Online press kit: what to include and how to send it to journalists
What goes into a press kit, in which formats and at what resolution, and how to send it to journalists as a link instead of tens of megabytes of attachments.
Daniel Robert Dinu, founder of Nivlo ·
The short answer: an online press kit is a folder a journalist opens from a link and finds everything needed to write the story: the press release, high-resolution photos with captions and credits, the logo, a short company fact sheet, headshots of spokespeople and a contact who picks up the phone. Paste the release into the email body too, and send the rest as a link, not as attachments.
Why it matters
In Cision’s State of the Media 2025 report, a survey of more than 3,000 journalists in 19 markets, 72% said the press release is still the most useful resource PR teams can offer. Most said they had used at least one image supplied by PR in their stories.
So your photos really do get published, as long as journalists can find them quickly, at the right quality and with clear usage rights. A good press kit does exactly that.
What to include
| Material | Format | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Press release | PDF and DOCX, plus the text in the email body | clear headline, date, a quote, contact details at the end |
| Photos | JPG: web version and original | 5–15 chosen images, not 200; each with a caption and photo credit |
| Logo | transparent PNG and SVG or vector PDF | colour and white versions; see brand guidelines |
| Company fact sheet | one-page PDF | what you do, since when, where, 3–5 verifiable figures |
| Spokespeople | JPG headshots + a 3–4 line bio | name and title spelled exactly as you want them printed |
| Contact | in the release and in the kit | name, phone, email; someone who replies the same day |
| Video (optional) | MP4 | 30–90 seconds of footage without text (b-roll), plus the edited clip |
Captions and credits can go in a text file alongside the photos (photo-captions.txt) or straight into the file name, for example 2026-10-30_lumen-one-launch_stage_photo-jsmith.jpg. You’ll find naming templates in our guide to file naming conventions.
Press kit or media kit?
The terms get mixed up, but they mean different things:
- Press kit: for journalists. Material about a company, product or event they can use in coverage.
- Media kit: for advertisers. The audience of a publication, podcast or creator, ad formats and rates.
How to send it
- The release in the email body. The journalist sees the story without opening anything.
- Everything else through a link, near the top of the email. Attachments of tens of megabytes land in spam or get rejected by the mail server. Exact limits per email provider are in our guide on how to send large files.
- Two versions of each photo: the web version for websites and the original for print. An online reporter doesn’t need 40 MB per photo.
- A link that doesn’t expire the next day. Many free transfer services delete files after 3–7 days, and journalists come back to the materials after publication.
- Clear rights. State in the kit that photos may be used editorially with the credit shown. Check beforehand that the photographer and the people pictured agree.
How to do it in Nivlo
In Nivlo, a press kit is an ordinary folder: the release, photos, logo and fact sheet, each tagged. Every image automatically gets a web version optimised for press and websites.
When it’s ready, you create a share link to the folder and choose: view only, download the web version or download the originals, plus an expiry date if you want one. From the Professional plan the link can have a password, and from Business you can restrict it to a newsroom’s email domain. Journalists don’t need an account.
If the photos come from an outside photographer, send them an upload link to the same folder and the files land there directly, no WeTransfer needed.
Common mistakes
- 200 unsorted photos. Journalists don’t have time to make the selection for you. Choose 5–15.
- Photos without credits. A journalist can’t publish them without knowing who took them and whether they may.
- The logo only as a small JPG. Include a transparent PNG and a vector version.
- A link that expires after a week. Follow-up stories run a month later.
- No contact. A release without a phone number that answers loses the stories written on deadline.
Frequently asked questions
What should a press kit include?
The press release, 5–15 high-resolution photos with captions and photo credits, the logo as PNG and vector, a short company fact sheet with key figures, bios and headshots of spokespeople, and a contact person. Video and graphics are optional.
What's the difference between a press kit and a media kit?
A press kit is for journalists: material about a company or event they can use in coverage. A media kit is for advertisers: a publication's or creator's audience, ad formats and rates.
Should I send a press kit as an attachment or a link?
As a link. Paste the press release into the email body and share photos and other materials through a download link. Large attachments end up in spam or fill the journalist's inbox.
What resolution should press photos be?
Provide both: a web version (about 1600–2000 px on the long edge, under 1 MB) for online use and the full-resolution original for print.
How long should the press kit link stay active?
At least several weeks after the event or launch. Journalists come back to the materials after the first story runs.
Sources
Want to see how it works in Nivlo? Book a demo or see pricing.