How-To Guide: Bundling products in your media kit

Whether you’re building a media kit for the first time or refreshing your existing one, strategic bundling can help your organization present your inventory in a way that’s more valuable to both your sales team and prospective advertisers. 

Why bundling works

Your media kit is often a prospect’s first impression of your publication. When advertisers are presented with a long list of individual offerings, it makes it more difficult for your prospect to make strategic decisions.

Strategically bundling your products helps eliminate uncertainty by providing ready-made advertising packages, making it easier for advertisers to choose a solution that fits their goals. Rather than evaluating each opportunity separately, advertisers can quickly understand how multiple platforms work better together.

This also shows more of your inventory, encourages buyers to think beyond a single product or category, which benefits your publication by positioning your organization as a strategic marketing team rather than salespeople. Instead of encouraging a single product, you’re promoting a campaign that accomplishes their goals. 

Organize your products by category

Before building your advertising packages, start by taking inventory of every product your publication offers to local buyers. This will help you identify which products naturally pair well together and where there may be untapped opportunities to create stronger bundles.

Start by grouping all your products into categories such as:

• Print advertising
• Digital or websites
• Email newsletters
• Out-of-home advertising
• Social media platforms
• Event sponsorships
• Video advertising

Organizing your products this way helps you visualize the strengths of each platform. It also makes it easier to identify gaps in your offerings and to recognize which products are frequently purchased together.

Build bundles around common advertising goals

While it may seem easier to build separate bundles by industries like restaurants, retail, or banks, this often results in multiple advertising packages that are difficult to maintain or manage. 

Instead, you want to create bundles around the advertiser’s goals. Think about what the majority of prospects or advertisers are trying to accomplish. 

Common advertiser objectives include: 

• Increase brand awareness
• Promote a specific event
• Recruit employees
• Maintain visibility throughout the school year

Building packages around these shared objectives makes your media kit more flexible for prospects, requiring very little work on their part when considering your organization’s offerings.

Mix products that work together

Every product in your inventory serves a different purpose and has its different strengths. For instance, a print advertisement may establish credibility while an email newsletter placement reaches your most engaged readers. When these products are combined thoughtfully, each reinforces the others. 

An advertiser benefits from reaching students with multiple touchpoints through a “surround sound” approach. Consider pairing a product from each category and compare its strengths to create a strong bundle. 

Create seasonal packages

Many businesses plan their marketing around recurring moments in the academic year. Curating seasonal packages allows your publication to proactively prepare for those opportunities. 

Consider building recurring bundles for: 

• Back-to-school
• Homecoming
• Family weekend
• Finals week
• Graduation
• Other campus events

These recurring events create repeatable opportunities for your student media organization to offer timely, relevant advertising packages each year. 

How to sell it

A strategically curated bundle becomes more valuable when the buyer understands the thought process behind it. Instead of introducing a package by listing everything it includes, focus on explaining why those products belong together and how past clients have succeeded with them. 

During the pitching stage:

• Start by learning about the advertiser’s objectives before recommending a bundle.
• Explain how each product complements the others instead of describing them individually.
• Focus on the overall campaign and expected outcomes rather than individual placements.
• Be willing to customize the package while preserving its overall strategy to be flexible for the prospect. 

What’s next?

As your publication introduces new products or expands its audience, your bundles should change alongside it. 

Review your media kit at least once each semester to evaluate which packages generated the most interest, which products were commonly purchased together, and whether there are new opportunities worth incorporating. 

Reach out to your flytedesk account manager for more support or resources.