How to Create a Media Kit: The Dos and Don’ts

One of the most exciting things about being a blogger (for me, at least) is brand collaborations.

I remember getting the email about my first Sponsored post opportunity, and I was psyched! Getting paid to blog is literally my dream come true. Probably yours, too, right?

Once you start working with brands, something that’s super important to have ready and keep updated is your media kit.

A media kit is basically your blogging resume. It has all kinds of info on it about your blog, site statistics, follower count, a bio and more!

I wanted to talk about what to include on your media kit, and a few things you should leave out (and why!).

DO I NEED ONE?

If your blog is a hobby and you’re not concerned with making an income with it, you probably don’t need one.

But if you’re taking your blog seriously as a potential money-maker, you definitely need to have a media kit prepared.

This is such an easy way to show brands what you’re about, what kind of audience you’re reaching, and the types of services you offer.

You could probably list out all of your stats to a brand, but this is a much more professional and cohesive way to showcase yourself and your page.

Having a media kit makes you look put together. Plus, if you’re pitching brands yourself, this is sooo helpful.

I’m pretty sure just my inclusion of a media kit when I’m trying to work with a brand is part of why they consider me. I come prepared and can back up myself up with my site stats.

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Your Branding. You want your media kit to match the style of your blog and your brand. Use the same colors and fonts to convey consistency. Be sure to include your logo.

Have you noticed I talk a lot about consistency?? It’s because it’s SO important to be consistent with your theme and branding! Otherwise you just look unorganized, and I don’t want that for you!

Even as a new blogger, consistency is something you can master. It’s very simple.

Anyway, back to what to include.

Your bio. You can cover things like where you’re from, a bit of your background, and what the mission of your blog is. Avoid getting TOO personal, remember this is a professional showcase of your work so keep it to on the professional side. I think it’s a nice touch to include a professional photo of you as well so it makes it more personable.

A blog bio. What is your blog about? What topics do you cover? Why is that meaningful to you? What do you hope to accomplish by sharing these posts? You can also mention WHO your target audience is. Millenials? College students? Young women? Fashion lovers? Book worms? Who are you writing for.

Statistics. The ones I recommend are:

• Average monthly page views
• Gender demographics (what % of men and women view your site)
• Location demographics (the top 3 countries/areas your traffic comes from)
• Engagement percentages (if they’re high, 7% and above. This can be HUGE for getting deals, even with a small following! Brands want a highly engaged following.)
• Your biggest followings (your email list, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc). A good rule of thumb with this one is to leave out the accounts that are way lower than the others. I have WAY less twitter followers than any other account as I don’t really use it, so I leave that one off because it would look weird. We’re highlighting strengths here people!

You should also include your usernames so that the brands can check out your pages. This is another reason consistency and branding is so important!! When brands view all of your different social media accounts, you want them to get the same vibe from all of them.

Your services. Let them know what you’re willing to do. This can be things like sponsored posts, Instagram posts, Twitter posts, Instagram stories, email campaigns, hosting events, giveaways, etc.

Your past/current clients. In this case, name dropping is a GOOD thing! Name other brands you’ve worked with before. If you haven’t had any sponsored posts yet, list companies you’re affiliated with. Most companies have to approve affiliates, so this still adds credibility to you.

Your contact info. Duh, right? They need to be able to get in touch with you! List your email at minimum. I personally list my phone number and my blog link just to cover all bases. Some people choose to add their address to show location. Include what you feel comfortable with.

OPTIONAL: You can include some extras like graphs, goals for your blog, and/or reviews from previous opportunities to highlight how lovely you are to work with.

WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE

Unprofessional speech. Spell check everything twice, don’t share anything overly personal, and don’t curse. All probably common sense, but I have to cover them!

A PRICING SHEET!!! Yes, bold, underline, and italics are necessary. Because this is the biggest thing you should never ever include in a media kit.

“But why Dani?” you may ask. Well, my lovely friend, I will tell you.

Because once you show them what your pricing is, you throw all room for negotiation out the window. You give yourself no wiggle room by listing things out. You CAN give a range, if you’re more comfortable with that. But don’t just give away your hand up front!

If someone is considering working with you, they have a budget that they’ve allotted to work with influencers. So don’t sell yourself short.

If you have ZERO idea what you should be charging to write/post/tweet/whatever, a solid place to start is with socialbluebook.com. You link your social media and google analytics and they will give you a range for what your posts are worth across the general market.

Of course, this is just a recommendation and doesn’t include all factors, but it is a really helpful place to start if you have no idea what to charge. And it helps you avoid being underpaid!

I wanted to help you get a head start, so you can download 3 free customizable media kit templates to get started!!

If you need any help getting off the ground, let me know!! Get access to 3 FREE Media Kit templates below to start designing your own media kit and grow your business!

XO,

Dani