For the first time ever, the Consumer Electronics Show did NOT accept printed press kits in its media room in January 2010.

As the largest U.S.-based technology trade show held each January in Las Vegas, this decision is a big, big deal, especially when one considers that there were more than 5,000 journalists at CES 2010.

And CES is not alone. The Outdoor Retailer trade show (held twice annually in Salt Lake City) began recommending several years ago that exhibitors upload their press kits into a password-protected online press room and only bring one (1) physical press kit for the show press room. Other trade shows and conferences have moved in this direction or are considering doing so.

However, does this mean I now believe that companies should stop producing physical press kits? No. I recommend that companies continue to produce physical press kits . . . for now.

I do believe, however, that such press kits should be used selectively and sparingly.

CES stops accepting press kits — that’s fine. But I’d sure want to have physical press kits on hand to be able to hand one to a journalist in a moment’s notice should the request arise.

Remember, old habits die hard. One such habit is reading printed materials. The same is true for writing on and marking up those same materials, especially by journalists.

So for now, yeah, I still recommend producing physical press kits.

However, I also recommend producing and maintaining a full bodied online press room, as well as digital press kits that can also be “handed” to journalists to take with them.

Depending upon the venue where you’ll use press kits, you might want to temporarily change the “face” of your kits so journalists will know that something’s new or different at this event.

One way to do this is to produce crack-and-peel labels that can be affixed to your press kit cover. This way, you can provide additional information on what’s inside the kits.

NOTE: Most graphic designers would rather have their fingernails pulled off one by one than allow you to sully their kit design by attaching a sticker on the front cover. (And if they don’t cringe upon hearing of your plans, you probably need new design talent anyway.)

Regardless, utilizing one-time-use stickers is one way to focus the impact of your press kits and the materials/info they contain.

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P.S.  If you get to the point where you want to use stickers each time you roll-out your press kits, chances are it’s time to re-evaluate your kit design and purpose.

Every press kit must include at least one business card, either from someone working at the organization itself or from its public relations/advertising/marketing agency.

Standard press kits are typically die-cut on the right-hand pocket flap so a business card can be inserted directly into the pre-cut slots.

If, however, there is more than one person whose cards should be included inside the press kit (say an agency representative and a company executive), here’s what I recommend.

1. Insert the company rep’s business card in the die-cuts on the right-hand pocket flap.
2. Then use a paperclip to attach the agency business card to the outside of the left-hand pocket flap.

This way when a journalist  opens the press kit — voilà – she’ll see both cards in an instant.

Everyone’s heard the cliche “A picture’s worth a thousand words,” right?

Guess what? That phrase is a cliche because in most instances it’s true.

When it comes to press kits, you have to include photos. This means

• Physical photos,
• Digital photos saved on a DVD, CD-ROM or thumb/USB drive, or (at a minimum)
• Web addresses to online versions of downloadable photos.

PR people who leave photos out of their press kits are making a major mistake.

Such digital copies can be available on a

• Thumb drive (USB stick),
• DVD, or
• CD-ROM.

Enclosing digital copies of your publicity materials will make it even easier for journalists to “cut and paste” what they need directly into their article, story or blog post.

Please insert Web addresses (URLs) within the materials you include in your press kits.

Simple? Sure.

But one of your goals as a PR professional should be to make the lives of journalists and analysts as easy as possible. This means you should provide them with a simple way to track down any- and/or every-thing you include within your press kits.

This can include digital copies of the document they’re actually reading.

It also makes it a ton easier for an editor to “cut & paste” something off the Web into an article or story instead of having to re-type it.

Yup! Background information and materials should go in the left-hand pocket of a press kit.

“. . . grab it, flip it open, scan it quickly to see if there’s anything newsworthy they’re interested in . . .”

Maybe it’s because English is my native tongue and we who read English read right to left. But in my experience, people scan what’s in the right hand pocket of any press kit folder first. (Well, at least 99.99% of the time.)

