Picture a digital publication in your sector emailing you because they want to run a small feature on your business, and they need good-quality photos, a logo in several formats and a text with the company's story, all by the next day. If you don't have any of that prepared in advance, that opportunity (which sometimes doesn't come around again) turns into a race against the clock improvising materials at the last minute, with a mediocre result at best.
A press kit is exactly the solution to that scenario: a folder, always ready and up to date, with everything any third party (journalist, influencer, potential partner, prospective client asking for references) might need to talk about your brand without having to request it piece by piece and wait days for you to send it over.
What it must include, no exceptions
The bare minimum of any press kit includes: the logo in several formats (colour, white, black, with transparent background, in PNG and vector SVG), a short company description (two or three sentences, the one you'd use if you had to sum up what you do in an elevator), a longer description (a full paragraph, with the business's story and purpose), high-resolution photographs (of the team, the premises or facilities, product in use), and the contact details of whoever handles communications or press, with a name attached and not just a generic "info@" email.
What almost nobody includes, and should
Beyond the basics, a press kit that genuinely makes the recipient's job easier usually also includes: concrete business figures (years in the market, number of customers, some data point that gives scale context without revealing confidential information), quotes already drafted from the founder or lead, ready to copy and paste without having to request an interview just to get a sentence, and a basic brand style sheet (exact colours in hex code, typeface used) in case the outlet or collaborator wants to stay true to the visual identity when mentioning the brand.
For businesses with a physical product, adding photographs of the product in different usage contexts (not just the typical white catalogue background) greatly widens the chances that an outlet or content creator will use it as-is, without having to request additional material.
Why this isn't just a big-company thing
There's a belief that a press kit is a tool reserved for brands with a communications department, and it's a costly mistake. Any small business can benefit from an unexpected press or collaboration opportunity: a mention in a local outlet, a micro-influencer interested in trying the product, a sector event requesting material for its exhibitor catalogue. The difference between seizing that opportunity on the fly or missing it for lack of ready material is usually a matter of minutes, not budget.
Where to keep it and how to make it accessible
The most practical approach is a shared folder (Google Drive, Dropbox or similar) with public access via a single link, added visibly on the website, usually in a "Press" or "About us" section in the footer. That way, anyone interested can access the material without having to write first and wait for a reply, which cuts friction right at the moment someone has active interest, which is exactly when it matters most not to make them wait.
How often it needs updating
An outdated press kit (with photos of the old premises, figures from three years ago, a logo that's no longer in use) produces the opposite of the intended effect: it conveys carelessness precisely in the material meant to give the best possible impression. It's worth reviewing it at least once a year, and always after any relevant change: a brand redesign, a move, a change in who handles communications, an important milestone (a new product line, a funding round, a certification relevant to the sector).
A case where having the kit ready made the difference
A family-run winery received, on a Friday afternoon, an email from a journalist at a national food and wine publication interested in featuring them in a piece about up-and-coming wineries, due to be published the following Monday. The journalist needed high-resolution photos of the vineyard and the winemaking process, a description of the family business's history, and a quote from the winemaker, all before Sunday night. Since the winery had already had a press kit ready for months (a decision that at the time seemed like effort with no clear urgency), they were able to send all the material in under twenty minutes, with the only remaining task being to ask the winemaker for a short, specific quote about that year's vintage.
The feature was published on time, with professional-quality photography instead of the phone snapshots many other small wineries in the same article had to send in a rush. Months later, the winemaker himself remarked that the article remained the reference most new customers mentioned when arriving for guided tours of the winery, something that wouldn't have been possible had the response come on Monday, by which point the journalist would have already closed the edition without them.
What to include beyond the generic material: your story's own angle
Beyond generic material (logo, photos, description), a press kit that genuinely makes a journalist's or content creator's job easier also includes two or three already-identified story angles: what makes your business different in one memorable sentence, a curious or little-known fact about how it started, or a surprising figure related to your activity. Having those angles already thought through, instead of waiting for the journalist to discover them on their own in an interview, greatly increases the odds that the final coverage captures exactly what the brand wants to convey.
What version to have ready for different languages or markets
For businesses selling outside their home country or with a presence across regions with their own languages, it's worth having at least the short and long descriptions translated, even simply, instead of assuming one language will cover any request. An international or regional outlet that receives the kit already translated is far more likely to use it as-is than one that has to arrange the translation itself, which in practice reduces the odds the piece gets published in time.
What to do when you don't have professional photography yet
A business just starting out that hasn't yet invested in professional photography shouldn't wait until it's perfect to put together a first press kit: it's better to have a basic kit with reasonably good-quality photography (good light, good framing, even if shot on a modern phone) than to have nothing ready when an opportunity comes up. Gradually replacing those photos with professional material as budget allows is a normal process, and no journalist expects a small business to have the same production level as a big brand from day one.
Why it's also worth including a brief dossier of sector data
Beyond material focused on the company itself, a press kit aiming to enable broader features (not just one-off brand mentions) benefits from including two or three objective data points about the sector the business operates in, with their corresponding source. This turns the company into a convenient source to cite not just to talk about itself, but also as a reference for sector context, which increases the odds of being mentioned in broader industry features, not just pieces focused exclusively on the brand.
Comparison: your own press kit versus relying only on communications agencies
Some businesses delegate the entire media relationship to an external communications agency, assuming that makes having their own press kit unnecessary. That's a flawed assumption: even with an external agency, an up-to-date press kit of your own speeds up that same agency's work, which otherwise has to request each piece of material directly from the company every time an opportunity comes up, introducing the very delay it's meant to avoid. Having the kit ready doesn't replace the value of a good communications agency (which brings relationships, editorial judgement and the ability to actively generate opportunities), but it does eliminate the operational friction that can cost a one-off opportunity while material is scrambled together.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to hire a designer to create the press kit?
It helps if the logo and photographs have good professional quality, but the document itself (the folder with materials organised) can be put together by anyone on the team with a bit of care, no elaborate design required.
What photo format should I include?
High resolution (at least 300 dpi for print, though good screen resolution is enough for digital use) and in common formats like JPG or PNG. Including some in landscape and others in portrait also widens the possible uses across different editorial formats.
Should I include product prices in the press kit?
It depends on the sector and on whether that information is already public on your website. If it is, there's no reason not to include it; if your prices are only given through a custom quote, it's better to omit them and make clear how that information can be requested.
Does a press kit also work for influencer collaborations, not just media?
Yes, it's exactly the same type of material an influencer needs to talk about your brand accurately: photos, correct data, brand tone. Having the kit ready speeds up the briefing process a lot with any external collaborator.
How long does it take to put together a press kit from scratch?
For a small business with the basic materials already in place (logo, some photos, a company description), gathering and organising it well usually takes between half a day and a full day of work. If new photography needs producing or descriptions need writing from scratch, the timeline stretches depending on that production work.
What happens if my brand changes its visual identity after creating the kit?
It needs updating immediately, or at least before the next time someone requests it. A press kit with the old logo after a rebrand causes confusion and, in the worst case, results in an outlet publishing a version of your brand you no longer use.