By Barbara A. Tyler
When targeting markets for your queries, do you review their media kits?
You should.
Magazines spend time and money defining their audiences and creating a package to attract advertisers. With a little know-how, you can put that research to use and sell your ideas.
To get started, find the “media kit” link on your target market’s website. Most of the time you’ll spot one right away–after all, the magazines want it to be easy for advertisers to find it. If you come up empty on the main page, look under “Advertising,” or less frequently, in “Contact Us.” You can also type the name of the magazine and the words “media kit” (with quotes) into a search engine.
Once you have the kit in front of you, examine these three features before you write your query:
1. MISSION STATEMENT (a.k.a. “Positioning statement”)
What it is: A brief statement that defines the style and tone of the magazine. Editors use the mission statement to keep the editorial focused.
How to use it: Tailor your query to fit their mission.
Consider the opening line from the mission statement for Ladies’ Home Journal: “Ladies’ Home Journal is for women who recognize the importance of taking time for themselves.” Now, compare it to the opening line of Family Circle’s mission statement: “Family Circle celebrates today’s family and champions the women at its center.”
Though both magazines serve women with families, each wants a slightly different spin on the material they publish. For example, your pitch about a spa getaway would be better received at Ladies’ Home Journal, while a query about a round-up of historic destinations for families is better suited for Family Circle.
2. DEMOGRAPHICS (a.k.a. “Audience”)
What it is: A snapshot of the magazine’s readers.
How to use it: Slant your query to match the audience.
A publication’s demographics might pinpoint the basics about their audience. You’ll find Taste of Home’s audience defined in terms of age, marital status, college education, employment, etc. Other publications provide much more detail. For example, The Onion knows 52% of their readers drank beer in the last seven days, and roughly a third of them plan to buy a new computer in the next year.
Let’s say you have a fantastic snack recipe. If the magazine has a large percentage of readers with school-aged children, you might pitch your idea as “Easy Afterschool Snacks.” On the flip side, if your target publication has a readership made up of single women with high-powered jobs, you’d pitch “Quick Snacks to Go.”
3. EDITORIAL CALENDAR
What it is: A monthly breakdown of upcoming features and themes.
How to use it: Pitch them what they want AND need.
The editorial calendar is the freelance writer’s crystal ball when it comes to writing pitches. It tells you what the editor needs and when he plans to use it. A quick scan of Reader’s Digest’s editorial calendar shows planned issues about brain power, food, and miracles.
Queries fitting those themes w
Book Publicity — How to Create an Online Media Kit
By Dana Lynn SmithIn your author and book publicity efforts, it's critical to make it easy for journalists, talk show producers and other influencers to quickly find everything they need to know about you and your book. One of the best ways to do that is to create a page for the media on your website and blog.
Online author and book publicity pages are called by several names, including media room, media kit, press room or press kit, or they are simply labeled as Media or Press on the site's navigation menu. On some sites, the media page is accessed through a link from the About page of the site. Whatever you call your book publicity page, just make sure it's clearly marked and easy to find from any page on your site.
Remember, your media page isn't just for the media – it's a great place to showcase your credentials and biographic information for a variety of author and book publicity purposes. For example, you can link to your media page when introducing yourself to bloggers, potential clients and potential partners.
Here are some of the most important elements to include on your book publicity page:
• About the Author – You might create two bios, a short one of about three sentences (imagine a radio announcer introducing you) and another bio about half a page long.
• About the Book – Summary of your book, written in a news style without marketing hype.
• Praise/Endorsements/Reviews – Feature any celebrity quotes prominently.
• Awards – Book awards and awards received by the author.
• Author Photos – High resolution version for print and low resolution for online use. Include a caption beneath your photo listing your credentials or author tagline. See this article for tips about creating your
author photo.
• Book Covers – High resolution for print and low resolution for online use.
• Contact Information – Make this easy to find, include email address, phone number, and address if applicable. See
these tips (link didn't work) for protecting your email address online.
Other elements commonly found on author and book publicity pages include:
• Complete Press Kit – One page or document containing all of your media information in one place.
• In the Media – Provide links to previous media coverage that you've received. If you have appeared in any major print or broadcast media, include their logos prominently on your media page.
• Audio and/or Video Clips – Short audio or video clips of you (preferably being interviewed) allow potential interviewers to hear or see you in action.
• Interview Topics – A list of topics you can speak about.
• Sample Q & A – Radio stations, in particular, will appreciate using questions you provide for an interview
• Article Topics – A list of topics you can write about and/or suggested angles for feature stories about you. You might even provide pre-written stories or tips for the media to use.
• Fact Sheet – One-page document with pertinent facts about your industry or book topic.
• Pre
If you missed this opportunity for free books and to plug your blog - go
here.
Today, I'm going to talk about creating
a solid Media Kit, also called a Press kit.
I am working on mine right now so it is great timing.
I think you should have these online so they are easily downloadable as well as in paper to hand out if you go to a school, library or bookstore.
You don't have to be published to do this. Self pubbed authors should absolutely do this (especially online) and pre-published authors can get ahead of the game! You never know. A media kit on your web site may even help you sell your book if an agent or editor comes across it.
In Guerrilla Marketing, it says the key to approaching the media, is to have the right materials in place to make it easy for placement. Books, web site, and media kit.
Tips on Creating Your Media Kit
- Your media kit should be accessible online. That way you can mail it out or email a link. You need to have everything easily available for editors or reviewers in case they don't want or need to contact you personally. All this information will convince them to interview you.
- This is the first impression they have of you so make it good, professional, and of high quality. It is better to do a few things great than a lot of things mediocre. It can make the difference!
- Make sure you keep your information current. A lot of authors forget to update their information.
- Color is always better than B/W - except in your photo (that is just preference)
- You should have a menu items to it is easy to find. A lot of media outlets wont search if it is not right there. They don't have time.
Must Haves of Online Media Kit
- An author photo - high res is important.
- A short bio
- Any links to articles or reviews or other interviews (pdfs would be better b/c links to other sites can change)
- A one page press release on your book - update this quarterly with recent news - maybe including new reviews, sales, printing releases, milestones (Go to prnews.com for some samples). If you are prepubbed - you probably can skip this piece for now.
- List of basic interview questions and questions (FAQs) (next week I will focus on how to write a good press release!)
- Link to Tour dates/signings/speaking engagements
- Updated contact information including social networks
- One page book synopsis
- Pdf of book cover (if you have one)
- Page of reviews on your book (if you have one)
Nice To Haves (Especially in this age of technology)
- Video, audio, even a VLOG of you tal
By Barbara A. Tyler
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What great info. It must feel overwhelming when debuting a book. Good to know where to start.
Thanks for the information.
I'm actually very afraid right now. I need to work on this!
Excellent info. I've done some of this, but I sure need to get to work on the rest! Thanks.
Thanks Shelli! Awesome information. :)
Super helpful, as per usual! Thanks!