‘Tis the season to keep on pitching. As the year continues to wind down, we’re getting closer and closer to shopping, tinsel and more shopping just in time for the holidays. Every reporter is searching for the latest product, quirky gift or fun find for their readers and it’s prime time to get your clients featured. It’s all about the holiday gift guides right now so we’re keeping it short and sweet for you today here at Belle, just like your favorite holiday treat because you have to get your last minute pitches in.
Because you’re a PR pro, you’ve already done your research by scoping out the right outlets, checking out their editorial calendars and figuring out the right reporter. Congrats! Now check out our 3 tips on getting in a gift guide and get ready to bring some holiday cheer to your client and your agency.
Create Your Own Gift Guide
Here’s a chance for you to flex your creative skills and create your own gift guide. When I was working for an e-commerce retailer, we had over 300,000 products so there were a lot of cool gadgets to choose from. What worked for me, and got us featured in a few gift guides, was creating our own niche guides that resonated with each publication. For example, I created a roundup of products you can purchase with Bitcoin. Another idea if you have a selection of all natural products is to create a gift guide for a fitness-focused media outlet. It definitely takes some time and focus to do this, but it’s effective.
Give Up All The Deets
Ever heard the phrase ‘love is in the details’? Well, reporters love when you give them the details up front. There’s no need to tease your product or create a riddle for them to solve because honestly, no one has the time. Be sure to answer any question you think they could ask. If your client has an all natural, gluten-free snack bar, for example, you probably want to send them a photo of the packaging, flavors available and where consumers can buy it.
Is your product free? Didn’t think so — be sure to include the price, and if it happens to be $49.00 you can definitely pitch for gifts under $50. It would also work in your favor to send them some samples, because who doesn’t like testing (read: tasting) products?
Check Out HARO
One of our favorite PR tools here at Belle is definitely HARO. It’s chock full of a number of requests and right now, everyone is looking for the perfect gift to add to their guide. The key here is if you haven’t already, sign up, and then look at the HARO list as soon it comes out and respond, respond, respond.
Have any more tips for holiday pitching? Let us know in the comments below!
