A media kit is primarily used by cosplayers in order to apply for convention appearances and cosplay sponsorships. My first sponsored cosplay came a year into my cosplay career and having a media kit was a handy tool that allowed the company to see who I was and what I had to offer. That’s why I decided to share my own kit with you and offer you a cosplay media kit template.
Do you always need to send a media kit? Not necessarily. Sometimes a well-crafted email can land you that sponsored cosplay or collaboration (I’ve done this myself a time or two). However, media kits help you establish a sense of professionalism while simultaneously giving you a way to showcase your cosplay-related accomplishments.
Media Kits shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all, so I highly recommend changing the colors and adding a few things to make it represent you and your cosplays. The platform I used to make my kit is called Canva, and it’s the greatest thing ever. You’ll need an account to get my template, but from there it’s literally just drag-and-drop, so customizing it will be a breeze.
But before you get started, you should probably take a look at what exactly a media kit is used for and what you should (and shouldn’t) include in this file.
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What is a Media Kit?
A media kit is essentially a beefed-up cosplay resume. It holds all of your graphics, statistics, and experiences in one document. This document (typically in PDF form) is then used to send to conventions or companies in the hopes that you will be hired as a cosplayer, crafter, streamer, or what have you.
These documents are fairly easy enough to make, but I decided to send you my personal cosplay media kit template that I made just to give you a head start (I’m not a graphic designer, so please don’t judge me). You can use the same program to tailor your own or use one of the many templates they have available.
You can also just add your media page to your website! But I’ll get into that in a minute.
What To Include in Your Media Kit
Everyone’s media kit should be different. And depending on the reason behind your media kit, you may need to tailor it in different ways. For example, convention runners may not be interested that the RPC Studio sponsored you a cosplay, and likewise, a makeup company might not put much thought into your convention appearances.
You can try to squeeze it all in there, but just like when you tailor your resume for a specific job, consider doing the same for your media kit depending on who you’re trying to work with.
Besides your contact information and social channels, here are a few more things to include in your cosplay media kit:
- Pictures: Showcase your best cosplay photos here. I would also suggest putting in a decent personal photo just so companies can get to know the real you.
- Services: Do you write blogs, make YouTube videos, or stream on Twitch? In most cases, companies are going to look at what you have to offer them. This is also where you can include panels you’ve hosted or competitions you’ve been a judge for.
If you’re only looking to get free (sponsored) stuff, consider offering multiple services (i.e. a dedicated blog post and an IG post) in order to land the gig. It will be really hard to sell yourself on just a single Instagram post if you have a small following.
- Previous collaborations: This includes convention appearances and sponsored posts. Let them know what you did for the company and include any statistics and positive outcomes that the company benefitted from during your collaboration.
- Statistics: Include your demographics (age range, gender, location of followers) and social media stats. The easiest way to get these is by using the two platforms I have listed down below.
- Awards and Press: This is where you want to highlight any awards, press, and publications you have been featured in. I would only include one photo here and then just link to the publication so the reader can view it at their leisure.
What Not To Include
There is such a thing as too much when it comes to your media kit. Here are a view things that may make your media kit look unprofessional or novice:
- Too many pictures/colors: Yes, this is cosplay, but don’t let your media kit act as your primary portfolio. Ten photos is more than enough to include in your media kit (high-quality, of course!).
I made the mistake of incorporating too many colors and graphics in my media kit the first time. Try to stick to 3 core colors and fonts so that your media kit looks clean.
- A background image: A background image is way too distracting. You want your media kit to have a fresh and easy to follow format. Likewise, sometimes bold colors such as red or blue are a bit too much for a media kit.
- Work history: This isn’t your resume. It’s cool if you’re a hard-working barista, but companies aren’t really going to take much stock in your daily work hustle. Keep it brief and professional.
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How Many Pages Should Your Media Kit Be?
If you are sending out a pdf Media Kit via email, I recommend keeping your file at 2 pages max (similar to a resume). Chances are, the company is only going to do a quick skim at first, and you don’t want to overwhelm them with too much information.
However, if you have a website, you can also just include your Media Kit as one of your dedicated pages. I still have to do this, but I still have a PDF version, just in case. Momo Kurumi’s Media Kit webpage is another terrific example you can use for reference.
Ready To Send?
Not so fast. Before you start sending off your Media Kit for collaboration inquiries, have a friend look it over. It always takes a second pair of eyes to spot any errors in your copy.
I would also recommend showing it to an unbiased source, such as a cosplay friend who you know will give it to you straight. Preferably, you will want to have someone who has experience in landing gigs (such as convention appearances or sponsorships).
If you need some advice, I’d be happy to share my opinion. Just DM on Instagram and we can exchange information there!
Cosplay Media Kit Template and Alternatives
As promised, here is where you can get my free cosplay media kit template. Just click the photo below, drop in your email, and I’ll send it over. If you have any questions, please feel free to respond to the email or DM me on Instagram.
Media Kit Alternatives
Not everyone has the time to put together the statistics for all of their cosplay accounts (even with a template!). To make your life a little bit easier, I recommend utilizing these two free platforms as well and include them in your pitch to potential sponsors.
Influence.co: This handy little platform allows companies to see your total reach, engagement, and social platforms all in one place! All you have to do is link each social site and Influence spits out the stats for you (including demographics). You can customize it a little with a bio, and you can even add previous sponsored or promotional social media posts. You can see mine linked for reference
Social Bluebook: If you are questioning how much you can charge for collaborations or conventions, you definitely want to invest in Social Bluebook. There are paid versions where you can add all of your accounts, but I just write down the information it gives me for each platform and then I remove it from the list.
The rule of thumb when it comes to sponsored posts is $100 for every 10K followers. However, if you have a high engagement rate or grade (my Instagram is A++!) then you can probably charge a little higher. Social Bluebook allows you to see how much to charge for dedicated posts, shout outs, direct links to company websites, and more.
