Reporters leave a press conference with a notebook, a recording and whatever you hand them. When they sit down to file, often with another story waiting, the kit decides how accurate, how complete and how quick their piece is. A thin kit means calls to your team at deadline. A bloated one means the useful page is lost in the folder.
This checklist is how Indian PR Distribution (IPRD)® prepares kits for press conferences: what goes in, in what form, and the details that make the difference for Indian and Kolkata desks.
Key takeaways
- The release, a one-page fact sheet, spokesperson profiles, captioned photos and a named contact are the core. Everything else is optional.
- A digital kit, by a short link or QR code at the media desk, is what most reporters actually use. Print a few for those who prefer paper.
- Name every photo file and caption every image with the people in it, left to right.
- In Kolkata, a natively written Bengali release and fact sheet belong in the kit alongside the English versions.
- Keep the kit to what helps a reporter write the story. Brochures and merchandise rarely do.
The core kit
| Item | What it contains | Why a reporter needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Press release | The announcement, written to file: headline, lead, quotes, details, boilerplate | The story in publishable form |
| Fact sheet | One page of numbers, dates, names and places | Quick checking without reading the release again |
| Spokesperson profiles | Name, title as it should appear in print, a short bio, a portrait | Correct names and titles, and a photo for the page |
| Photos | Product, people and event images, high resolution, captioned | Pictures that let the story run with an image |
| Company background | A short note on the organisation, with any figures you are happy to see in print | Context for the second paragraph |
| Media contact | A named person, phone and email, available that evening | Someone to call before deadline |
Add to it only what the story needs: a product specification sheet for a launch, a route map for a transport service, a book details box for a book launch (our guide on book launch press releases has one), or a timeline for a milestone announcement.
Copy-ready press kit checklist
Press kit checklist: [Event name], [Date], [Venue]
Writing
- [ ] Press release in English, final and approved
- [ ] Press release in Bengali (or the regional language), written natively and approved
- [ ] Fact sheet, one page, figures checked against the release
- [ ] Spokesperson profiles with titles exactly as they should appear in print
- [ ] Company background note and boilerplate
- [ ] Quote sheet: the two or three lines you most want used
Visuals
- [ ] Product or subject photos, full resolution, named files
- [ ] Spokesperson portraits, full resolution
- [ ] Logo files
- [ ] Caption sheet: every photo, people named left to right
- [ ] Video b-roll or a short clip, if the story has one
Access
- [ ] Digital kit live at a short link, tested on a phone
- [ ] QR code to the kit printed at the media desk
- [ ] Printed kits for reporters who prefer paper
- [ ] Embargo line on every document, if there is one
- [ ] Media contact name, phone and email on every document
After the event
- [ ] Event photos added to the kit within hours, captioned
- [ ] Kit link sent to every invited desk, including those who did not attend
Printed or digital?
| Digital kit | Printed kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Photos | Full-resolution files a desk can use | Printed images that cannot go to the page |
| Updates | Event photos added the same day | Fixed at printing |
| Reach | One link to every desk, including absentees | Only those in the room |
| Feel | Practical | Tangible, useful for guests and senior reporters |
| Best for | Every press conference | A small number at the media desk |
We make the digital kit the default, with a short link and a QR code at the media desk, and print a modest number for reporters and guests who prefer a folder. A USB drive or a printed brochure is rarely worth the cost.
Fact sheet template
Fact sheet: [Announcement in one line]
What: [The news in one sentence]
Who: [Organisation], [spokesperson name and title]
When: [Launch, opening or effective date]
Where: [City, location, coverage area]
Key figures: [Investment, jobs, capacity, range, price where public, users, as relevant]
Availability: [Where and how the product or service can be bought or used]
Background: [Two lines on the organisation: founded, base, scale]
Media contact: [Name], [phone], [email]
Every figure on the fact sheet should match the release exactly. Reporters check one against the other, and a mismatch becomes the question at the Q&A.
Photos and captions
A story with a usable picture gets more space. Supply images as they came from the camera, at full resolution, plus a smaller web version for digital desks. Name each file with the subject and the organisation rather than a camera number, and include a caption sheet that names everyone in each image, left to right, with titles.
After the event, add two or three of the best photographs from the day, captioned, within hours. Many desks will use an event picture over a supplied product shot, because it shows the news happening.
Languages: English and Bengali
In Kolkata, the kit should carry a Bengali release and fact sheet written natively, not translated. Bengali desks file faster from Bengali copy, and a natively written headline reads as news. The facts, figures and quotes must be identical in both versions, so the record stays consistent across papers. Spokesperson names and titles should be spelt in Bengali the way you want them to appear.
For national or multi-city stories, add versions for the other languages the story needs. We write in 11 Indian languages for exactly this reason.
Embargoes and what to leave out
If the news is embargoed until the press conference starts, put the embargo time at the top of every document and on the digital kit page. Release the kit link only at the media desk or at the embargo time.
Leave out anything you would not want quoted: internal plans, draft figures, unapproved quotes, pricing that is not yet public. Everything in the kit can be printed. A useful test before release: would you be comfortable seeing every page of the kit photographed and published?
Where the kit fits
The kit is one part of a press conference that also needs the right list, the right invitation and a well-run room. Our guide on how to organise a press conference covers the full plan, and the press conference page sets out how we run it, managed from venue to coverage or media relations only. If the announcement does not need a room at all, a press release or press statement may serve it better.
Frequently asked questions
What should a press kit include for a press conference?
The press release, a one-page fact sheet, spokesperson profiles with titles, high-resolution captioned photos, a short company background and a named media contact. Add only what the story needs, such as a specification sheet or a route map.
Should a press kit be printed or digital?
Digital by default, through a short link and a QR code at the media desk, because desks need full-resolution files and the kit can be updated with event photos. Print a small number for reporters and guests who prefer paper.
How long should a fact sheet be?
One page. Numbers, dates, names, places and a media contact, with every figure matching the press release exactly.
Do I need a Bengali press kit for a press conference in Kolkata?
Yes, for most stories. A natively written Bengali release and fact sheet, with the same facts as the English version, helps Bengali desks file quickly and accurately.
When should the press kit be sent to journalists?
Hand it over at the media desk, then send the link to every invited desk within hours of the event, with the day's photographs added. If the news is embargoed, release the kit at the embargo time.
