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Business Tips

Have you kicked off your Christmas PR plan? You still have time!

Are you ready for Christmas? You still have time to get organised to launch a great PR campaign.

 

With Christmas only a month away many small businesses owners may be worried they’ve left it too late to promote their business over the festive period. It is true that the monthly and some weekly publications will have already completed and possibly published their Christmas content, as they tend to work months in advance.

 

Remember for many print publications i.e. glossy magazines, Christmas starts in July!

 

However, if you haven’t started your Christmas PR yet don’t panic as there is still time. Some weekly and online publications will still be looking for stories and products. So act fast and take a look at a few of our festive suggestions below.

 

Christmas Gift Guides

Gift Guides are a brilliant way to promote your product or service at Christmas. Many online publications and bloggers will still be looking for businesses to contribute, and in some ways online gift guides are better to target. For example, when your product is featured in online publications they can put a direct link to your website, meaning consumers can click straight through to buy your product. Whereas print publications readers have to remember to visit your website later in the day to make a purchase.

 

When pitching your product to a gift guide you need to make sure you provide the journalist or blogger with all the necessary information, including a description, price, stockist, website link and high res images.  

 

Trending News Stories

In the lead up to Christmas, there will be many trending news stories on which you can piggyback i.e. Black Friday, loneliness at Christmas or money-saving hacks.

 

Have a look at the current news and think about how your business relates. For example, if you have a special Christmas offer then Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be a brilliant time to start promoting this.

 

Furthermore, journalists are intrigued by press releases which can add value to pre-existing stories such as data and statistics. For example, if you have statistics about how much money consumers save by buying all their Christmas presents on Cyber Monday, this can validate and backup a news story, creating a more eye-catching and informative article.

 

Do Something Different

Journalists receive up to 200-300 emails pitches and press releases a day which increases around the festive period, so you need to make your business stand out from the crowd in order for them to want to hear more about you and your story. For example, is your business against Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Share your views with journalists and explain why you won’t be taking part. Or maybe you’re working with a charity to ensure no one goes hungry this Christmas i.e. inviting the homeless to eat in your restaurant on Christmas Day or Box Day? Explain to the journalist your motive for helping out and help them to create a great story for their readers.

 

In addition, personal stories are a great way to catch the journalists attention, as PR doesn’t always need to be about your business. For example, were you diagnosed with an illness during the festive period? Although this story may not be directly linked to your business you can talk to the journalist about how it affected the running of your business and Christmas sales.

 

Post-Christmas Resolutions

Christmas is a time for indulgence, yet post-Christmas is a time for resolutions. Once you’ve completed your Christmas PR plan it is important to think about the New Year. Journalists will be looking for businesses to contribute to New Year resolution features. For example, health and fitness products, New Year offers, alcohol-free beverages for Dry January, detox trips, weight loss stories and more.

For help with your business PR contact support@journolink.com



 

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