New Year. New Toolkits.
by Christie Ziv
No matter the brand, no matter the project size and scale, creating and maintaining a formalized PR toolkit is a crucial component to executing a successful PR campaign.
A robust PR toolkit will ensure a cohesive story, message, and tone across all communication channels; it can deepen your storytelling, build audience connections, and strengthen your relationships with key tastemakers.
As we dive headfirst into the New Year, there’s no better time to create, revise, or re-evaluate your press materials, with fresh business objectives, communications goals, and new industry trends top-of-mind for all.
So, out with the old (toolkit), in with the new (toolkit). Here’s what you should consider as you build your perfect PR toolkit.
An external-facing PR toolkit should be a robust pre-approved package that can be customized and distributed to your media, influencer, or tastemaker targets within a matter of minutes; a complete toolkit should generally include:
- Pre-approved messaging, including a company boilerplate, Q&As, press releases, and product or service fact sheets
- Supporting multimedia including still & lifestyle photos, logo variants, video, and audio files
- Spokesperson support materials, including bios, headshots, media trainings, templated media briefs, and canned quotes
- Direct links to relevant sites, including company website, social platforms, streamers, etc.
Beyond your external-facing PR toolkit, PR pros should consider creating an additional internal-facing toolkit to have on hand for any last-minute client or spokesperson questions/ requests. That can include:
- Executive or client education briefs, including but not limited to detailed 1-pagers on the current state of the media landscape, industry trends, and realistic media goals & impact
- A pitch calendar outlining angles, timing, and corresponding asset needs
- A crisis communications strategy
Your PR toolkit will be an ever-evolving project, so don’t wait to get started until you have everything tied up in a perfect bow. Start building your kit with the information you have now and revisit it weekly or monthly throughout the course of your project or client timeline to ensure all information is up-to-date and ready to be shared with media and industry professionals in real-time.
Happy Toolkitting!