As most park and recreation PR coordinators know, a press kit is a presentation of your park district to the writers and editors in the media. Often I hear park district PR people tell me, "We want to run our agency like a real company." And that's good. Below are steps corporate PR teams follow to develop their press kits. Depending on your budget, you can choose to create a more costly and complex kit or take the simple, inexpensive route. Whatever you do, just remember three key factors: keep it interesting, timely and easy to read.

For starters, the cover of your press kit should be visually eye-catching. Be imaginative, because it's the first thing your prospects will see. Use a line drawing, your park district logo or even a photograph that represents your agency to lure them into the kit.

The folder itself can be a pocketed folder, a loose-leaf binder, a spiral hardcover binder or anything that will hold your materials together conveniently. When printing a press kit folder, order more than is needed! Reprinting these kit covers can be costly in the long run. A few extra hundred won't tap into your budget too much, and they can also be distributed to new residents, at open houses and festival information booths.

If you've got a new facility or program, announce it inside your press kit. Have stickers made announcing "New park district information inside," or "New XYZ Facility." Use bold colors to create excitement or use subtle colors to create a more businesslike appearance. Bright reds, blues, purples and green hues work well. Here is a general checklist of items for a well-rounded press kit. Use it as a guide for your own kit, but remember, each kit is different.