Tips to Make Your PR Sparkle During the Holidays
Ah the holidays… the most wonderful time of the year! How do PR professionals make it the most wonderful time to maximize PR opportunities? Here are some tips to keep in mind to capitalize on the last weeks of the year.
Keep Pitching
Though November and December are the busiest months of the year when it comes to the holiday season, they can often be slow when it comes to news. The holidays can be an ideal time for a publicity push. Journalists and reporters have space to fill and are looking for fresh content, particularly newspapers and news sites. Because most PR departments scale back efforts at year end, PR pros who pitch during the holiday season find less competition for media attention.
Make Content Relevant
While the holidays may be a slower news period, it doesn’t mean that anything goes. It’s still important to pitch topics that are timely and tie into current news and events. Consider the following topics to pitch during the holidays:
- Holiday themes
If your business or product allows, do your best to work clever holiday themes and terms into your content. Write a how-to article that connects your company to a topic or current issue or trend, such as tactics for winter survival or making the most out of seasonal activities. Be sure to include holiday hashtags to maximize exposure on social media channels. - Year-in-review recap
Write a year-end overview that recaps industry and market trends, company performance and achievements. Consider linking to videos and infographics that highlight important metrics and accomplishments. PR professionals can use year-in-review articles as an opportunity to generate buzz and reinforce their position in the market for their target audience. - Make predictions
Predictions for the coming year can earn substantial media mentions. They can establish executives and clients as experts in their field. Make sure your predictions are compelling enough to matter or coincide with industry happenings throughout the year. Explore new theories, unique perspectives and edgy ideas that would cause the average industry reader to click on the headline.
Timing Matters
While timing is always important in public relations, trying to get media coverage can be especially challenging around the holidays. Keep in mind the holidays change the production schedules of some publications. You’d be better off to avoiding any major announcements during the busy weeks of November and December, unless your news plays into those holidays somehow. Many reporters are out of the office trying to enjoy time with friends and family, so you’ll be hard-pressed to get their attention. If you must make them, do time your holiday announcements wisely. Think about all the email that will be in a reporter’s inbox. Do you want your pitch stuck in that queue waiting for days to be opened? Look at the calendar and try to plan for the week before the holiday or wait until after.
Thought leadership pitching is all about strategic storytelling and positioning yourself as an industry expert. If you’ve got a great angle that can be written with a holiday news hook or event, take advantage of the opportunity. The end of the year may not be the ideal time for major news or product releases, but both news sites and their readers are hungry for tips on navigating the holidays, year-end wrap-ups, year-ahead predictions and inspirational stories. Warmest wishes for productive PR this holiday season!
About the Author
Vicki LaBrosse, director of global public relations, Edge Marketing, has more than 17 years of marketing and communications experience in both the legal and accounting industries. She works with clients to develop and execute comprehensive PR and marketing strategies that will help grow their business.