How to Create Your Media Kit
This is the year you’ve decided to get serious about monetizing your blog. Whether it be for banner ads, video ads, sponsored posts, text links, giveaways, etc, chances are if you’re working with a company, they will want certain information about your blog. What kind of information? Traffic does help, but companies also look at other metrics in mind when deciding on developing a partnership with a blogger. So how do you prepare? With a media kit.
A media kit can be as involved as a slide show presentation with stats on your website, information about your readers, every press mention, and samples of your work, and as simple as a bulleted list of your stats and ad rates. When I first decided to put together a media kit, I prepared a detailed presentation, but found that more often than not it overwhelmed my potential sponsors for things like ads. For the most part I use a simple list of my stats and ad rates along with a few links, and that is sufficient. Either way, it’s important to have these on hand.
So how do you create your own media kit?
Look around at other media kits
The first thing I did was to look around at other people’s media kits to get a feeling about how they were approaching sponsors. How do you do this? Well I reasearced two types of media kits:
- The Big Guns- If you type in Media Kit in Google, you’ll get directly to the pages of some of the most popular kits available on the web. But for more fashion specific results I checked sites like Daily Candy and worked off their style, as one day…one day… I hope to be able to work along those lines!
- Your peers- Not to say you’re not a big gun! But the sponsors who are looking to work with Daily Candy may not be the same ones who are dying to work with you. I usually look around at other blogs to see which ones have their stats listed on their website, and see what kind of information they have available. Usually if a site is big enough and is serious about monetizing, they’ll have an Advertise link on the home page. Sometimes they’ll have the stats and information available there.
Keep your kit handy
From there you’ll get a good idea about what kind of information you need to create a media kit that’s right for you. Even so, here are some tips to help you make your blog more appealing to sponsors:
- Have your kit handy- I use Canned Responses in Gmail with my stats and ad rates to get back to sponsors. Sometimes people ask for types of advertising that doesn’t work with your blog, so it’s not worth it to recreate the wheel and customize every request. If a sponsor sounds legit, and wants more information, you can then tailor your media kit.
- Screen shots- I usually describe in my Canned Response where the ads go, but sometimes people want a visual aid. This can easily be done with a screen shot that clearly points out where their ad will appear on your site. I’ve posted what my old screen shot looked like as an example.
- Presentations- Presentations either in PDF or in Powerpoint look really nice, and you have more control over how it appears when you send it over. I’ve also started using Google Presentations, because it features a sharable link, embedable code, and you can have multiple editors who can modify your kit if you need help. The downside to Google Presentations is being at the mercy of Google… last week they went down, and had to rewrite a proposal from memory to secure a sponsorship. It made my morning crazy.
- Documents- If you need just one pager, using a Word Doc is good, or a one page PDF. If you want to make it available within the general stat count… I would suggest creating a Google Doc, publish it so it’s available on the web, and place the link in your stat count in Canned Responses.
- Create and ‘Advertise’ Page on your website: If you don’t feel comfortable placing your stats on your site, a short summary of what your site can do for sponsors, perhaps links to a press page (for all your mentions), and some of the past campaigns you’ve worked on, is all valuable information. If you do feel comfortable placing your stats, go ahead, that has made a big difference for me in separating the serious people from the not so serious ones.
- Keep your kit handy, but don’t automate everything! Grechen’s Closet says “I definitely wouldn’t recommend adding a shopping cart where advertisers can purchase ads without even talking to you…a personal relationship is very important with advertisers, especially if you want them to stick around for more than just one term…”
While you’re creating your media kit, it’s probably also important do develop your advertising policy.
Did I cover everything? Am I missing something…how have you created your media kit?
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Great tips, there is so much to know / do, i love these IFB posts that sort of boil it down and point you in the right direction! Thanks
IdStyle´s last blog ..Fashion Dare: Winter White
I am not planning to monetise my blog just now but I found this article very useful. It is important to have the information from the very beginning as it helps you to stay focused.
Thanks again!
Thank you for the tips! It’s definitely something to think about for the future and it’s good to know how to do it in a professional consistent manner. I love IFB!
