It is the hottest week of the year so far and the pubs are about to reopen so the last thing you want to think about right now is Christmas! However, in the PR world now is the best time to start planning ahead to ensure you take full advantage of all the press opportunities Christmas provides. From gift guides to bumper issues, press are looking for products to fill their pages and as most long-lead publications work 4-6 months in advance, Christmas is on their radar now.
For product-based businesses, Christmas is a great time to gain coverage. It is also the busiest time for journalists when they are inundated with festive themed press releases and pitches. As a result, it is more important than ever to have a PR plan in place to ensure you stand out from the crowd and get your brand and products noticed.
To help get you started we’ve put together a quick checklist of what you need to think about before launching your Christmas PR campaigns:
- Identify the products/stories you will be pushing for the festive season and what makes them different or interesting
- Imagery is crucial! We can’t tell clients enough how important it is to invest in photography. You might have the best products and brand story out there but if you have no quality images supporting them it is unlikely you will get the coverage you deserve
- Write a concise press release which clearly and quickly gets across the facts and your USPs – avoid too much jargon, as tempting as it might be to include lots of festive puns and lyrics!
- Keep on top of your PR – most magazines start compiling their gift guides in July while online media will be working on Christmas content from October onwards – make sure you send your information to the right media at the right time to avoid missing any deadlines
- Persistence is key – keep searching for opportunities and keep pitching. From now until December, there is more potential than usual to get your brand talked about by press if done in the right way
With hundreds of thousands of products featured in gift guides each year, this is a fantastic opportunity for small businesses and independents to get brand exposure in national media outlets with journalists wanting to hear from you! Also, Christmas isn’t just about products – we’ve secured festive coverage for clients on courses, events and much more.
Need some help carving out your story or getting featured? We’ve worked with a wide range of businesses to procure PR coverage throughout the year as well as over the vital Christmas season. To find out how we can help, contact us on hello@brightword.local or call 01243 200121.