A tech journalist DMs you before lunch and asks for screenshots and a quote by end of day. You search your drive to grab a clean logo, two headshots and a short boilerplate. You scramble through folders and rename files while the clock ticks. Meanwhile, another startup replies with one link and two clicks. They get the slot. You’re told you’ll be kept in mind for the next time.
In November 2025, we surveyed 287 founders across our customers, readers and social media follower. The results paint a clear picture of urgency.
- 59% of small startups do not have a live press page: 39% have nothing yet and 28% only have a draft in Notion or a doc.
- Time and uncertainty are the top blockers with 31% citing time or bandwidth and 28% unsure what to include.
- When asked what feels hardest, case studies and testimonials lead at 27%, followed by leadership bios at 17%.
- As for timing, 34% plan to have a usable kit ready at public launch, while 19% say they would post a press kit after PMF.
Small teams and startups know they need a press kit, but what is it, and what goes in it? By the end of this guide, you will have a clean, one page press kit live on your site that any journalist can use without emailing you.
What is a press kit
A press kit (also called a media kit) is a public webpage or PDF that bundles company facts, leadership bios, high-res logos, product images, and a press contact so journalists can cover you quickly and accurately without back-and-forth.
Press kits are designed to be all assets needed for a journalist, self-contained in one link, allowing the journalist to grab what they need with zero back and forth.
At a minimum, what goes in a startup press kit?
- Company description or one-liner written in two or three sentences
- Founder headshots and one paragraph bios
- Product screenshots or photos in web and print ready sizes
- Logo pack in SVG and PNG with dark and light variants, plus simple usage notes
- Fast facts such as founded date, category and one traction metric you are comfortable sharing
- Press contact with name, email and phone number (you can use a free service like Google Voice)
- Links to recent coverage or releases if any
- Ideally, a customer quote
Keep it at one URL in your site footer labeled Press or Media. This is the first place journalists look.
The 60 minute press kit checklist
00 to 10 min: Create a page at yourdomain.tld/press/ with the components below.
10 to 25 min: Drop in your company one-liner, fast facts and a press contact that you actually monitor. If you’re the owner, list your phone number and email address. You don’t need a press@ email address.
25 to 35 min: Upload a logo pack with SVG and a 1024 px PNG. Add two or three product images that are at least 2000 px on the short side. Add two founder headshots at least 1600 px square.
35 to 45 min: Paste founder bios of 100 to 150 words each and include one short quote per founder that a reporter can lift.
45 to 55 min: Add two or three select mentions or press releases. If you have none, remove the section and keep shipping.
55 to 60 min: Add a Press link in the footer, test every download, and add alt text to each image.
Stealable asset 1: Copy and paste press kit page template
Press Kit
Boilerplate company one-liner
Fast Facts
- Founded
- Category
- Customers or traction
- HQ or Remote
Founders
Name, Role – 100 to 150 word bio with one specific credential or result.
“Approved quote” — one to two sentences in a reporter friendly tone.
[Headshot download].
Personal LinkedIn profile link, or links to external accreditationsLogos & Brand Assets
[Download logo pack SVG and PNG]
Use the light logo on dark backgrounds. Leave space around the mark.Product Images
[Three to five web ready JPGs plus link to hi-res zip file]Press & Announcements
- Title of story or press release – link
- Title of story or press release – link
Social Media
Include links to your company social profilesContact
Press inbox ([email protected]), (Founder’s Name, title, email, phone number
How to use this template Keep the page public and ungated. Host your heavy assets in a simple public folder if you need to save time. Name files clearly so a reporter can understand them in one glance.
