We are already nearly at the end of February so it’s time to start looking at what you should be telling the media bout and sharing on your socials in March.
KEY AWARENESS DATES:
MS Awareness Month, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
1st – St David’s Day
2nd – World Book Day
8th – International Women’s Day
17th – St Patrick’s Day
19th – Mother’s Day
21st – World Poetry Day
26th – Daylight saving begins
31st – International Transgender Day of Visibility
LAST MINUTE PITCHES
Although I always advise that it pays to plan ahead there are times when you need to be reactive. For example looking at what is going in in the world and whether it is something related to your business and providing comment. One few ways of knowing what journalists are looking for is getting on Twitter and searching the hashtag #journorequest or signing up to a media request service such as Pressplugs or Editorielle. These services will send journalist requests direct to your inbox.
SHORT LEAD VS LONG LEAD
Understanding the difference between long and short lead media and how to pitch accordingly is a topic I’ve already covered. To keep it succinct, the key to differentiating between the two is in the name! ‘Short Lead’ has a turnaround of about 4-8 weeks from pitching, editing, and publishing whereas ‘Long Lead’ follows a much longer timescale of anywhere from 3 – 6 months.
SHORT LEAD FOCUSES: MARCH
My short lead recommendation is April Fools Day. This is a bit leftfield but can be an excellent opportunity to do a stunt or something similar to raise your profile. This works especially well for consumer brands and there is still time to brainstorm some headline making activities.
LONG-LEAD FOCUSES: MARCH
Looking to the future there are lots of things on the horizon. The King’s Coronation is on 6th May so a good opportunity if you are doing any Bank Holiday events, offers and so on. Father’s Day on the 18th June if you have a product or service that can be tailored specifically to father figures, then get planning.
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