When trying to sell advertising (in your ezine, on your site or for other applications) you'll often get the response, "Send me your media kit and I'll look it over." That sentence usually strikes a note of anxiety in most small business owners. I think the reason is because many don't understand what a media kit is or what it should offer.

Media kits that advance your sales offer certain components designed to give a clear picture of the benefits oft advertising with you. It paints a picture of what the prospective customer will receive and how the customer will expand his/her customer base due to exposure to your subscribers or site visitors.

A media kit usually contains the following:

• Stats Page    Consider the questions you would have if purchasing advertising from others. You would most likely want to know the circulations of an ezine, or the number of hits or page views a site receives. You would be curious as to how many new subscribers or visitors they receive monthly. You would want information on the target audience this outlet reaches (including ages, sex, occupation and education level). Finally, you'd want to know the cost of the available advertisements.

Laying out all this information in an easy-to-read style will allow your prospects to view, at a glance, the pertinent information they need to make a decision.

• Press Release           A press release or advertisement copy (called a tear sheet) is generally included in order to show the customer that you are actively promoting your publication or site. Media/advertising buyers understand that a business, which continually increases its circulation or page views, is more likely to provide good results.

Make sure your release or tear sheet is recent. It won't make much of an impression to send outdated material.

• Business Card           Yes, your contact information may be on your site, or you might have provided it to the customer via email or phone. However, including a business card is a simple courtesy that prevents the customer from having to look for your information. For online media kits simply provide a link to your contact information. The key is to make contacting you and placing orders simple.

• Company Profile       This document should include a brief company history along with other more recent news about your business. Growth ratios, estimated sales figures, percentages of circulation increase over the last several months, etc. can all be included to show the advertisers that your business is a good investment for his/her advertising dollars. The profile should be approximately 2 pages in length.

• Photos or Samples   Everyone likes to see what they are purchasing. Providing a sample issue of your ezine or a few photos (screen shots) of your Web site displaying banner ads, etc. is a good visual motivator. It also allows the advertiser to experience your product first hand.

• Testimonials From Customers                     Showing the end results from other's advertising experiences will make quite an impact on your customers. When they see that current customers are getting excellent results from their ads, you demonstrate the effectiveness of your offer. If you don't have any testimonials, ask your current clients for some. Suggest that they include the length of time they've advertised with you and what their average results have been.

• Cover Letter             If you'll be mailing paper media kits, be sure to include a cover letter. Thank the prospect for their interest and make specific references as to how your publication/site has provided success for others in related industries.

• All Enclosed In A Folder       A professional presentation is vital. Unfortunately, I've seen far too many "cheap" looking media kits. They were simply printed on standard copier paper (or worse yet... were photo copies of originals), stapled or paper clipped together and shoved into an envelope. That approach won't convince anyone to purchase from you.

Print all your materials as originals onto laser (or better quality) paper. Place them neatly in a heavyweight, pocketed folder.

For online kits, create a downloadable pdf document in Adobe. This will allow your visitors to quickly get your information in a convenient form that is readable by both Mac and PC.

Remember... these prospects don't know you. They are trying to make a decision, and the only thing they have to base that decision on is what you offer them. Make sure professionalism is a primary consideration in everything you do.

Once your complete media kit is professionally prepared, it will offer your potential clients all the information they need to see why your advertising offer is one that will be well worth the money!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Karon Thackston is Owner and President of KT & Associates who offers targeted copywriting, copy editing & ezine article services. Visit her site at http://www.ktamarketing.com