Before we get started, please do not think this is about how to create a blog media kit. I have covered that in detail several times on this blog, in our Facebook group, and on Periscope. No more.
It’s time to apply what you know and learn what makes a blogger’s media kit stand out from the others.
Let’s search for the best blogger media kits… to find the ones that say, “I’m not like everyone else. I have my stuff together and THIS is why you should work with me.”
And exactly what does that look like?
The A in Blog Media Kits – Authenticity
If you are creating a blog media kit, you want work with a brand. The first step in developing that partnership is proving you are trustworthy by showing authenticity.
Mission
Trust begins by communicating who you are and what your blog is about. By using your tagline and a short section detailing your story, your media kit can echo the vision present on your blog.
Many bloggers are passionate about certain topics but fail to adequately represent those interests when pitching a brand. Or, the opposite can be true. The blog’s purpose is vague but the media kit communicates a strong idea.
Your passion and your blog’s purpose should maintain consistency across your blog and in your media kit.
Numbers
Another aspect of proving your authenticity is by sharing accurate statistics. If you lie about your blog’s numbers, there are many paid (and some free) services companies can use to find the truth.
Always be honest.
If your blog traffic has recently seen a significant change in traffic, use an average of the past three months. Also, be careful rounding numbers up. Some media kits boast 100,000 page views when they only gain 85,000 page views. The difference might seem insignificant to you but could leave the brand questioning your authenticity.
Focus
Also, if your blog focus does not match the brand you are pitching, the company will immediately step away because your proposal does not come across as authentic.
For instance, let’s say Jane Blogger decides to take her family on a vacation. Her blog is about fashion but she pitches an all-inclusive vacation resort promising to post a review. And where does that fit on her blog?
Instead, Jane Blogger should approach the vacation destination with “casual yet classy fashion tips while on vacation” and pose for pictures featuring the benefits of the resort.
The B in Blog Media Kits – Branding
When you look at a blogger media kit, does it give a sneak peek at the blog’s design? Does it represent the colors? The logo? The style?
Or is it boring?
Have a blah media kit and expect blah results. Your goal is to stand out and not be “just another Jane Blogger.”
Design
Before creating your blog media kit, take a look at your blog. Is your template clean and floral? Contemporary and colorful? Trendy and tonal? The design elements you use to decorate your blog should be the same ones you use in your media kit:
- Place your blog logo at the top of your media kit.
- Embellish blank space with your tagline.
- Use the same colors or patterns.
- Select the same fonts you use on your blog.
- Have the same headshot on your media kit as you do in your sidebar or about page.
Perspective
And not that I like to nitpick but… don’t start every sentence (or ANY sentence for that matter) with the word “I.” Be your business because you are a brand too.
Your media kit is about you and your blog. I understand that. While it is hard to think of yourself in third person, remember you are presenting yourself as a business and not as an individual.
By sending your blog media kit to a company, your goal is to build a professional relationship with a brand. I love this from Brand Meets Blog: “Talk less about YOU and more about them.” Focus on your readers and their needs because that should be: 1) the emphasis of your blog; and 2) a part of why you are pitching a company. Because you want to connect your readers with solutions.
The C in Blog Media Kits – Content
This is where we run into HUGE problems with blog media kits.
As a blogger, your definition of content is closely related to WORDS. However, nothing on a media kit screams, “I’M BORING” like a page of blah, blah, blah… words. So you need to learn to say more with less.
Paragraphs
You can communicate with pictures, design elements, tabbed lists, tables, and graphics. Do not think for a moment that a brand representative is going to read paragraph after paragraph.
Free Blog Media Kit Template
Subscribe and receive the Free Media Kit Template.docx and Blog Media Kit Cheat Sheet.pdf by email.
Brand representatives are not looking for a novel, and I can guarantee you that no one is plodding through blogger media kits for pleasure while sipping tea and thinking, “Oh, I wish these bloggers would tell me a good story!” No… they are looking for someone who will stand out and get to the point because time is valuable.
If you really want a brand to read more, then link to your “about page” from your PDF document. Or, even better, have it linked within the email you send.
Keep your content short and sweet.
Key
But what SHOULD be in your media kit? Which items are the most important?
You might have a different list (and we can debate that in the comments) but I think every blogger media kit MUST include:
- Blog logo – It all goes back to branding.
- Blog’s purpose – What are you trying to accomplish with your blog?
- Your headshot – Make a personal connection.
- About you – Keep it brief. Two to three sentence MAX.
- Numbers – Social media followers and blog traffic.
- Services – Maybe not EVERYTHING but a bulleted list of what you offer to advertisers.
- Your contact information – Your name, location, blog URL, Twitter handle, and email address.
Should you include your prices? Not on the first page. Again… you can debate with me in the comments but I prefer to create a relationship before talking about money. It just feels… icky.
Page one of my media kit is my introduction and page two is for sales. But honestly, I often just send my first page until I am asked for prices or can send a pitch I have personalized for the company.
Format
And please! For the love of blogging… do not send a Word file or an image. In Word, Pages, Publisher… and a gazillion other software variations, you can click to “save as” and find the option to make your blog media kit into a PDF.
