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July 09, 2005

"Christmas in July: Using PR NOW to Boost Your Holiday Revenue" by Shannon Cherry

It's the beginning of summer. Time for getting the pool
ready, catching some rays, and the lazy, hazy days of
barbequing. But what most small business owners, whether
online or brick & mortar, fail to do is plan for the
holiday media coverage.

No not, Independence Day or Labor Day (in the US), but
Christmas, Hanukkah and the New Year.

It's no secret that the fourth quarter is the biggest and
most important quarter for companies marketing to
consumers. Holiday shopping can make or break many
companies.

However, holiday shopping doesn't just happen. It takes
hard work through marketing, advertising, and public
relations efforts. Unfortunately, many fail to address
their PR campaigns until it is too late, missing what is
probably the most cost effective way to promote their
product or service.

While shoppers don't engage the holidays in earnest until
Thanksgiving, the fact is that most publications have
already put their holiday gift guides and product reviews
to bed. December is late. November is not as bad but you've
already missed the publishing schedule for most monthly and
weekly publications (which are often working one to three
to five issues in advance).

Many late November and December magazines are chock full of
holiday gift guides and product reviews. So early December
is too late if you're seeking coverage in magazines. In
fact, a trip to the newsstand in early December will
provide all the evidence you need. All the December issues
of monthly magazines will be stocked and ready for purchase
-- some have been there for a week or two. Even the
weeklies will already be dated early to mid-December.

The key is to send out press releases and press kits for
gift guides and holiday stories to your targeted media six
months in advance. That means if you want to hit the gift
guides for the end-of-year holidays, you need to start your
campaign in July.

Just remember to keep it simple: send out a one-page press
release about your product or service, a pitch letter
explaining why it's such a great gift idea, and links to
where a reporter can download 300 dpi product photos, if
applicable.

As you craft the materials, think about where your product
or service fits. It may work with a variety of typical
holiday gift stories such as: stocking stuffers, gifts for
teens, gifts for girls on the go, gifts for the
parent-to-be; tech gadget gifts, gifts for the man who has
everything, etc.

Suggest a good category for your product or service, rather
than simply stating, "Here's a product that would make a
nice holiday gift," you're making yourself stand out -- and
maybe even giving the journalist an idea for a story angle
that he or she wouldn't have thought about otherwise.

Today's Date

Posted by isoh at July 9, 2005 12:56 AM

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