What Goes in a Press Kit? A Checklist for Founders

A press kit should give a journalist the verified facts, usable images and interview information needed to assess and cover your story quickly. At minimum, include a one-page fact sheet, a short company description, founder biographies, high-resolution images, approved logos, relevant data, spokesperson details and one clearly named media contact.

The value is not the number of files. It is the amount of avoidable work the kit removes. A journalist should be able to understand what the company does, confirm names and claims, download an image with the correct credit and know whom to contact without searching through old announcements or asking for basic information.

That makes a press kit part of media readiness. It supports the work that happens before a story is pitched, when the strongest angle, evidence and spokesperson still need to be tested.

What is a press kit?

A press kit is a collection of media-ready information and assets about a company, founder, campaign or announcement. It is usually hosted as a simple web page or organised download folder. A launch-specific kit can sit alongside an evergreen company kit, but the two should not be mixed so heavily that a journalist cannot tell which facts are current.

The press kit is for editorial use. It should answer practical questions and make accuracy easier. It is different from an advertising media kit, which normally describes an outlet’s audience, commercial packages and rates for prospective advertisers.

The best test is straightforward. If a journalist opened the kit without speaking to you, could they identify the story, verify its essential facts and find the right person for a follow-up question?

Start with a one-page fact sheet

The fact sheet is the quickest route into the business. Keep it short enough to scan and specific enough to quote.

Include:

• The company’s full name and a plain-English description of what it does.
• The year it was founded.
• The names and current titles of its founders or senior spokespeople.
• The products or services relevant to the announcement.
• The markets in which the business operates.
• A small number of verified figures, with dates and context.
• The website and the direct media contact.

Avoid packing the page with every milestone the business has reached. A figure belongs in the kit when it helps a journalist understand scale, relevance or change. If it is old, approximate or dependent on a definition that is not explained, it can create more questions than confidence.

Every number needs an owner. Record where it came from, when it was last checked and who can approve its use. That evidence trail is especially important when a figure relates to users, growth, funding, customers, survey results or social impact.

Write two company descriptions

Prepare a short description of roughly 50 words and a fuller version of 100 to 150 words. Both should say what the company does before describing its ambition.

The short version is useful for listings, captions and quick background. The longer version can explain the problem the business addresses, the audience it serves and the point that makes its approach distinctive.

Do not lead with innovative platform, disruptive solution or leading provider unless the kit immediately proves what those words mean. Journalists need a clear category, a concrete function and a reason the company matters now.

This is the same discipline used to make a story newsworthy. The description supplies context. It does not manufacture the news.

Give every spokesperson a usable biography

A founder biography should establish relevance without reading like a complete CV. Prepare a short version of 60 to 100 words and a longer version for profiles or interview preparation.

Include the founder’s present role, relevant experience, specialist knowledge and connection to the story being pitched. If the founder has a personal reason for building the company, state it carefully and only with approval. Verify every award, previous employer and performance claim.

Add the pronunciation of names when it may help a presenter. For broadcast opportunities, add location availability, languages spoken and whether the person can join live, pre-recorded or in a studio.

The biography should make clear why this person can speak on the subject. It should never claim expertise the individual does not have.

Supply images that can actually be published

Provide a small, edited selection rather than an unlabelled photo archive. The essentials are:

• A current horizontal founder portrait.
• A current vertical founder portrait.
• Relevant product, campaign or service imagery.
• A clean logo in common formats.
• A caption and credit for every image.
• Written information on usage permissions or restrictions.

Use descriptive file names such as maria-jordan-fireflies-management-horizontal.jpg, not IMG_4827-final-final.jpg. Keep high-resolution originals available, but offer web-ready versions too. A journalist working to a deadline should not need to resize a 40MB file before understanding whether it is usable.

Do not assume that an image in a shared company folder is cleared for editorial distribution. Confirm the photographer, the people pictured, the location and the permission attached to the asset. Images involving children, vulnerable people or sensitive personal stories require additional care and explicit consent.

Add quotes that sound like a person

Approved quotes can help when a spokesperson cannot respond immediately, but they should not read like slogans. Provide one or two short quotes connected to the announcement, customer problem or wider issue.

A usable quote adds judgement, feeling or interpretation. It does not repeat the headline. “I started this business because…” or “The part of this problem most people miss is…” gives a journalist more than “I am delighted to announce…”.

Label every quote with the speaker’s full name and job title. Date time-sensitive comments, and remove old quotes when the context changes.

Include announcement materials separately

An evergreen press kit explains the company. A campaign or launch folder should contain the material for one story:

• The final press release or media note.
• A concise summary of the announcement.
• Supporting data and methodology.
• Relevant biographies and images.
• Product availability, dates or event details.
• Interview availability.
• Any embargo terms agreed for that outreach.

Keep the announcement folder self-contained. A journalist should not need to cross-reference three versions of a release to work out which one is final. If you are deciding between an embargo and an exclusive, use the distinctions in my guide to media embargoes and exclusives before distributing the materials.

Make the media contact unmistakable

Name one person who is actively monitoring requests. Include their email address, telephone or messaging details where appropriate, normal working hours and an alternative contact for urgent situations.

The generic inbox can remain, but a named contact creates accountability. If several agencies, markets or internal teams are involved, decide who owns each request before the story launches. Journalists should not receive competing replies from different representatives of the same organisation.

What should stay out?

Remove unsupported superlatives, confidential information, expired announcements, unapproved customer logos and long internal presentations. Do not include dozens of images without captions or credits. Avoid PDFs that cannot be searched or copied when the same information could sit on an accessible page.

The kit should not hide a material fact likely to emerge during reporting. Media readiness includes knowing which difficult questions the announcement could trigger and preparing accurate answers.

How should it be organised?

Use a public page or stable folder with a simple hierarchy:

• Start here.
• Company facts.
• Founder and spokesperson biographies.
• Images and logos.
• Current announcement.
• Supporting research or methodology.
• Media contact.

Check every link from a private browser window. Make sure access does not require an account, approval request or temporary password. Test downloads on mobile and desktop. Put the last-updated date on the page and schedule a quarterly check.

The final checklist

Before outreach begins, confirm that:

• Company names, titles and figures match every other public source.
• The lead story can be understood from the first page.
• Images have captions, credits and permissions.
• Spokespeople know the announcement and are genuinely available.
• The media contact is monitoring requests.
• All links work without special access.
• Old or conflicting material has been removed.
• Sensitive personal information has explicit approval.

Across 15+ years in PR, I have seen opportunities slow down because the story was ready but the supporting material was not. A clear press kit cannot create news value on its own. It can prevent a credible story from losing momentum when a journalist asks for the next piece of information.

If you need to turn your company information into a press-ready story and asset set, talk to Fireflies Management.