Online Media Kit
What is an Online Media Kit?
An online Media Kit is a section on your website that has information that
journalists need, all in one place, so they don’t need to search your site. If done well, your site will be a tremendous resource—and destination—for journalists.
Why Create an Online Media Kit?
The last thing an overworked, deadline-plagued reporter wants is to waste time hunting on a website that has neither contact information nor easy-to-find media releases.
If an online Media Kit is done right, it will help a reporter get all their facts and
information straight. This is a convenience for journalists who can use the site
anytime, day or night, to check out what your UC Master Gardener group is
doing. An online Media Kit isn’t just for journalists; it can promote your organization. A frequently updated Media Kit, using keywords, can increase your Google rank, encourage the media to publicize your events and establish your organization as a go-to resource for information about home horticulture.
Where Does the Media Kit Go?
Make sure the Media Kit is prominent on your navigation bar and very easy to
find. It should link to the Media Kit page that will have all your key information
listed. Your web master can create quick links to the content throughout your
site, but make it easy to return to the Media Kit.
What Are the Elements to Have in an Online Media Kit?
1. List contact information for all people representing you to the media. You can list the persons to be interviewed for what master gardeners do in a general sense or more specifically such as the chair of an event. Larger programs might want to list MGs who are in charge of speakers bureaus, school gardens, or who are your experts in composting, sustainable landscaping and the like.
Contact information is the most important thing to list in the Media Kit. Don’t limit it to a phone number. Include cell numbers, fax number, e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter links. List any way that your PR people can be available to the media.
2. News releases. Organize them with the most recent first. Archive them in a file at the end of the year. Example: 2010 News Releases Make your releases searchable. This is optional if you don’t have a lot of
technical expertise. However, journalists will thank you if your Media releases are organized with a search engine. And you’ll be found higher up on search
engines.3. Background information about the UC Master Gardener Program with a link. The new fact sheet is perfect to include.
4. Background information on your local program.
5. Frequently Asked Questions. Use the UC Master Gardener Fact Sheet. Add to it if necessary for your county.
6. An Event Calendar. Link from the Media Kit to your existing one.
7. Archive copies of previous media coverage.
8. Provide multimedia content. Include photos, graphics and videos. People
want the whole experience. Text only is going by the wayside.
Photos: Make sure you have photos that are easily accessible. To protect
our copyrighted photos, a best practice is to make low-resolution images
available for download, but high-resolution images should be requested.
That way you can make sure that only those authorized are using your
photos and that they know the proper attribution.
Video: If you have a video of someone who is particularly articulate include it.
This gives journalists a sense of who would give a good interview, especially for TV. You can point the media to the UCCE Master Gardener YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/UCCEMG?feature=mhee). You can upload videos to the channel through the VMS system.
9. Include copyright information. Protect our information. If there’s a photo that you’re putting up and a journalist wants to reuse it, make sure you have the proper attribution listed for the photographer. If you’re using a photo from an individual Master Gardener, give the attribution to the local program and the photographer. If you’re using a UC photo, the copyright information is “Copyright the Regents of the University of California. Used by permission.” You can attribute the photographer if they are known. When in doubt, contact your program coordinator.
10. List bios of key players.
Additional suggestions, keep the URL short and simple. Use the ANR URL Squisher to create a shorter URL. Eliminate passwords. Don’t require passwords to access information in the Media Kit. The more barriers you have, the less your information will be shared. For active groups with a lot of relevant content, make sure journalists can subscribe to the Media Kit. The easiest way to do this is via an RSS feed, which you can add to your site in Site Builder 3.