What is a Media Kit and Why Should You Have On

The answers are simple. A media kit is a folder of information about you and your team for the media. It is important to have if you want your story told. It will be the reference a journalist will use and therefore must be up to date with the correct information. What should a media kit include - here' is the general consensus:

The driver's bio
The car's technical information
Latest team news
Picture (digital, still shots and/or slides) of both car & driver
Contact information

But what separates a great media kit from a good one - one journalist explained to me:

I look for some "different" information. A biography of a racer that just includes date of birth and family is fine but when there is a piece such as Racer X's first job was pizza delivery so he could practice his driving skills while working... or Racer X's car is painted blue to represent his/her first dog who's name was "Blue". Although it can make the bio cluttered it also adds personality.

A well-known racing commentator explained why a media kit is important for any racer:
I need a reference book - at any race there can be 30 plus teams. It's hard to keep track of their histories so a fact sheet with past performance, interesting tidbits helps make my job easier and more entertaining. While the series will provide me with track information, historical facts I want to add more driver team information.

Pictures: A picture adds a thousand words and makes sponsors happy. This is especially important for all print media. Quality pictures are essential. If using a professional photographer's pictures please make sure you have permission to use them commercially - all pictures should not have copyright restrictions. Unfortunately many racers tend to forget this important fact.

Include the latest news: What have you accomplished so far - is there a story with THIS race? Where did you qualify? How was your car running? How did you find the course? This information can be the basis to having your name mentioned during the race. Recently a team I worked with had one of its drivers penalized and sent to the back of the grid. Knowing this, we released this information along the lines of "watch our racer - he'll be fighting his way to the front" and yes it was mentioned in race commentary.

Although media/press kits come in all shapes and sizes one thing I'm a firm believer in less gimmick, more substance. A polished, professional looking folder is easy to produce and an important part of your racerchick marketing campaign. Lastly - make them available. The event media center is the place to have them not just your race trailer. While some may be picked up as "souvenirs" the minimal expense involved is well worth it for any exposure they may bring you. Good luck and happy racing

Nika

For information on How to Write a Press Release...

For information on Media Lists...

If there are other areas you’d like to see us cover, or you’d like to provide your insight, ideas and share your experiences, we invite you to do so on our forum or by e-mailing us here at info@racerchicks.com