That’s brilliant.
I have an advertise page at the moment, but when I’m approached I’m currently customising my responses individually. I’ve been thinking about putting together a proper media kit and this is really good timing!
Thanks
Retro Chick´s last blog ..Retro Chick Style Icon – Poirot
Very useful indeed. My old media kit is absolutely hopeless beyond belief and way out of date. Today I was thinking I must do, particularly as we’re getting new software to geotarget etc. This has been a great help – thanks Jennine. Nicola
oh yes, I think Client testimonials help a lot in media packs too. Always ask permission, and give their company name and position of person giving testimonial – this will gain trust it isn’t made up!
You don’t want to be TOO much like Daily Candy now. They’re closing editions. Be like Daily Candy in the past where the founder sold at the right time.
WendyB´s last blog ..Characters Welcome, Fortunately for Us
^ very true!
meg, reckless daughter´s last blog ..red legs
Truthfully I hadn’t even considered doing a media kit, but this post provided all sorts of advice to help me get started! Terrific tips.
lisa´s last blog ..January Sale Round-Up
This is so helpful and came to me right in time. Just last night I was searching for this info.
Thank you so much.
Ambar´s last blog ..Also… A Few New Things Around Here
Awesome article, Jennine. Thanks for sharing! x
Little Miss Makeup´s last blog ..What’s your New Year’s resolution? Complexion perfection?
Don’t think I’m quite there yet – but this is some great info to get started on! I had thought about it briefly and was so overwhelmed and clueless about it all! Thanks for the great tips
Phyllis´s last blog ..CdG inspired skirt
This is awesome info. I want to do one of these for my blog. Good things to start with.
thefatandskinny´s last blog ..Betsey Johnson Spring 2010 Fashion Show
This was really helpful! Thanks
As my site is a community based wiki, advertising is not something I want to consider until hosting is too expensive. Nonetheless I have other blogs that this would be helpful for 
Madeline Veenstra´s last blog ..Kristen Stewart
thanx 4 da good/sound info u give out on ifb,priceless 2 newcomers…
Thanks for such a comprehensive article – v. helpful! Please keep them coming because they’re much appreciated and extremely useful. This came right on time for me.
want to ask u, are the people have to join IFB to get the badge in their blog?
wholzy´s last blog ..Sequinned things
this is GREAT for getting into event etc locally! I am getting on it right now!
Fi Figueroa´s last blog ..And the winner of the PREVIOUSLY OWNED giveaway is?
Great article! I had not heard of Google canned responses – something I will definitely check out as it gets old typing the same response over and over! I have found it to be helpful to have a media kit on hand so you don’t have to gather stats, etc. when someone needs the info.
Andrea´s last blog ..Nail Trends: Nail Art by Minx
THIS CAME RIGHT TIME TO MY INBOX BECAUSE, I HAD STARTED LOOKING AT HOW TO CREATE ONE.
Do you recommend including or not including prices on your advertise page? (and why?)
I just love this post!
IFB does not fail to provide super helpful advice!…what a great place to find great information, love this site.
I absolutely love you for putting this post together! I have been contemplating putting a media kit together for Cafe Fashionista but had absolutely no idea where to start! Thank you so much!!
Cafe Fashionista´s last blog ..Why Don’t You…?
Can anyone share your thoughts on how much you are charging for your services? I like to host giveaways and wonder if you all charge to host a giveaway. If so how much? I’m kinda…clueless. I’ve been a celebrity stylist for many years and have my styling rates but just been guessing on what to charge for other blog services. Thanks so much and thanks for starting this discussion!
Bree´s last blog ..Are Fashion Bloggers taking over the world?
Brilliant post!
Style Revolution´s last blog ..I Confess.. I’m A Baghag
Thank you so much I’ve been searching for ways to start one, but still I had no idea what program to useDo I make it a web page, a page within my blog, or just like a resume??? I’m so lost.
TheChickenista´s last blog ..The International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome
I swear this is sooo helpful!! Thank you so much. I have been working on our media kit and this is just like a gift!
Michelle Ruiz´s last blog ..Highly Adorable Handbag