When I first started reaching out to brands, I didn’t have a clue what should be in my influencer press kit. I made a basic one sheeter in Photoshop with my blog colors and shared my blog & social media stats. Nothing fancy, but I could at least say, “attached is my press kit” in the pitch email.
Years later, I now know it’s important to know what to put in your influencer press kit if you want to work with brands. Think of your influencer press kit as your business card and portfolio all wrapped in one document. What I’ve learned is that a press kit doesn’t guarantee a brand deal, but it definitely helps the brand or agency take you more seriously. For the last six years of my blogging/influencer career, I’ve had some version of a press kit and it has certainly evolved over the years. As an influencer, if you know exactly what to put in your press kit and how to use it to leverage your value, it is certainly an advantage.
In my opinion, having an influencer press kit is just as important as having an influencer business plan.
Consider this the ultimate guide to building an influencer press kit. By the end of this post, you’ll feel more confident when you create your press kit.
SHARE STATS & METRICS IN YOUR INFLUENCER PRESS KIT
One of the biggest reasons you’ll ever send your influencer press kit to a brand is to confirm or reveal your blog & social stats. Include metrics like Instagram followers, YouTube subscribers and unique monthly visitors to your blog. This is typically what brands like to know before hiring you for a brand campaign.
While sharing your follower numbers for every platform you’re active on is standard, don’t feel like those are the only numbers you have to share. I have a solid email list, so I shared those numbers in my press kit as well. Now, potential partners know that my email list is a valuable option to leverage as well.
This is also a huge opportunity to share other valuable stats like your engagement rate. You may have a modest Instagram following, but if you have a 6% engagement rate (the average person has less than 1% engagement) that’s definitely something to lead with.
Numbers aside from amount of followers to include in your press kit:
- Engagement
- Reach
- Impressions
- Average comments per post
- Website clicks
- Profile visits
- Video views
- Email subscribers
This is great for influencers who are still growing their following and have a modest amount of followers.
As you grow, don’t forget to update your press kit every 3-6 months. (At least 3 times a year so you’re providing the brand with your most recent numbers.)
When it comes to stats and metrics in your press kit, lead with your strongest numbers. Sharing the number of followers you have is important, but so is highlighting the strongest numbers you have. Don’t shy away from it or think “they don’t want to know that.” The entire point of your press kit as an influencer is to showcase your value and the highlights of the content you’ve created.
WHY YOUR INFLUENCER PRESS KIT SHOULD INCLUDE DEMOGRAPHICS
Another great stat to include in your press kit is who your demographic is. Demographics matter because it shows exactly who and where you influence. If you’re fortunate enough to know the ins and outs of your audience, certainly include it in a relevant way.
I sent my audience a survey via email last year to find out where my audience was located, what content helps them and what they’d like to see more of. I also used the insights from my Facebook page and Instagram profile. Once I collected the data, I created a page in my press kit reflecting the information.
YOUR INFLUENCER PRESS KIT COVER & INTRO
As I mentioned earlier, my very first press kit was a one sheeter. And a one sheeter is totally acceptable as long as you have the necessary information. However, there’s nothing wrong with having a cover and intro to your press kit. In my opinion it adds a nice touch of personalization. The cover should feature a recent photo of you (within the last 6 months or so) so you’re not catfishing a brand. Your press kit cover is also where you should feature the styling (colors + font) of your blog/brand. I’ll elaborate a little later when we discuss Branding & Style.
Your intro is just that – an introduction. Ideally, it’s the first page after the cover that features another recent photo of you and 1-2 short paragraphs about you as an influencer. This is not where you should write your life story. I like to think of the introduction of your press kit as a brief way to say:
- this is who I am (“Hey, I’m [name] of [blog URL] and [social/IG handle] social.”)
- where I’m based (“I’m a [city]-based influencer…”)
- what I do (“…who creates [niche or niches] content on my [relevant platforms.])
- why I do what I do (My goal is to inspire [target audience/demographic] to [specific action/aspiration]
- who I do it for (…with over [insert collective social and blog follower number here] followers online, I’ve [specific accolade].)
