Press Kits: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

by Debra Osborne, APR

Published in The American Journal of Health Communications, Summer 2000

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with some friends of mine who write for large, respectable news outlets. As we sat on the deck of a local restaurant enjoying a sunny pre-spring day in Atlanta (yes, before allergy season makes us weep), I told them I was working on an article on press kits and asked them what they thought about those they had recently received.

"For the most part, they are a complete and utter waste of an acre of trees," said my friend from a major wire service. "Not to mention useless," agreed my friend from a major newspaper. "I got one that was so bad, there wasn't one grain of practical information I could use. It was a combination of fluff and fiction."

"Oh come on," I replied, feeling the pride of my chosen profession growing. "They're not that bad."

They both laughed and looked at me as if I had absolutely no concept of the poorly written and sorely in need of help, press kits they receive.

"You should see the crap we get. It looks like it's really something from the sales department, full of brochures and four-color glossy fliers," said one.

"Yea, or full of three and four page news releases. When are PR people going to understand that we don't read long news releases? Just give me the facts. I don't have time for anything else."

Right, I thought, as I watched him put his feet up on the chair across from him, lean back, stretch, and fold his arms behind his head basking in the sunshine. Oh yes, he sure is crunched for time today.

The truth was, I did know how ineffective press kits tend to be. As PR professionals continue to move up and take our rightful place at the decision-making table, we have to delegate smaller, yet still important, tasks to others. Some tasks, such as creating or sending out a press kit, tend to get delegated too far down the ladder. I've seen some pretty embarrassing press kits emerge from very powerful PR agencies and well-known healthcare organizations through this route. Now, I'm not talking about a deliberate, mass-mailing of press kits, I'm talking about those one or two individual kits that are created and mailed on the fly - without anyone else looking at them. Those are the ones that can be a huge liability to us all.

The Components of an Effective Press Kit

An effective press kit should give the media all the information they need to write a complete, well-rounded story. While well-rounded doesn't mean you have to talk about competitive programs or agencies; it does mean that the reporter will need more than a release or two.

Pick up today's local newspaper. Most likely, there will be at least one healthcare specific article in it. Read it. Again. If the article is well written (and for the sake of this article, we will assume that it was), it probably touched upon the following issues:

• Announcement of a new medical fact (i.e., new treatment, drug, vaccine, etc.).
• Quote from local physician regarding the new medical fact.
• Statistics from the local health department and/or the CDC on the new medical fact.
• Quote from a patient who will benefit, or has benefited, from the new medical fact.
• Announcement of where concerned citizens can learn more about, or have access to the new medical fact.

Question. Does your current press kit currently contain all the information that's needed to address the issues mentioned above? If so, congratulations, my friends would like to receive a copy of it. If not, it's time to get to work.

What actually goes into your press kit will depend on the type of story you want to result from it. Keeping in mind that yesterday's home and garden reporter is today's medical reporter, it's a good idea to include some very basic information in your press kit.

Back in October of 1997, the Association for the Care of Children's Health, through an educational grant from McNeil Consumer Products Company, launched a nationwide fever education campaign. The C.A.L.M. approach to managing a child's fever sought to teach parents about a new, four-step action: Check the temperature, Assess for other symptoms, Lower the temperature, Monitor child's behavior and temperature. Their comprehensive press kit included the following pieces:

• One page slick on the four steps to children's fever management
• Fact sheet: Fevers
• Fact sheet: Using Children's OTC Medicine Wisely
• Fact sheet: C.A.L.M. Fever Education and Managed Care
• Fact sheet: The History of the Acronym
• Fact sheet: Commonly Asked Questions About Children's Fever
• Fact sheet: A Parents Guide to Being Prepared For a Fever
• Fact sheet: Seven Steps to Effective Communication Between Parents and Healthcare Professionals
• Background information on the Association for the Care of Children's Health
• Background information on the pediatrician, pediatric nurse practitioner, and parent advocate available for interviews
• Proceedings of a roundtable held on the C.A.L.M. approach to children's fever management
• News release announcing the new four-step approach to managing children's fever
• Business card of media contact - with the 24-hr. pager number

All fact sheets were one page, single-sided. The only news release in the kit was two pages, single-sided. The kit was packed with information on a variety of related topics to entice the editor who may not want to cover children's fever management, but may want to cover how people can communicate more effectively with healthcare professionals. It was brilliant in its simplicity, and it worked. Our press kits, even the ones sent on the fly, need to be this complete.

Creating an Attention Grabbing Press Kit, Without a Million Dollar Budget

Yes, the above example did have a very wealthy backer; however, there is no reason why we can't produce an equally effective press kit at a fraction of the cost. If you don't have access to a graphic designer and can't afford to outsource it, you can still send out an attractive press kit that generates immediate attention by utilizing some colorful die-cut folders and special paper.

If your standard folders are a little on the dry side and you want to make this press kit stand out from the rest, simply head over to your local office supply company (or better yet, hop online and save time and money) and check out the large assortment of specialty, die-cut folders available. These look great and can be easily customized through the use of stickers or paper inserts included with the folders.

To jazz up the inside, try using some themed paper that tie-in to the new program or service you are announcing. You may still want to put the release itself on your letterhead, but experiment with putting the fact sheets on themed paper. You can find high quality, yet discounted paper from a paper company such as Paper Direct (www.paperdirect.com). I've used them for years and find their catalogs a great source of creative fodder.

When is a Press Kit Appropriate?

OK, so now we have an informative, attention grabbing press kit. Now what? Do we blanket every media contact we know with it? Only use it on special occasions? How do you know when to use your new press kit? Well, that will depend on who you ask. Personally, I think you should use it all the time. I relate it to using the good china at home. Why have beautiful china if you're only going to use it twice a year? Me, I use my good china all the time. Whether it's friends coming over for a little appetizer, or just a rainy Sunday afternoon and I want an exquisite cup of tea. If you have a great press kit - use it! Here are some times when it would definitely be in your best interest to pull out the good china:

• Introducing a new program or service.
• Communicating a new, complicated service/procedure/treatment.
• Educating a new reporter on your programs and services.
• Anytime you need to share more information than a short news release can provide.

Producing a press kit that demands attention is something we can all do - and benefit from; we just need to pay a little more attention to the smaller details. And, once you're done, please send me a copy. I've got another lunch with my friends coming up and would love to show them what GOOD press kits look like!