How to make a press kit to promote your business during a pool trade show

To avoid the main pitfalls that trap Piscine Global Europe exhibitors, here are some tips on how to make the perfect press kit!

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As a supplier or manufacturer in a sector where innovations appear every day, you must communicate regularly with the press to relay your corporate news. Showing your services or products at pool trade shows to highlight them for journalists and maximize your visibility is a “must”! To do that, you need an attractive press kit – a delicate undertaking as your competitors all have their own. To avoid the main pitfalls that trap Piscine Global Europe exhibitors, here are some tips on how to make your press kit!

All pool professionals need a press kit!

It is essential to feed information to journalists specializing in pools so the market knows what your company is doing.

Your kit must contain everything the media need to relay important information about your business such as:

  • your latest innovations
  • your products and services
  • any changes in your company positioning. 

This is not easy to do as to get journalists interested and give them the scoops they are looking for, your media kit must be different from your competitors. This is why many businesses delegate their preparation to specialized Press Relations agencies full of outstanding ideas!

Who will read your press kit? 
Check out the list of our media partners in 2018

Adopting the persona of journalists to make press kits they want to use is not that easy!

The first pitfall that traps pool companies is to think of their press kit as advertising. Disguised ads will not attract journalists and won’t get articles written. Ads are bad! The information you provide needs to be factual, clear, coherent and organized, just like a press or media article!

Your aim is to facilitate the job of journalists who will read your media kit. It is essential to rank the importance of your news and not try to get everything about everything in. Journalists need to understand important information at once and find all the elements needed to write the article in the release.

This is a real balancing act. You want the journalist to linger over your press kit without being too egocentric.

Making a successful press kit for Piscine Global Europe pool show: the Golden Rules

The Show Press Service can explain the way they work with the media during the event, in particular the ways in which your information is distributed. Here are some basic rules to make your press kit stand out in the crowd and ensure the success of your pool trade show.

Rank the information in your press kit 

The information in your press kit must be organized and ranked in order of importance. Press Relations agencies use two techniques to do this: 

  • the funnel, going from of broad-spectrum information (your business and its positioning on the market) to precise details (your latest innovations).
  • a thematic structure with zooms on your major families of products and/or services. 

Usually, press kits start with a leading article from the CEO and/or a summary of the contents which outlines the main news elements of the document from your company’s point of view. 

Write like a journalist

The editorial style of a press kit must be like an article – informative, with simple sentences, and without jargon or acronyms (unless they are explained).

In the more corporate paragraphs, quotes from the company CEO or customers are welcome. Include the novel features of your services or products (for example technical data about a heat pump’s performances). If you have a lot of technical information to provide, add dedicated appendices rather than to overloading your press kit.

Page layout must be excellent

Cheeseparing savings on graphics are not a good idea! The look of your press kit is a crucial factor in attracting the glance of a journalist and giving a great impression. Good graphics also make it possible to communicate some technical information (for example comparative computer graphics illustrating the energy ratings of your various products). 

Even for pool robots or heat pumps feature great visuals to incite the press to re-use them. Photographs free of copyright must systematically come with credits and captions.

Use the right format

Most press kits use A4 formats, particularly as some journalists print what they get by e-mail. However, atypical formats stand out in the crowd.

To ensure brevity and save the journalists time try to limit your press kit to 20 pages and start it with the contents. 

Distribute your press kit during the pool trade show – and afterwards!

During trade shows, many exhibitors forget to write the number of the stand where journalists can meet them in their press kit – so staple on a label! And always give your full name and address etc., so journalists wanting to follow-up for further information – or an interview – can contact you! The success of your pool trade show often depends on details like that.

Keep spare copies on your stand for journalists who drop by unexpectedly. For visits like this prepare a specific pitch so as not to be taken by surprise. You can also copy your press kit graphics, photos etc. onto USB flash drives for direct use by reporters to print and copy onto the Web.

Outside the trade show, find out media copy reception and publication dates (weekly, monthly, annual or web blogs and articles) before sending out your release - early is better than late! Never send unsolicited full press kits to journalists unless they are part of your core target group and already know your company very well. It is better to send out press releases and say you can provide a full press kit for further information.

One last tip to protect journalists’ scoops: if you are showing an innovation at a pool trade show for the first time, especially if it is competing in a contest like Pool Innovations, do not disclose your release before the show! Now you hold all the trump cards to make the perfect press kit for a successful trade show… Are you ready for Piscine Global Europe 2020?

Register now – if you haven’t done so already!


© Photo credit: Comadequat 

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