What Goes in a Media Kit — and Why Claremore Businesses Need One

A media kit (also called a press kit) is a curated package of ready-to-use information about your business — built so reporters, partners, and potential investors can get what they need without emailing you first. The Public Relations Society of America found that 75% of journalists rely on them when researching stories, which means showing up without one is a genuine missed opportunity. For businesses in Claremore and Rogers County, where the Chamber connects over 380 member organizations ranging from local storefronts to international firms, a polished media kit is one of the most practical PR tools you can build this year.

Why Waiting for Journalists to Ask Is a Losing Strategy

Most business owners assume that if a reporter is interested, they'll reach out and ask for materials. That assumption is costly. Studies show that journalists prefer independent research — 70% would rather find company information on their own than wait for email responses. Without a ready-made kit, they'll often move on to a competitor who has one.

The risk doesn't stop there. Foundr warns that reporters who can't find your assets will turn to Google to piece together your brand story — putting your business at the whim of the search engine and risking outdated or inaccurate coverage.

Bottom line: A media kit isn't just convenient. It's your insurance policy against being misrepresented.

A Media Kit Levels the Playing Field

Northeastern Oklahoma carries serious economic weight. The MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor — one of the largest master-planned industrial parks in the nation — anchors a regional economy that includes major manufacturers, data centers, and a Google facility. When you're a small business in that orbit, a professional media kit is one of the few tools that puts you on equal footing with much larger players, without requiring a much larger budget.

As Source of Sources explains, a media kit attracts media without a PR budget — functioning as a 24/7 PR agent that gives reporters everything they need in one place. Beyond media coverage, according to Mailchimp, a press kit also attracts investors and partners by defining your brand story and making it simpler for others to evaluate working with you.

What Goes in Your Media Kit

A strong media kit doesn't need to be elaborate — it needs to be complete. Here are the six core components every business should include:

Company overview. A one-to-two paragraph summary of what your business does, who you serve, and what sets you apart. Write it for an outside audience that's never heard of you — not for your existing customers.

Team bios. Short biographies of your key executives or team members, with headshots if available. Journalists writing a profile piece will look for a human angle. A bio gives them one.

Recent press releases. Nearly 70% of journalists rely on press releases to generate story ideas, making this one of the most valuable items in your kit. Include your two or three most recent releases, especially for product launches, milestones, or community involvement.

Product and service information. A clear, factual overview of what you offer. This is not a sales page — write it for a reporter, not a customer.

Media coverage clippings. Links or PDFs of any positive coverage your business has received. Past coverage signals credibility and helps a journalist see you as a legitimate subject worth featuring.

Contact information. A dedicated media contact name, email, and phone number. Don't make a reporter hunt for how to reach you — it's the last thing standing between you and a story.

Format Your Kit So People Can Actually Use It

Save your materials as PDFs. They're device-agnostic, maintain consistent formatting across operating systems, and can be shared securely without worrying about how the file renders on the other end. When assembling your kit, you may need to trim pages, tighten margins, or remove extra whitespace; you can crop a PDF online to resize and clean up pages directly in any browser without downloading software. Adobe Acrobat's free online crop tool handles single or multiple pages at once.

Once your kit is built, keep it current. A media kit listing a discontinued product or an award from five years ago works against you. Plan to review and update it at least every six months — your business has changed, and your kit should reflect that.

Making Your Media Kit Work in Claremore

The Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce's Chamber Chat e-newsletter reaches more than 600 subscribers — including city leaders and local media contacts. That's a built-in distribution channel for your story. Your media kit is what ensures that story gets told the way you want it told.

Start simple: a company overview, one team bio, and your most recent press release is a functional kit. Upload it to a dedicated press or media page on your website. Add clippings as you earn coverage. Build from there as your milestones grow.

The businesses in this region that earn consistent media attention aren't always the biggest — they're the ones that made it easy for a reporter to say yes.