If you sell services on the Internet such as advertising, developing a media kit is important so that you provide advertisers with all the pertinent information that the may require.
For the purposes of this article, I will describe how to create a media kit for an ezine, but this could also apply to selling advertising space on your web site or in your ebook.
Media kits can come in different forms such as cards, brochures, pamphlets and web pages. On your web site for your ezine you should have an online media kit that will generally answer any questions that potential advertisers will have such as demographics, ad rates, circulation, etc.
Probably the most important item that potential advertisers look for is the cost of placing an ad in your publication. You should include your circulation number (the number of subscribers to your ezine), so potential advertisers have an idea of how many people they will be reaching for the price they are paying.
You should include the cost of placing a classified ad. Also include any guidelines that you may have in placing a classified ad with your ezine.
It is a good idea to list any discounts you have for multiple ads. Offering a discount will entice a potential advertiser to order more ads. You should specify in your media kit which type of discounts are available.
For example, if you offer a deal such as buy three ads and get the fourth ad for free, you should let the advertiser know through your media kit. Or another example could be if you order three ads you get a ten percent discount off the total price. Spell out all this information in your media kit.
You should also specify the method of payment you accept in your media kit. What do you accept? Do you accept cash, check or money order? Do you accept credit cards? An example of a media kit or rate card for our imaginary publication could be as follows:
<Example Starts Here>
-----------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your
interest in advertising in Romance
Ezine. Information
about our publication:
Circulation: 30,000
Demographics:
Most of our readers
are between the ages of 17 and 65 who are
interested in learning
new romantic tips or improving
their present relationship.
55% of our readers are female; 45% are male
75% have purchased a product or service on the Internet.
Name of Publisher: Gauher Chaudhry
First issue published: December 2001
Cost per issue:
1 issue - $10
2 issues - $20
3 issues - $30,
plus get the 4th ad free
Top Sponsor - $25
Ad size criteria:
Maximum 5 lines, 64 characters per line. We
not accept adult
ads and reserve the right to reject any ad we
deem not to be suitable.
Payment Methods: Check, Money Order, and Credit Card
Click here to Order: http://www.romanceezine.com/order.html
<Example Ends Here>
You do not need to include your entire media kit in each issue of your ezine. You should create your media kit on a web site and in an email autoresponder for quick access by a potential advertiser. Just create a link to the web page on your web site that contains the media kit.
It is important to have your media kit in an email autoresponder. An email autoresponder is an automated computer generated response to a request for information via email. This response may consist of a sales letter, price list, or any information that would be useful to a potential customer.
People who cannot access the World Wide Web will still be able to request your media kit and get an instant response from your autoresponder. You will now lose as many sales to your competitors if you quickly get the information to an advertiser.
Remember, not only
does a media kit apply to ezine advertising, you can also create one for
advertising on your web site or future ebooks.