Learn how to make a press kit that introduces your Council to the media and the public. Here are tips on what to include and how to lay it out.

Great press kits are concise but complete, with content and formatting that tells your story in just a few pages.

ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL

You can start with your boilerplate for this one, then add more information about your goals, accomplishments, partnerships, mission, or NC history. (A boilerplate is a short About Us statement. Here’s an earlier article on how to write one.)

ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Give your neighborhood’s name and location within the City of Los Angeles. Add elements like local history, landmarks, cultural mix, or statistics. Here’s a couple questions to get you started on writing this section:

  • What makes your neighborhood typical of LA as a whole?
  • What makes your neighborhood unique among LA communities?
  • What features of your neighborhood has your NC had a particular impact on? Did you improve a park, for example?

ABOUT YOUR BOARD & COMMITTEE MEMBERS

  • About your boardmembers: list names, board and committee roles, and public email addresses for each boardmember
  • About your committees: committee name and purpose, members list, contact info, regular meeting day/time/location

HI RES PHOTOS

Provide at least one image high resolution enough to print well. If you have them, providing two or three images is ideal, especially if you can provide a mix of image types. For example, you can include one shot that characterizes the neighborhood you represent, plus one people shot, such as an image of your board in action. (Not sure whether your images are hi res? Here’s a quick guide.)

TIP: Both posed and spontaneous photos can be helpful, and you may consider using different kinds of images in kits targeted at different media outlets. Your story is always likely to get picked up and covered better when you fine-tune what you put in your press kit to suit the different audiences for different outlets.

Make sure to include photographer credit plus a short caption or description for each image in your press kit.

CONTACT & MEETING INFO

Any information that allows people to follow up with you and engage with your Council goes on this page, including your:

  • Council name
  • Website
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Mailing address
  • Meeting day/time/location for your board and committees
  • Events calendar link, if any
  • Links to well-maintained social media accounts
  • Newsletter signup info

HOW TO LAY OUT YOUR PRESS KIT

You’ll get more attention with a short press kit that focuses on quality, rather than quantity. To keep it short, here’s a three-page layout plan to follow:

  • Page 1: contains About the NC, About Our Neighborhood, and Contact sections
  • Page 2: contains About the Board and About our Committees sections
  • Page 3: contains 2-3 hi res images. Make sure to include a short photo description and photographer credit for each one.

SAVING YOUR PRESS KIT

Save your press kit as a PDF, so that it will print correctly and also be easy to share via email or on your website as an electronic press kit (EPK.)

Outreach Tip Of The Week is an ongoing series on using communications, branding, marketing, and public relations to build better relationships with your stakeholders.