Yes, it’s time to think about the holidays
While we are still squeezing out the last days of summer, this is prime time to talk to media about your holiday offerings.
We wait for the summertime for months, so we can shake off the wet, dreary days of winter and soak up the sun as much as we can. The thought of thinking about the holidays right now can be overwhelming, as we’re trying to just enjoy the last few weekends we have left of perfect weather and outdoor gatherings with friends.
When it comes to media relations, NOW is the time we need to introduce our end of year offering to editors. Editorial teams are working fast and furious on holiday content starting in September, and they’ll want everything prepped by end of October, LATEST. That means if you dream of having your brand featured in a holiday gift guide, quoted as an expert in a family gatherings social piece, or showcasing your services to help people navigate the busiest time of year, you need to be talking to your media contacts right now.
Holiday coverage is some of my favorite for brands, because it drives straight to clickthrough and brand engagement. People are looking for solutions during the holidays, and your brand can be one of them. You just have to be included.
Here are a couple of things you can do to make holiday media outreach a little less daunting:
What are you promoting?: What are you actually promoting this holiday season? I’m not a fan of creating something completely new to promote just for the holidays - it’s a lot of work on the upfront and not a guaranteed result. Instead, focus on some of your most successful offers and give it a holiday season twist.
Get your ducks in a row: Make sure you have materials and talking points to share with media. If you’re promoting a service, do you a have a bio or one-sheet to describe your expertise or service requirements? If it’s a product, what about a product fact-sheet that goes through all ingredients, pricing, availability, etc? Do you have your hi-res images saved in a folder? Make sure you’ve got everything sorted so you’re not scrambling when the media requests come in.
Who are you reaching out to?: If you haven’t given holiday coverage much thought, or haven’t done your research yet on what holiday coverage looks like, get on good old Google and look at some of the coverage from last year. Take note of who is writing the stories, and the kind of themes they are after. Start a list or tracker that you can easily navigate so you’re ready to email them when your materials and pitch are ready.
Curious about the actual tactics to get your brand featured in incredible holiday coverage? Join our FREE Conquering Holiday Coverage Masterclass on September 13. Sign up HERE. Can’t wait to see you there.
