There are times when a single media product doesn't do the job.
Say you host a press conference. Handing out a press release to the reporters who are there is a bit redundant. They're writing a story and picking quotes that they heard and wrote down in their notebooks. Why give them a pre-packaged story?
Well, maybe there are some facts and quotes in there you really, really like. That's fine. But think about it: do you really want your client to have a press conference, and talk to reporters for half an hour, and then have them see the quote in the newspaper turn out to be not something they said, but the quote from the release?
And do you really want to bury the gem of a factoid you'd like reporters to include in the middle of a press release somwhere?
Give reporters something they don't have: a photo, a chart, a fact sheet. Give them a story kit (also known as a press packet) and use that packet to highlight the things they won't, or can't, get from whoever is speaking at the press conference or media event.
What Goes Into A Story Kit?
There are no required ingredients for a story kit. It's whatever combination of products reporters and editors might need to cover a story.
Say you're the Chicago Bulls, and you're introducing your first-round draft pick. You'd want to make a press kit for the sports reporters showing up to report on him. That kit should have a great mug shot for the player, a bio, statistics and stories from his college playing days -- you get the idea. You don't want reporters asking the rookie to remember what his free-throw shooting average was in the NCAA playoffs during his sophomore year.
Here's another common situation: if you know all the daily newspapers are covering a story, it's not especially smart to send them a press release when all you're really trying to do is get a quote and some facts into that story. Instead, send a statement -- which is all quotes -- and a fact sheet.
Story kits are a simple idea that are under-utilized. It's a great alternative to the typical press release.