Category: Media Relations

A good media kit helps someone cover your announcement without spending the afternoon looking for a headshot or confirming a date. Build it around the questions a journalist or event organizer is likely to ask.

Put the facts first

Start with a one-page fact sheet. Include what is launching, when it becomes available, who it serves, and where readers can learn more. Add the correct spellings of names and titles, and link to public sources for figures you expect someone to quote. Identify one press contact who can answer follow-up questions.

Make the assets easy to use

Include a short spokesperson bio, a current headshot, and a few relevant photos or logos. Write a caption and credit for each image, and state where it can be used. Give downloads clear filenames so a reporter can distinguish a headshot from a product photo without opening both.

Test the kit before you send it

Ask a colleague outside your project to find the date, a usable image, and the press contact. Check that the links work without an account and that the files contain only material cleared for release. Keep one person responsible for updates when a date, statistic, or spokesperson changes.

Explore more PR Insights or contact 360 Global Impact PR about your next announcement.

You sent a pitch to a reporter who covers your topic and heard nothing back. Before writing again, look at what has changed since your first message and whether you can make their job easier.

Give the original pitch time

For a story without an urgent deadline, give the reporter a few business days. For an event with a firm date, state the timing in your first email and make any follow-up early enough to leave time for reporting. Read the outlet’s submission guidance if it has one.

Add one useful detail

Reply in the original email thread. In a few lines, remind the reporter what the story is and add one useful detail: a newly available interview slot, a link to supporting material, or a date they can plan around. If you can offer an independent source who has agreed to speak, explain how that person connects to the story.

Know when to stop

If you send a brief follow-up and hear nothing, move on. Record the pitch date, outlet, and any reply so your team avoids duplicate outreach. If a meaningful development gives the story a different angle later, write a new pitch that makes the change clear.

Explore more PR Insights or contact 360 Global Impact PR about your next announcement.

A media interview can move quickly. The interviewer may ask a question you expected, then follow up in a direction you did not. Preparation gives you a way to respond clearly while staying grounded in what you can verify and explain.

Agree on the basics before you start

Ask who the audience is, what the interview is about, and whether it is live, recorded, or written. Confirm the time, format, and expected length. If another organization is involved in the topic, agree in advance on which details you can speak to and which should go to that organization.

Think about what someone hearing about your work for the first time needs to understand. If the interview is about a new service, prepare to explain who it helps, when it starts, and what someone can do next.

Prepare three points with real examples

Write down three things you want the audience to remember. Give each one a fact, a short example, or a clear explanation. Say the points aloud so you can hear where the language sounds too technical or where the example needs more context.

Practice answering the question directly before adding context. If asked why a launch was delayed, start with the confirmed reason you can share. Then explain what the team is doing and when people can expect the next update.

Handle difficult questions with care

If you do not know the answer, say what you can confirm and offer to follow up with the specific detail. If a question includes an inaccurate premise, correct the point briefly before answering. You can pause to gather your thoughts, particularly if the question involves a decision that affects other people.

After the interview, send any information you promised and flag factual corrections promptly. Keep track of what questions came up so the next spokesperson brief reflects what people actually want to know.

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Related guide: write a media pitch a journalist can use.

A media pitch has one job: help a journalist quickly decide whether your story fits their audience. A strong pitch explains what is happening, why it matters now, and what you can offer to help the journalist report it. You can usually make those points in a few short paragraphs.

Start with the reader’s reason to care

Before you write, look at what the outlet actually covers. A local business reporter may be interested in how a service expansion affects people in the area. A trade publication may care about what the expansion reveals about how businesses in that industry operate. Use the angle that matches the audience and the evidence you can provide.

For example, a business launching evening appointments could pitch the practical change for customers who work during the day. The pitch can specify when appointments begin, who can book them, and what the company can confirm about the decision. That gives the journalist a clearer starting point than a general announcement that the business is growing.

Give the journalist something to work with

Include a specific subject line, a plain-language opening, and two or three details the reporter can check. Offer a spokesperson with firsthand knowledge and make it clear how to contact them. If you have a fact sheet, approved photos, or useful public records, offer them or link to them when they directly support the story.

Keep claims proportional to the evidence. If you can confirm a launch date but have no data on demand, give the date and explain what you know about the people the service is designed to reach.

Make the next step easy

Close with one practical offer, such as an interview window or a short call to explain the announcement. If there is a deadline or an embargo, state it clearly and agree to any embargo before sharing material that depends on it.

A brief follow-up can help when you have a genuine update or can offer information the journalist would need. If the story is not a fit, redirect your effort toward outlets with a stronger reason to cover it. Editors decide whether and when to publish.

Related guide: prepare for a media interview.

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