“Could you send us your logo?” comes in, someone attaches a file, and the thread is closed. That is how most companies handle it.
Writing the reply takes time, but the bigger cost is that every file you send is one more copy you no longer control. This piece covers what a media kit is, what to put on one, where to host it, and who should be able to see it.
What a media kit is, and how it differs from a press kit
A media kit is the set of assets and facts a company publishes so that anyone covering it, partnering with it, or referencing it can get what they need without asking: logo files, brand colors, usage rules, company details.
“Press kit” is often used to mean the same thing, but it has a different origin. A press kit was the bundle put together for journalists, traditionally one per announcement. A media kit is more often the permanent address, a page that stays up.
Advertising publishers use “media kit” for something else: the circulation, audience and rate-card document aimed at advertisers. This article uses the first meaning, a page for distributing brand assets.
The trouble with emailing files
Answering each request personally is polite. Once there are a lot of them, three problems build up.
1. Updates don’t reach anyone
When the logo changes, everyone you sent the old one to still has the old one. You have no record of who got what, so there is no one to tell. That is almost the whole reason outdated logos stay up on other people’s websites.
2. The rules get separated from the files
What gets attached is an image. Clear space, minimum size, whether it can go on a photo: those rarely come along with it, so the recipient reasonably assumes they can use the file however they like. Where people on the receiving end actually get stuck is covered in using another company’s logo.
3. It depends on one person
Requests go to whoever handled the last one and stall when that person is away. When they change roles, often nobody knows for sure which file is current.
What an official page changes
Instead of writing a reply and attaching files, you send one URL.
- People get the current version. Replace the file, and everyone who visits after that gets the new one.
- The rules come with the files, because they are on the same page.
- Search engines find it. Someone searching “[company] logo” lands on your page instead of a re-upload.
- It doesn’t depend on one inbox. The URL works whoever is out of the office.
What to put on it
At minimum you need three things: the files, the rules, and a contact. With those, most requests become self-service. After that, add whatever press and partners would otherwise email you for.
The minimum
- Logo variations (horizontal, stacked, symbol only; versions for light and dark backgrounds) as SVG and PNG, plus PDF if anything goes to print
- Usage rules: clear space, minimum size, prohibited alterations, acceptable backgrounds
- A contact address for anything the rules don’t cover
Writing the rules is a separate job, covered in brand guidelines for small teams. This article only deals with what belongs on the distribution page.
What press and partners also want
- Company facts: legal name, founding year, headquarters, leadership, what you do, headcount. These are what keep coverage factually accurate
- A product summary and any public numbers (launch date, customers served)
- Product screenshots at a resolution that works in an article
- Headshots of the people who get quoted, in both portrait and landscape
- Company timeline and past releases
What to leave off
Leave off
Brand story. It doesn’t help an outsider decide where to put your logo.
Internal slide and document templates. Those belong elsewhere.
Anything not yet announced. Restricted URLs get forwarded too.
Include
How the company and product names are written (capitalization, ™ and ® usage).
A one-sentence description. It becomes the boilerplate people quote.
A last-updated date, so visitors can tell the assets are current.
Where to host it
There are four realistic options. Judge each one by whether it opens without a login, whether the URL survives an update, and whether the rules can sit next to the files.
| Where | Strengths and weaknesses |
|---|---|
| A page on your own site | The most control, and the domain authority stays with you. Every logo change needs engineering time, which gets pushed back. A good fit if your assets rarely change |
| Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox) | Fastest to set up. Share links depend on the visitor’s account and permissions and often fail to open; the folder structure and raw file names become the interface, and there is nowhere to write the rules |
| A document tool such as Notion | Rules and assets live together and are easy to update. People right-click the preview image instead of getting the actual file, and vector files aren’t handled well. Fine as a temporary home |
| A service built for brand distribution | Handles logo variations, light and dark versions and clear-space figures. MediaKit™ is one of them: the URL stays the same while the contents change, and the rules show on the same page as the files |
A page on your own site
You get the most control, and the domain authority stays with you. The downside is that every logo change needs engineering time, and that is the kind of work that gets pushed back. A good fit if your assets rarely change.
Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox)
Fastest to set up. But share links depend on the visitor’s account and permissions, and they often fail to open. The folder structure and raw file names end up as the interface, and there is nowhere to write the rules.
A document tool such as Notion
Rules and assets live together and are easy to update. Downloads are the weak spot: people right-click the preview image instead of getting the actual file, and vector files aren’t handled well. Fine as a temporary home.
A service built for brand distribution
These handle the structures this problem actually has: logo variations, light and dark versions, clear-space figures. MediaKit™ is one of them. The URL stays the same while the contents change, and the rules show on the same page as the files.
Choosing who can see it
Not every company wants everything public. Depending on what you need, three settings are useful.
Open to anyone
The default if you expect press coverage or customer stories. Being findable in search is most of the value, and you don’t have to send anything ahead of time.
Anyone with the link
For brands that haven’t launched yet, or assets meant for a limited group of partners. The page stays out of search results but opens for anyone you share the URL with.
Password protected
For distribution to partners only. Someone who receives a forwarded URL still needs the password.
URL and navigation
Once you’ve picked where it lives, give it an address people can guess. Three conventions are common:
/press— for a page covering press material in general/brand— for a page limited to logos and brand rules/media-kit— where nobody will confuse it with an advertising rate card
Then add a permanent link to it in your site footer. That is where people look first, and it tells search engines the page is a lasting part of the site and not an orphan. If the kit is hosted on an external service, put the footer link on your own domain and point it there.
If you get inquiries from other countries, publish the rules and company facts in English as well. The logo files work in any language, but the text around them doesn’t.
Getting it published
You need the logo files you already have and your color values.
- Create an account and register your organization
- Upload the logos, tagging each variation and which background it is for
- Add the brand colors
- Set clear space and minimum size (the figures are drawn automatically)
- Pick a publication setting, publish, and link it from your footer
Step-by-step instructions are in the upload guide, and you can browse kits that are already published in the directory.
Sending someone your logo is easy. The harder part is making sure it stays correct after it leaves your hands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a media kit and a press kit?
The terms are nearly interchangeable but come from different places. A press kit was originally a packet handed to the press, often made for each announcement, while a media kit usually means a standing place people can return to at any time.
What should a media kit include at minimum?
The logo files, the usage rules and a contact. Provide horizontal, stacked and symbol-only logos for light and dark backgrounds, as SVG and PNG, plus PDF if the logo is printed.
Where should I host a media kit?
On your own site, a shared drive, a docs tool such as Notion, or a service built for brand assets. Compare them on whether they open without signing in, keep the same URL after updates, and hold the rules beside the files, and whichever you pick, give out one URL only.
What URL should a media kit use?
/press for a press-oriented page and /brand for one limited to the logo and brand rules are the common choices. Link it from your site’s footer too, which is where people look first and tells search engines the page is permanent.
