PUBLIC RELATIONS

CJN 277 – Public Relations Frank P. Irizarry ! Media Kit (due date: see syllabus) ! The purpose of this assignment is to help you gain a greater understanding of the organization, conceptualization, content and use of a media kit/press kit. You will be asked to conduct secondary research; primary research is optional but not necessary. ! What is a Media Kit? ! A media kit is a public communication tool used to generate news stories about an organization’s newsworthy initiative, campaign, special event, major announcement news conference, product launch or trade show. It should provide media with research, facts, perspectives and organizational/product historical context. ! What is in a Media Kit? ! Normally, a media kit will consist of a two pocket folder and will include hard copy news releases, media advisories, feature stories, photographs, slides, backgrounders, biographical sketches, fact sheets and position papers. They may also include video and audio content. Media kits should incorporate visually pleasing graphics and text to capture the media’s attention. Media kits should be prepared with the news media in mind. A media kit should have a unified theme, style and message to meet the goal of conveying a unified message. Maintaining consistency throughout the kit, such as using the same fonts, colors and graphic designs in all components, also enhances the opportunity for media coverage. ! What you must produce. ! The following are three options that you will choose from for your media kit assignment:

1. Special-event media kit – would be used to provide explicit details, logistical information and background material. Most of your attention would be focused on the event and less on the organization. You would choose a client and design a special-event media kit for an upcoming event for that client.

2. Promotional media kits – include brochures, advertisements, critic quotes, and third-party reviews. Sometimes, reprinted newspaper articles would be used. You would choose a client and promote an upcoming, product, good, service, event, person, place or thing related to that client.

3. Crisis media kits – provide journalists with up-to-date facts, background data and relevant supplemental information. Would include background

information on the organization, biographical information about key figures involved with the crisis, visual materials. You would choose a client undergoing a crisis situation and produce a crisis media kit in an appropriate fashion. !

All Media Kits Should Conform to the Layout Discussed on Pages 70-73 of the PR Style Guide! ! All media kits must include the following:

1. News release 2. Fact sheet 3. Biographical information sheets – you must have two. At least one

focused on a person in the organization and one focused on someone related to the event, crisis or event promotion.

4. Backgrounder – The backgrounder should be on the organization itself in which you provide a thorough history of your client, including its organizational culture, from its founding until today.

5. Position Paper or Feature Story - Position paper (which would include organizational stance on a relevant economic, political, social, international, regulatory issues and/or policy) OR feature story !

This assignment is due on the date assigned in the syllabus, turned in during class, in hard copy format. !!