Stealable asset 2: 10 point press kit QA checklist
- All download links work
- Logos include SVG and PNG with transparent backgrounds
- Images are at least 2000 px on the short side and filenames are descriptive
- Each bio includes one proof point
- Boilerplate/one-liner is 60 words or fewer and written in plain language
- The press contact is a monitored inbox
- Caption text exists for all images
- The footer includes a site-wide Press link
- No gating or no email walls
- The page loads quickly
- Text on the webpage can be copy and pasted
Pro tips that save you from back and forth
- Keep logos in SVG and a 1024px width PNG so designers and editors both win
- Offer two background options for logos labeled dark and light
- Provide at least a square headshot for each founder
- Add a one sentence quote per founder that can run without edits
- Zip a full asset pack with a short readme so a reporter can get everything in one click
Press kit vs. Media kit vs. Press release
People may use the terms press kit, media kit and press release interchangeably, but they serve their own purposes.
| Asset | Purpose | Best when | Core contents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press kit | Enable quick, accurate coverage | Launches, funding, steady press interest | One-liner, fast facts, bios, logos, product images, press contact |
| Media kit | Broader brand overview (beyond news) | Ongoing PR, partnerships, advertisers | Company story, audience, case studies, testimonials, brand guidelines |
| Press release | Announce one specific piece of news | Discrete news events | Headline, date, body, quotes, boilerplate, media contact |
Deep dive into what’s needed for a press kit
It’s easier to build a good press kit when you know what good looks like.
What to include, must have and nice to have
Start with the minimum, and then add flourish after launch.
Must have for v1
- Boilerplate/one-liner written in two or three sentences
- Press contact with a monitored inbox
- Logos in SVG and PNG
- Founder headshots with short bios
- Product images or screenshots in web and print sizes
- Fast facts with founded date, category, and one traction metric
Nice to have once the page is live
- Brand color values and typography
- Short B-roll clips for video producers/editors
- Two short case studies or testimonial quotes
- Awards or third party badges
- A pronunciation guide for tricky names
- Simple newsroom archives for releases
File specs and naming that prevent chaos
Name files so a stranger understands them. Set sizes so editors never ping you.
- Logos. Use SVG as the primary source. Provide a 1024 px PNG in dark and light variants. Name them brand primary dot svg and brand light dot png.
- Images. Set the short side to at least 2000 px. Use JPG for photos at quality 80 to 85. Use PNG for UI with transparency. Use filenames like product dashboard dot jpg and product results dot png.
- Headshots. Export 1600 x 1600 JPG on a neutral background. Provide both color and black and white. Name them firstname lastname headshot color dot jpg and firstname lastname headshot bw dot jpg.
- Zip packs. Offer a single archive with all assets. Include a README.txt with usage rules and credit language.
Best-in-class guideline: Anything that ships to a newsroom folder gets a versioned filename with a date suffix. Example: yourstartup_logos_v1_2025_11.zip. That way, editors know if they have the latest file.
Founder bios that reporters actually use
Give a clear role, one proof point and a short origin story. Add one pre-approved quote.
Structure for each bio:
- Role and scope
- One-line credibility such as a past company, patent or award
- One or two sentences on the relevant origin story
- Optional personal detail that adds color without babbling or bragging
- One short approved quote that reads clean in copy
Bio template:
[Name] is the [title] at [Startup], building [X] for [ideal customer profile]. Previously [relevant proof].
“[Short approved quote about your mission or problem.]”
Make it skimmable. Use numerals for specific results, such as 18% error reduction or 3 million messages processed. Put the quote in a reporter friendly voice, not a marketing pitch.
One-liner company description that lands on first read
State who it is for, the outcome, and the category with one differentiator. Keep it human.
Boilerplate template:
[Startup] helps [target user] [outcome] with [category or product].
Teams use [Startup] to [one to two concrete tasks]. Founded by [names], [Startup] is backed by or used by [social proof if any].
If you want more guidance on how to write this company statement, read our blog post on startup positioning.
Write it once and reuse it everywhere. Docs. Releases. Decks. Profiles. Consistency compounds trust.
Example patterns to learn from
Copy the patterns below.
- Clean and fast template. Two clear Calls-to-Action placed near the top of the page: Contact us and Download our assets. The rest of the page supports those actions. I use this model with dev tool teams that deal with tight newsroom deadlines.
- Brand guidance up front model. Logo usage guidelines and asset downloads appear above the fold. Editors get what they need in one scroll.
- Product-first gallery model. A grid of high resolution images lives on a public folder, linked on the page. I recommend this to consumer apps with highly visual stories.
