In the competitive world of sports, marketing yourself is an integral part of your potential success. One of the most important things you can do as an athlete is to create a press kit, also known as a media kit. These kits are designed to spotlight you, your achievements and your skills in the best light possible. Traditionally, press kits are given to various media outlets that might be interested in doing a story on you. From high school students looking to secure a college athletic scholarship, to college students looking to make it into the pro-sports realm, a press kit vitally important.

Things You Will Need

  • Presentation folder

  • Biography

  • Statistic Sheet

  • Photographs

  • Disk

  • Press clippings

Choose a good quality presentation folder for your press kit. If possible, have folders custom made with your name and a glossy image on the cover of the folder.

Add a general information sheet in the front of your press kit. This paper should include a biography that showcases your accomplishments and achievements. When writing your biography, begin with your athletic highlights, but include other, less well-known facts about yourself. When reporters are doing a story, they often want to infuse personal anecdotes into their piece.

Attach a fact sheet highlighting your game and career statistics. If you’re a football player, you’ll want to include important statistics, such as average yards gained or points scored. Basketball players will want to include items such as free throw percentage, 3-point percentage and average points per game.

Include any press clippings featuring you that have been printed in newspapers, magazines or even on the web. Ensure the clippings you provide showcase you and your skills in the best manner possible. Also, provide good, clear copies of any press clippings you include in your kit.

Add multiple photographs so people that receive the press kit can not only read about you, but can put a face with the name. It’s generally a good idea to include a headshot, as well as an action shot or compilation of shots of you playing your particular sport.

List your specific contact information so reporters have a way to contact you for further information. Both day and evening phone numbers and e-mail addresses will usually suffice. This is a crucial step, as you don’t want them to decide to not complete a piece because they can’t reach you for additional information.

Include a disk featuring game highlights in your folder. You can often find disc pouches to attach inside your presentation folder to protect the disk.