Here’s an example of what I would say in my press kit introduction:
Hey, I’m Mattie James of MattieJames.com and @themattiejames on social. I’m an Atlanta based influencer who creates lifestyle and beauty content on my blog, YouTube channel and podcast. My goal is to inspire the everyday Black millennial woman to accomplish her personal and influencer goals while being her best self.
With over 200,000 followers, I’ve worked with numerous household name brands while teaching 1500+ influencers how to start their blog and pitch brands. It’s great to e-meet you! Hopefully we get the chance to work together.
The more specific yet concise you can be, the better. There’s no right or wrong way to introduce yourself. Feel free to use the formula I have mentioned above and make it your own.
You’ll see in my actual press kit, that my intro is actually four small paragraphs for the sake of format. It honestly was two paragraphs and my designer just broke it up in four for the sake of aesthetic.
DON’T FORGET HIGHLIGHTS IN YOUR INFLUENCER PRESS KIT
Your press kit is definitely the place to show off your highlights and accolades. If you have won any awards as an influencer or have worked with other noteworthy brands before – mention it! It creates trust with the brands and agencies that you correspond with during potential brand deals.
Highlights to include in your press kit:
- Awards & Accolades
- Brands You’ve Worked With
- Press
This is where you can include an Awards & Accolades page and/or Brands I’ve Worked With page. If you’ve been fortunate to get some press because your blog and/or following this is where you want to share that info as well. After all, it is a press kit. But it’s imperative not to lie and to be honest here. It’s super easy to research and confirm the legitimacy of what you share in this section of your press kit.
For my press kit, I simply created one page for the brands I’ve worked with and another for the publications I’ve been featured.
DELIVERABLES ARE GOLD IN AN INFLUENCER PRESS KIT
It’s so important to make sure that you list out all the deliverables you offer in your press kit. When I did this, it opened me up to so many different kinds of opportunities with brands. Most brands assume that the average influencer can only offer blog, Instagram and/or YouTube content. If you have experience in creating live video content, hosting in person events or even teaching a course – definitely include that in your press kit. The goal is to maximize your personal experience into deliverables that add value to a brand.
To reiterate, only list the kind of content you currently produce well and things you have experience doing well. As you gain more experience it’s totally fine to add deliverables to your press kit versus behind dishonest and putting something on there you have no clue how to do.
Your deliverables are definitely are important to brands so they know what their options are when it comes to collaborating with you. Even if they don’t hire you now, that list of deliverables might have set you up for success for a future campaign. And don’t forget to add to your list as you grow and gain more experience.
YOUR INFLUENCER PRESS KIT SHOULD BE BRANDED & STYLED
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I take brand consistency seriously. I’ve even discussed why it’s important to elevate your visuals as an influencer on the podcast. The way your blog, social media graphics and press kit should all look similar. Making sure you have a style guide for your brand as an influencer is important. The way you present yourself online should be taken seriously because it is most people’s first impression of you as an influencer.
The fonts and colors you use should be consistent across the board. As someone who loves all the shades of pink and various sans serif fonts, you have to edit it down to a select handful so your visual branding isn’t all over the place.
As I mentioned earlier, you should also include recent photos in your press kit so brands know who you are and what you look like. Depending on the kind of influencer you are, you should include photos from the last 3-6 months but the very oldest your photos should be are 12 months old. Like I said, you don’t want to catfish a brand.
As someone who changes their hair pretty often, you’ll notice that my press kit photos all include the same hairstyle with a variety of outfits so brands see some sort of consistency. My hair is longer now, so I’ll be switching out photos within the next couple of months.
DEFINITELY INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFO
Last but certainly not least, be sure to include your contact info. When a brand contacts you for your influencer press kit, they already consider you an influencer. So make it easy to contact you! This seems like a given, but people often overlook this small but very vital step. For your contact info, it’s important to include your recent email and phone number. Brands will more than likely email you, but in case they ask to jump on a call – you’ve already provided your number.
This is also where to include all your active social handles. This is especially important if you weren’t fortunate enough to get the same name on all platforms. Because my social handle is the same across all platforms, I’ve only included once with the logos of the platforms I’m active on.
And that’s how you put together a press kit as an influencer. It’s about creating a document where you can lead with your best to get a brand’s attention.