Each pattern keeps the mental load low for a journalist on a clock. Your press kit earns you coverage when it eliminates decisions and searching.
Hosting and format decisions
Pick the fastest path that still looks credible.
- Good enough now. A native web page on your site that links to a public folder such as Drive or Dropbox for heavy assets. The web page is the home, and the folder is just storage.
- Newsroom (not recommended for launch). A newsroom site section with simple categories for press releases, media assets and bios. Add basic analytics such as outbound click tracking and file download counts.
Governance that keeps the kit fresh
Assign one owner, and decide when to update.
- Owners. Name one person in your team. Founder, Ops or Chief of Staff works well for early stage. Write the owner at the top of your internal doc.
- Cadence. Update after each release or on a monthly rhythm. Tie the update to a calendar reminder and a five minute checklist.
- Versioning. Date your zip files and assets. Leave existing filenames in place so bookmarks and past links do not break. Add a new version with a new dated name.
- Analytics. Track outbound clicks on logo packs and image links. Tag zip links with UTM so you can segment by campaign or launch moment. A basic site analytics tool or a link shortener is enough. If you’re trying to launch quickly, skip the analytics. The real north star is getting press coverage, not press page clicks.
Making sure your press kit can be found
- Add a Press link to the site footer and the About page.
- Include the link in your email signature.
- Create a media list in your CRM. Track incoming requests and the questions you receive. Feed those requests back into the page on your next update.
- Pin the link in your company social profiles and your personal LinkedIn featured section.
Example press kits
You can typically find press kits online by visiting a domain and adding /press/ at the end.
Here are a few examples I like:
Hotjar leads with its contact info and social proof
Glean highlights its press releases, giving journalists ideas for what to cover
Airbnb leads with its mission statement and its massive scale and reach
Kit showcases its large-scale announcements and awards
Every company takes its own approach and flavor, but you’ll see they all answer the core questions.
Success criteria for a perfect press kit and next steps
You’ll know you have a good press kit when:
- Reporters stop asking for logos and headshots because the Press kit page answers the ask.
- Your team grabs bios and facts from the same source for decks, events and partner posts.
- You see asset downloads in analytics and referral traffic to product pages from your press page.
How to keep momentum this week
- Put a Press link in your site footer.
- Add two product images, two headshots, and a logo pack to the page.
- Paste the boilerplate, fast facts, and one approved quote per founder.
- Ask your closest partner to publish a short blurb about your company using the assets on your page.
- Create a CRM tag for media and log every request so you can close gaps on the next update.
You built the product. Now, make it effortless to cover.
FAQs about press kits
What is the fastest way to publish a startup press kit today
I create a simple page at mysite.com/press, paste the template from the guide, upload a logo pack and two founder headshots, add two or three product images, then link the page in the footer. I test every download link and add alt text before sharing.
Where should the press kit live on my site
Put it on the main domain under a clear URL such as /press or /media so reporters and partners can find it from any page. I place links in the footer and on the About page for redundancy.
What file formats and sizes do reporters expect
I provide SVG and a 1024 px PNG for logos, 1600 by 1600 JPG headshots, and product images that are at least 2000 px on the short edge. I keep filenames descriptive and consistent so assets are easy to cite.
How many images should I include
Three to five images cover most stories. I include one or two clean product views, one interface or dashboard, and approved headshots. If I have more, I add a link to a public folder and keep the page fast.
Do I need a PDF version too
A PDF one pager helps when someone wants to save or forward an overview. I still make the live page canonical, then add a small link to the PDF as a secondary option.
Can I host the kit in Notion or GitBook
Yes, especially for v1. I still mirror the link from mysite.com/press so the URL remains stable, and I ensure downloads are public without sign in.
How do I measure if the press kit is working
Track outbound clicks on asset links, watch referral traffic from the /press page, and log inbound journalist requests. I tag ZIP downloads with UTM parameters to attribute coverage and partnerships.
How often should I update the kit
Set a monthly reminder or update it after each release. I date ZIP files, avoid renaming existing assets, and keep the boilerplate and fast facts aligned with what we are saying in pitches.
