I have been hear on the Café about when trying to market there shows they have a press kit. Though I haven't heard a lot about whats included in the press kit. So what are some of things that need to be in it?

Thanks for the help

Chris

Mine includes a personlized letter to whom I am sending it to, head shot, reference letters, a short promotional video, business card, an upcoming performance schedule, and a brochure.

Depending on the situation or what the person is in to; I may include a small gift like a Magic Castle guest pass, a sleeve of golf balls, a cheap magic book, t-shirt, etc. However, this is usually not included. If you are trying to get a real expensive long-term gig, go for a more expensive gift.

Fred Becker talks about sending a director's chair, popcorn, candy, and mock tickets with his press kit to the Entertainment Director of Disney Cruise Lines. He spent <$100 and got a $40,000 contract.

I heard Fred tell that story and that was very clever.

The promo packets I mail out to my main market usually includes two main elements 1) The lead generation or sales letter and 2) my promo packet. Let me talk a bit about each, what is included in them and why I do it the way I do. Perhaps this might help give insight when creating your own.

Keep in mind that at the point of me mailing these out, several things have already taken place. These mailings are not sent out as a first time contact with the suspect. Before I mail these out I have already:

- Figured out the general areas in which I want to work

- Obtained a client list in the market I want to work in my own area.

- Cold-called the people on my list NOT to sell to them but to simply ask who the entertainment decision maker is and if I might be able to mail them my packet for consideration.

- Update and finalize my contact list with the new information obtained from my cold calling.

This means that my list I am mailing out to has been what I refer to as pre-qualified. This means that I am sending information out to the RIGHT decision maker for that market and therefor I have a much greater percentage of return rate on my promo packet mailings.

With all of this said, I send out a letter along with my promo packet to the entertainment contact (decision maker) I have on my master list.

- Lead Letter: Because I am sending this letter along with my promo packet, I tend to keep my letter to one single page in length. My goal is to simply get their attention, peak their interest so they want to open the packet and get the details of what I can do for them and how I can solve the problems they are faced with.

My letter is personalized to the contact I am sending to. This is an important step so that the person feels it is not so much a form letter or a solicitation. Now you have a better chance of them opening your mail any ways because of your pre-qualification process. They know to expect something in the mail from you.

In the letter I give them a feel for who I am, exactly what event or events I am interested in helping them with, a little about similar clients I have worked for in the past as well as a quote or two from previous customers. I also make sure to end the letter with a call to action to give them incentive to contact me for further information and to get them to make the next logical step in the sales process.

A call to action can be anything from a discount coupon you include in the letter to a free report that they can get from you that tells them the top 10 things to remember when hiring for entertainment to even a percentage off their price if they simply contact you in a said amount of time. All these are incentives to get the prospect interested in taking that next step.

- Promo Packet: This is really where I go into detail about the who, what, when, why and how of my performances and what I can do for their event. Everything they could ever want to know about me and the types of shows I do is placed in this kit for them to review.

However, I make sure that my kit does several things for me.

- That it is of top quality in both design, presentation and the materials that I use

- That it is clean in appearance and easy for them to follow

- That each section of the promo is clear so that they can find the exact information they are interested in easily

In my promo kit, I keep each section by itself on its own 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper. This is printed on my color letterhead paper and run through my printer at home. Because I do it this way I solve several problems:

- I can customize each sheet to my client without the expense of having to reprint my entire kit over again.

- I can update the page with new information after each event I do. If a new client gets added, I can add them with ease.

- It keeps my overall cost down since I am paying only for my initial stationary print job.

Now because each section is on its own page, this makes it very easy for the prospect to flip through the pages and find the exact information that they might be interested in most. It is all categorized for them. Some of the categories I try to include as separate sheets are:

- Bio - A short bio that helps introduce yourself, who you are and what you are all about.

- Client Listings - List of the various clients you have worked for in categories so it is easy to read.

- Client Quotes - List of some of the top quotes you have obtained over the years from other events and or markets you have worked.

- The Kyle and Kelly Difference - This is my page that explains in detail why our performance is different then any other they may have had in the past. It explains a bit of the features of my festival show as well as how these directly can benefit them and solve their needs.

- Advertising Sheet - This has my logos on it in color and black and white and tells them various ways in which they can use this sheet for their own advertising needs. It also explains clearly about our stage name and the importance to them and us to use the full name instead of just saying a Magician will be there.

- Awards and Honors - This is a sheet where I list the awards and honors I have received while performing magic. Now keep in mind that I list these only if they are in a direct relationship to the type of show I am offering. In my case, I list my awards I have won for children's magic as well as the stage awards I have won. This is a way for them to see that I not only have experience with doing family style shows, but I am at the top of my game as well. Do not include awards that have no relationship to what you are offering to your specific market.

Those are the main sheets I include in my kit. I also try to include the following that are not directly printed on my stationary but are important in getting my message across to the decision maker. These include:

- 8 by 10 photos of me and my wife in performance at various events (in our market) we have worked. Some of the photos are publicity shots or head shots that shows who we are and can be used for advertising. Others are a sheet that has combined images together that shows the direct show we do and the audience interaction and reaction we get from our performances.

- An oversized postcard that is a small version of our poster. This is a way for them to see what our show is like and gives them a feel for our presentation.

- A business card that is in a slit so that it does not get lost or moved around.

- Sometimes I will also include a business card magnet so that they might be able to place this and be able to see my name and contact information on a daily basis.

That is pretty much what I include in my promo kit and it has worked quite well for me. I make sure to place the kit inside of an envelope with the letter on top so that the letter is the first thing they see with their name on it.

I also make sure the envelope is also done nicely with my logo identity so it all fits together. This is important so that when it gets to their desk, they know exactly who it is from and it does not get tossed away.

My envelope is a standard size that an 8.5 by 11 size can fit into without folding. I do this for a reason so that my mailing to them does not get lost with the other mail. It stands out in the mail and they see it clearly.

I hope this gives you some insight and help into what I do myself for my own promo kit mailings. If anyone has any questions, issues or concerns, please just post them here and let me know. I would be happy to help you out.

Kyle

I've heard that the The Village Idiots sent a Bowling Ball in their press kit....Got them on Carnival Cruise Lines.

Thank you guys for the help. You gave me some great ideas to work with.

Chris

Slim hit on it. You gotta have SOMETHING that makes them pick up yours instead of someone elses. Good work slim.

That is the point. It can be NOTHING and if it is picked up first many times you get the job. At some point we are all interchangible to agents. Once you reach a level, it is true.

Don't OVERLOAD it. Nobody really gives a hoot about the Magic Castle outside of magic. Nobody gives a rats patootie that you won the award for close up at the magic contest at your local club. (I know these are generalizations, but I really don't mean NOBODY, but most people)

PROFESSIONAL work resume. That matters to prospective agents. Clients vary as to who your client is.

Most kits I see have far too much paper in them. Yea you have to include letters, but there is a limit. Spend more time making it "look good" and less time filling it up.

You have to reach a happy medium. Enough to look like a working pro, but not enough to be cumbersome to read.

Don't forget agents get literally hundreds of these a week. I KNOW Carnival does. I was in the office watching how he went through them. Slim's bowling ball idea really would get their attention.

Be unique.

Danny, that wasn't Slims idea but I'm glad you liked it. He gave credit where it was due. Thanks Slim. To be specific the ball was mailed two days before the video. Make 'em wonder.

Next I'm gonna send a giant stuffed purple gorilla to Ellen D. It is gorilla marketing after all.

Sillily,
Will

I meant the idea he mentioned. He indeed gave credit where credit was due. Sorry.

BUT let's face it, fantastic.