Whilst businesses are winding down for Christmas and we are all getting in the mood for some festivities the glossy monthly magazines are working on issues that won’t be out for between 3 and 6 months. But if you’re a retail business worried that you’ve missed the Christmas boat fear not there might still be some opportunities available. If you don’t have a media request system like Pressplugs or Editorielle , keep an eye on X (formerly known as Twitter) for the hashtag #journorequest.
January is just round the corner which is the prime time for publicity if you’ve got a health and wellness brand. Again, there might be some last-minute opportunities so keep your eyes peeled.
Short vs Long Leads
Short leads are your weeklies, dailies, radio, online publications, and some TV. Long leads are the monthly magazines. I explain this in more detail in a previous blog.
December short leads
In December focus your short-lead opportunities around Valentine’s Day. I’m talking specialist Valentine’s gift ideas, romantic food, and drinks menus or perhaps you’re a beauty or lingerie brand that has the perfect Valentine’s item. If so, start doing your pitches now. Also, it’s a good time to share your valentine stories if you have a story of romance, heartbreak, or the pleasure of spending Valentine’s Day alone, that you want to get off your chest now is the time to get sharing. It’s also a chance to launch an anti-valentines campaign, think Burger Kings Flame Your Ex campaign. Here are some examples of other anti-campaigns for inspiration.
December Long Leads For the long leads you need to be looking ahead to Spring 2024 when there are lots of dates that you can work around. Easter is at the end of March then there is April Fool’s Day which provides the perfect opportunity to do a quirky stunt or put out a left-field story. It’s worth sitting down and brainstorming some ideas now, if this is something your struggle with I can help with a Dig Deeper session.
Spring is also a time for a plethora of articles around doing a ‘spring clean’ so you can be thinking about products you have that might fit this criteria or services that you might offer that fit into the category, think decluttering you home, detoxing your wardrobe and maybe some tips on social media purges or how to get your inbox clear.
Let me know how you get on.
Rebecca Slater is a PR Consultant with more than 20 years public relations experience. She is based in Staffordshire and provides support to businesses all over the country.
Find out more at www.beckandcallpr.co.uk or email sayhello@beckandcallpr.co.uk