First Impressions Last! Six Essential Assets for Public Relations
If you’re thinking about doing public relations for your cannabis business, you’ll want to make sure you are prepared when media and influencers come knocking on your door. Below are six essential pieces that together make up your “Media Kit” – critical materials that can be used by journalists as they research and develop their articles.
- Messaging
Your company messaging is crucial to how the media and the public will see your company and its products or services. Messaging should include three key things: what your company does;what benefits you bring to your customers; and how you differ from the competition. You can also develop a short tag line that captures what your cannabis business is all about. - Spokespeople Bios
Every spokesperson at your company should have a bio around 250-300 words. Bios are great validators for the media as they will want to see your background and past experience. These bios can also be used for speaking engagements, events and you can post them to your website under the “About Us” section. - Headshots
The media loves images, so it’s worth the investment to have professional (can’t stress professional enough) headshots taken of all executives. Photos of bong rips at a festival can detract from your business and give you an unwanted reputation. Put your best foot forward with the press and invest in good headshots. - FAQ
A “Frequently Asked Questions” document is invaluable for both your company and the media. Questions should include information on your business and your product/services. What are some questions you are getting from colleagues, family, and friends? These are usually the same questions the media will ask. - Fact Sheet
This is a brief summary of your company’s vital stats. It should be no more than 1-2 pages and include such data points as the founding date, your executive team, company location and markets you operate in, number of employees, brief description of your products or services, and the names of your investors and board of directors (if you are releasing those publicly.) - Updated Website Content
First impressions last! If your website looks like it was made in the 90’s, or the content is not up to date, it’s time to invest in an upgrade. It’s the first place that the media and customers will go to check out your company. Make sure that it looks current and professional, explains your cannabis business clearly, and includes contact information.
Having all of these pieces in your media kit ready to go will allow you to respond to media and influencer requests faster, it will help you be consistent, and it will also help any marketing and PR agency you partner with to ramp up faster.
Groshelle Communications has deep experience in creating media kits and please let us know if you have any questions.