Welcome back to Blogging 101! As promised, here and there I’m going to continue to share some more tips since I had such a great response to my month-long series in 2013 (you can check out parts one, two, three and four, plus all of them here). One thing that was a big learning experience for me but one that I’m so glad I learnt was how to build a solid media kit.
Full disclosure – once I started providing my media kit to prospective partners, the number of opportunities I got went way up. What’s more, having a kit that I was proud of made me feel a lot more empowered to reach out to brands directly.
Like anything else with my blogging journey, this endeavour was largely self-taught; however, my experience working from the other side (in publicity and in marketing) has helped me really hone in on what I want when I’m receiving pitches from bloggers as well. As always, download the full kit that details how to pull together a one-pager and a media kit – to start with though, you’ll need to do some homework regarding the four integral things brands want to know.
Once you’ve gotten the above pulled together, it’s time to tackle the big stuff! Let me just be honest with you – if this is your first time pulling together a media kit, it will take a bit of time. You’ll want to make sure your kit reflects your aesthetic, is organized properly, etc, etc. However, once you have your templates set up (note: save all working files in Photoshop, Pages, etc!) updating your numbers will be a total breeze in the future. I suggest updating monthly – keep in mind how much your following or traffic can jump even with one giveaway or feature!
Download the whole package by clicking on the image below!
{ Resources }
IFB: Bigger, Better, Bolder: Build Your Media Kit
How to Create Your Media Kit
***UPDATE: apparently the link to my Balance 101 package was here, not the Media Kit 101 – I’m so sorry to anyone who went to download the Media Kit 101 package earlier! The right package is now linked – download away and get working on your media kit!
this is something I totally need to work on – thanks for the tips! xo
http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com
You're welcome! Thanks so much for checking it out 🙂
Love so much these kind of educating posts that share experience!!! Thank you so much Alexandra. I have some additional questions but I probably should ask them by email!
xoxo
Kate
OceanWind Blog
Absolutely! Just shoot me an email (in the contact info page) and I'll either answer directly or maybe it would be a good idea for a new 101 post! x
Alexandra, thank you! I had been thinking of pulling together a media kit for a while and this will be so helpful!
Bold Subtlety
You're so welcome! Let me know if you have any other questions ever 🙂
I never thought about putting my pricing in my media kit! I think I'm going to add that in now! Thanks for the tip!
<3
heather
fashionistanygirl.com
No problem girl 🙂
I don't think I'm quite at the point where I need a media kit yet – I'm still too new at this to have the kind of following that I'm sure prospective partners would insist on – but you can bet I'll be coming back to your post here when the time IS right!! Thank you, Alex!!
http://www.StyleIsMyPudding.com
Thanks so much Monika! Even start one now just to have the framework – you'll be surprised by how often you'll need it!
Thanks a lot for your article. This is going to help
Christerline
http://www.lightsfashionbeauty.com
Thanks Christerline! So glad you like it!
Thank you!! Your checklist makes a daunting task seem less daunting! Any advice on knowing how to set prices if you're just starting out?
hammerandheels.blogspot.com
Hi Amanda! There's no set rule for it really, but the way I gauge mine is that I look at what a marketing specialist, brand consultant, etc would charge and figure out an appropriate number based on that – it is a specialized skill and despite how it might feel when we're so absorbed in the blogging community, not everyone has this skill! Whatever you do, don't undersell yourself! Remember that when you're doing brand collaborations you're basically taking on the role of a brand consultant, a writer, a marketing specialist, a photographer, an art director and a coder…there's so much that goes into it!
Thank you so much! I really want to know more about media kits, and anything I'm doing with my blog is 100% self taught, so these types of posts are invaluable.
Is there a certain "time" or number of hits or followers that seems like the right time to start looking at prospective partners and brands?
Something About That
Hey Jackie! I think it can honestly start very close to the beginning – yes, brands want to see some following, but more than anything, I really think they want to see someone who takes their blog seriously and who presents themselves as a tight and focused brand! The only way to feel "ready" for it too is to simply begin – start with smaller boutiques/brands and work up if you're feeling a bit apprehensive!
Absolutely amazing info! Thanks so much for sharing!
Laura
http://www.bundledblog.com
Thank you so much for all the hard work that went into putting this guide together! This is such useful information that I really could have used when I first put mine together, but now I'm definitely going to be doing some tweaking to what I already have! Thanks Alex!
Alexandra, this is fantastic! Thanks so much for putting this and your social media 101 together and sharing! Best, Danny