When we think of ‘getting the word out’ on social media for a new project or campaign, we often think about our own channels: what we post, when we post and if we’re supporting it with an ad buy. But collaborating with others in your industry, community, or with influencers can help spread the word about your project to a much larger audience beyond your own network …without the cost of an ad buy!

However, it’s often not enough to post about your project and hope for a retweet, or even tagging a partner company in the hope that they will share the news. The most effective social media campaigns have coordinated approaches which are organised weeks in advance. And, one of the simplest tools to help with this is a social media press kit.

What is a social media press kit?

A social media press kit is a modern-day cousin of the classic press release: it’s often a single-page document to give people an overview of what your project is and to give people access marketing materials they can share on social media.

How does it work?

A social media press kit can be turned into a PDF and be emailed to organisations you’re already collaborating with. Some companies make it as a Google Doc, or a page on their website rather than a PDF, but either way, it’s a small, light, accessible document.

Usually, it’s most effective if you’re emailing people you’ve got an existing relationship with, but if you’re a not-for-profit, you might you can contact people who you haven’t worked with before, but you know support your cause and are happy to spread the word.

Related: How Do I Work with a Social Media Influencer?

What does it look like?

A social media press kit is something which you can design to fit your needs, so there is no real formalised structure. You can add as much, or a little, detail as you like, depending on the complexity of the campaign – but I would recommend keeping it to under 2 pages, because the objective of it is to make it easy for your partners to see the key information you want them to talk about.

The key components of a social media press kit might include:

• • a headline / hook with a summary of the event or project

• • one paragraph summary project or campaign – include your “why”, and your motivation for running it.

• • one sentence communicating the clear message you want your collaborators to communicate (for example: “Please spread the word: residents of  Parramatta are invited to a BBQ fundraiser, at 1pm, Sat 19th November.”)

• • If the information is embargoed until a certain date, make sure the date people can talk about it is clearly marked. And even if your event is not embargoed, create a recommendation for dates you’d like it announced to centralise the ‘buzz’ so people hear about it from many places at once.

• • List your social media channels clearly, and encourage people to follow, like or share your content. Don’t forget to list your official hashtags if you have any so they are easy to find!

• • You may wish to craft a suggested tweet or Facebook update for people to use, including relevant hashtags. They don’t need to use it, but our objective is to remove barriers to help people spread the word and the less they need to think about, the easier it will be.

• • Feel free to include an image or two they can use on their social media posts to make it even easier – make sure they are sized for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. (Sprout Social’s Landscape tool is perfect for this quick resizing).

• • I love to include a link to a folder or Dropbox of more resources people can use. It could simply contain some hi-res photos so they can make their own artwork, it could include logos in different colours, or it could be a richer multimedia library, such as videos.

• • If you’re also targeting a consumer-facing audience, you might find it helpful to include memes, profile photos people can use, Facebook cover images, and fun activities they can make to support you, whether it’s buntings or posters they can print and post in local cafes or on their workplace noticeboards.

• • Highlight further reading – if people want to know more about your project or organisation, give them a few links to your ‘about’ page, links to FAQs, further campaign information, or key blog posts which they might want to read or share. I’d recommend keeping your additional resources to under 5 links.

• • Information about your company or the team – yep, this is right at the end. It’s useful to have your company information to provide validity that you’re a real organisation, but your company isn’t the focus, but the news you’re spreading is!

• Details for further enquiries – It can also be handy to add contact details, such as your email or phone if people have further questions.

How to make it effective:

A social media press kit is about making it easy for bloggers, journalists or marketers to understand your product and share information by breaking down barriers to spread the word.

Keeping it succinct, engaging, and capture why someone would share it or talk about it is key – you most certainly don’t want to overwhelm people and provide so much information that they switch off.

Providing easy references to hashtags, images and resources they which can be shared makes it easier for people to spread the word.

Looking for a template? Check out my freebie template below.

Enjoy!

Social Media Press Kit Template

A social media press kit is a modern-day cousin of the press release: it’s a simple document which gives people an overview of what your project is, with easy access marketing materials they can use. Check out my freebie template here (Word doc download) or on Google Drive here.

 

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Want to work with Rachel?

Rachel Beaney is a writer and social media content specialist, helping businesses connect with their audiences.

She’s worked with local, national and global companies, in addition to not-for-profits and government bodies. She loves helping businesses tell their stories with creative and data-driven solutions.

She is based in Sydney, Australia.

Want to work together? Rachel would love to hear from you. Get in touch today.