important – it’s what a media kit is for. Get people excited for a future project or tell them about your current book on the market. Show your upcoming events, such as book signings, and add links to any recent news coverage about your book.
4. Links to PDF Files:
Allow the viewers of your media kit to reach it easily. Put links on your social media sites or add it to the bottom of an email. It is also important to have the option of your media kit to be printable. If your media kit is not a digital PDF file, create a link to a PDF file so the viewer has the option to either look over your kit online or have it in a tangible form.
5. Your Previous Projects:
If you are building a media kit to show an upcoming book you are writing, add previous work you have already completed. Attach writing samples so viewers can get a sense of your writing style; it’s another way to generate excitement for your new project.
These ideas are some of the basic necessities to an online media kit. Utilizing this form of marketing can only help you get your name out there. But remember to take the time to make it professional, concise and relevant.