‘Tis the Season

For those of you whom haven’t done so already, it’s that time to start thinking about gift guides and holiday feature stories. It’s hard to imagine that in 90+ degree weather that the winter holidays would be on the brain, but many long lead publications deadline in the coming weeks for their December issues.

Why should you care? Well, we all know that the Christmas and winter holiday season is the busiest time of year when it comes to shopping. Buying is on the minds of consumers and sales tend to be strong during that time of year. If you have a product or service, you’ll want to pitch it and take advantage of getting in front of customers who are on the hunt for that great gift. You’ve seen the guides:

• 10 Gifts to Give the Guy Who Has Everything
• What to Get Your Favorite Cousin This Season
• Presents That They Won’t Re-Gift

Have you thought about how to get your product and/or service featured in the holiday gift guides?

Some things to consider before going the gift guide route:

1) Would your product/service make a great gift? Seems obvious, but you’d be surprised at what some may consider a “good” gift. Ever received a not-so-great gift? Same goes for a story pitch. Spark plugs might not be high on the gift-giving meter, however,  an auto kit in an attractive case might get some play. Service-wise, a unique spa or salon treatment has a better chance of making a gift guide list than, let’s say…services for a tax attorney.

2) Do you have samples? If you have a product, are you able to send out samples to the media outlets you’ll be pitching? Having samples is an important investment as it allows the media to become familiar with your product first-hand. Reading that your skin cream makes your skin soft and smells delicious is different than personally experiencing it and sharing it with someone – hopefully a couple hundred, thousand someones via the media outlet.

3) Are you ready? Do you have the basic questions and more answered about this great gift you’re suggesting? The media is going to want to know answers, like how much your product/service costs, who will benefit from it and why, how long it has been on the market, what makes it different (or better) than [insert name], and where it’s available for purchase. Having these answers will be helpful in securing gift-guide worthy coverage for your product/service.

We can help you with print, online and broadcast media outlets focused on their gift guides and holiday feature stories. Let us give you a hand in your gift-guide strategy and contact us today!