Go Paperless in PR with Digital Press Kits
Reposted from Globe My Business Community |
As companies put up with technology, many are going paperless. Even promotional materials such as press kits have gone digital. Much like the traditional press kits in paper form, a digital press kit (DPK) is a pre-packaged promotional material about a person, event, product, or service for publicity purposes—only this time, it’s electronic. Recipients are members of the media, including bloggers. For artists, celebrities and personalities—and modern-day businesses—the DPK is their professional resume.
While traditional press kits still exists, Homer Nievera, CEO of content marketing solutions company Heartshaper Asia Inc. says the digital version is becoming the norm. “Especially in the world of PR, wherein green products abound in publicity content and positioning, using flash drives or even email is the environmentally friendly solution to press kits.”
A DPK is the go-to solution for SMEs on a budget for publicity. Nievera says, “A DPK costs much less than [taking out] an ad. Plus, having the amount structured information in a DPK is better compared to loose or little information from a simple interview.”
A digital press kit should have the standard title and body of the write-up, at least one photo with description, attributions and sources of information, and the contact details of the company. But how do you put one together?
- Begin with a standout title. Come up with something that comes across as urgent, unique, or timely.
- Practice the ABCs for the content: Be accurate, brief, and concise. Have all the necessary content and resources, including sources and attributions.
- Always place your company contact details and contact person at the end of the DPK. Include phone numbers and email addresses where your can be reached.
- DPKs usually come in Word or PDF format. “PDF is a safer choice since the text parts are flattened or uneditable,” Nievera explains.
- For photos, JPEG or PNG are recommended. The standard resolution is 2MB. Above the 2MB file size, you run the risks of transmittal failure to the press office due to limited bandwidth.
- Some DPKs usually use videos especially for those intended for online or broadcast purposes. Other companies also give audio or sound bytes as part of their promotional materials.
You have to choose the recipient of your DPKs based on your objective and content; the urgency of the publicity is a primary consideration in terms of choosing who to send your DPK to. However, getting the word out on mainstream media is tougher than through bloggers. Neivera says, “[Cyber press] is highly structured and have stricter rules and guidelines before going to press with their reports. This means that the hierarchy, coupled by the number of articles lined-up, adds to the so-called traffic before anything comes out on media.” Bloggers on the other hand, can publish DPKs faster as they usually only have themselves as writer, editor, and publisher.
The content of your DPK will also dictate your recipients. “Since the cyber press covers a broad range of issues and bloggers specialize on certain topics, that will give you an idea on who to approach for the DPK release,” Nievera explains.
Personalization is key to getting your DPK published. “As much as possible, the release is addressed to a contact person such as the journalist or blogger and not generally addresses as ‘madam’ or ‘sir’”, says Nievera. Make sure the full name of the target recipient is spelled correctly.
Neivera also suggests, having room for a follow up story by attaching additional content on your DPK. “Creating supplementary content that allows journalists or bloggers to contact you to dig deeper gives you the opportunity to get more detailed information.”
A DPK should also be available both online and offline. This allows the media to have access to your story even if they failed to show up on your event.
As a matter of etiquette, gifts or tokens are not readily given to the press or bloggers. “Many however admit that it is the norm given the Filipino’s grateful attitude towards favors asked. Merit still likes in the quality and timeliness of the content contained in the DPK,” Nievera says.