Why is this important?

Because it means that you need to put newsworthy information in the right hand pocket, with the most recent news item on top.

That’s what people will see first, and it’s the information which will have the greatest chance of catching a journalist’s attention.

And although I’m not a graphic designer by training, I have some definite ideas about design, especially when it comes to functional design.

In my opinion, design run amok occurs when it hinders rather than helps the user.

An example is the use of ωξ↑ΓÐ τΥρ∑fλς€š (weird typefaces) or outlandish colors that make something hard to read.

So . . . what’s my advice when it comes to designing a press kit folder? Easy: KIS (Keep It Simple).

At a minimum, the company logo and/or name needs to appear on the front cover. You might also put the words

• Press Kit, or
• News

on the front cover.

If you desire, consider putting the company address, phone number and Web address on the back cover as well.

The paper used for the press kit itself can be in any color as long as it’s complementary to the company logo. Ditto for the color of the font(s) used. And the paper used for your press kit folder should be thick/heavy enough to be non-flimsy; I recommend using a card stock, but the weight is a subjective choice, so you decide.

And if that’s all you did when designing a press kit folder, chances are you’d be fine. Can you add photos, images or other graphic elements to a kit cover? Of course.

Rule of Thumb:

But in general, I have one Rule of Thumb when it comes to press kit designs, namely

Anyone should be able to look at your folder and in an instance they should be able to say to themselves,          “Oh, this is a press kit from XYZ Company.”

If not, then go back to the drawing board.

I bring up my quasi-journalistic past not to impress you, but rather to impress upon you some of the things I learned while wearing my journalist hat.

Specifically, when reporters walks through the press kit room at a major trade show (think CES, SEMA, or back in the day, COMDEX), these aren’t leisurely strolls — they’re journalists on missions, looking for press kits from

A) companies they already know or follow, and

B) company names that attract their attention.

Upon seeing a press kit that catches their eye, they grab it, flip it open, scan it quickly to see if there’s anything newsworthy they’re interested in and if so, they throw it in their bag or make a note to visit the company’s booth later.

I saw this happen over and over again and found that I did the exact same thing.

So? you ask. Did you learn anything from your experience? As a matter of fact I did.

Specifically, I learned that the best press kit folder design is the good old boring press kit standard format, namely a press kit

1. that measures 9- X 12-inches when folded closed,
2. has two full-sized pockets,
3. one pocket on each side,
4. with both pockets glued shut on both sides (but the top of the pocket open),
5. with slots cut into the right pocket to hold one business card, and
6. no fancy flaps or closures to fiddle with before opening the press kit.

Seems like a lot of bother for a stupid press kit, but it’s not.

Remember that most journalists are busy people, so if they’ve gone to the trouble of picking up your press kit or asking you for one, they’ve done so because they want to see what’s inside. And the faster they can scan the contents of your press kit, the sooner they can decide if what’s inside is worthwhile to their readers, viewers and/or listeners.

Don’t believe me? Fine.

Next time you set out press kits at an event or are asked for one, watch what the reporters do with ‘em when they get ‘em. I’ll bet 8 out of 10 open ‘em up right away.

Hence, the easier it is for reporters to open your press kits, scan the materials without everything flopping all over the place (that’s why you use insist on glued pockets), and see that your business card is where it belongs (clipped into the slots on the right pocket). they’ll then throw the kit under their arm or into their bag before taking off.

And when it comes to press kits and journalists, that’s how it works. That’s why you need a standard press kit format.

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BONUS TIP:

If you’ve gone to the trouble of using a standard press kit format, don’t blow it by handing out press kits contained inside of an envelope. That just defeats all of the benefits of using a standard press kit format.

If you feel like you’ve got too much stuff to fit into a standard sized folder, then consider getting a custom folder made that can handle more junk. Either that or re-evaluate everything you’re throwing into your press kit. Chances are you really don’t need everything you originally thought you did.